UK Offers New Work Visa to Top Graduates
The UK has made a new work visa available to international graduates — but only to those from a small number of top universities.
People applying for the "High Potential Individual" visa must have graduated in the last five years from a university that was one of the top 50 in the world in at least two out of three international lists in the year they completed their studies.
These lists are the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Eligible schools currently include 20 US universities — including Harvard, Yale and Princeton — three in Canada, five in Europe and eight in Asia, including Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo and the National University of Singapore. Graduates from the University of Melbourne in Australia are also eligible.
The visa costs almost $900.
Graduates with a bachelor's or master's degree can apply for a visa lasting two years. Those with a PhD can apply for a three-year visa. At the end of that time, they can get a different long-term visa if they are eligible.
Those who receive the "High Potential Individual" visa can also bring their families with them.
Although it is a work visa, graduates will not need to have already found a job to be successful in their applications. However, they must show that they have savings of at least about $1,500.
They must also have at least a B1 level of English on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The British Council defines B1 as being able to communicate easily with native speakers.
