To attract the “brightest and best” early in their careers, the United Kingdom will offer work visas to graduates from the world’s best universities, including India. The move is said to be the expansion of the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system. Under a new visa scheme, graduates from the world’s top 50 non-UK universities can now come and work in the country through a new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa route, which was launched in London on Monday (May 30). Notably, applicants must have been awarded degrees not more than five years before the date of application. Rishi Sunak, who is the finance minister of the UK, mentioned that such policies would help the country to grow as an international hub for innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
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To be applicable for the same, a person must have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the top 50 universities, which appeared in the top 50 of at least two of the following: Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings or The Academic Ranking of World Universities. The appearance in the top 50 must be in the year in which they graduated.
The applicants can opt for a two-year work visa and those who receive doctorates can apply for a three-year visa. It is mentioned that they will be allowed to bring family members with them. The government said that the successful applicants will then be able to switch to longer-term employment visas.
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Sunak said, “We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today – which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here.”
“This new visa offer means that the UK can continue to attract the best and brightest from across the globe. The route means that the UK will grow as a leading international hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship,” he added.
A benefit to Indian students?
Meanwhile, international students, including Indians, who are studying in the UK at any of the top universities are already eligible to stay for up to three years through the Graduate visa “popularly referred to as a post-study work visa” opened in July last year, India-based news agency PTI reported.
The Guardian cited a survey to report that international students would be more likely to “consider studying in the UK if they were allowed to stay and work for three years instead of two”.
The report added that such an extension would be especially appealing to Indian students. It was also noted that the number of Indian students choosing to study in the UK fell dramatically after the abolition of the two-year post-study work visa in 2012. The numbers have quadrupled since it was reinstated, which is a huge difference.
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