Hello!

I’m currently planning to apply. I got my Ecctis approval. I want to go ahead and submit my application. Does anyone have any insight into how many visas are available in any given cycle? I know they expanded the list of universities therefore wondering if they are “running out” or getting close to the max. If they do run out can I expect a refund?

Hi everyone! Since I’ve gotten so much help from this sub, I wanted to share my timeline. Mine went pretty fast, so I figured I’d share a few tips.

1. 5/18 - Applied. Right after applying, I reached out to my school. (I emailed the general undergrad registrar even though I graduated with a master's). They told me to use Parchment, so I sent my transcript through Parchment to [QLS.verifications@ecctis.com](mailto:QLS.verifications@ecctis.com) that same day.

2. 5/22 - I got an email from Parchment confirming my document was received and viewed by Ecctis on 5/22 at 3:51 PM UTC.

3. 5/27 - My status changed from "In Queue" to "Reviewing."

4. 6/1 - Approved.

I was honestly a bit worried that sending the Parchment transcript ahead of time might mess up the process or make it hard for Ecctis to track my file. But since I was on a tight timeline, I had to rush it and send it before Ecctis could even reach out to my school. Looking back, I think doing that actually sped up the whole process significantly!

Hope this helps anyone who's in the same boat!

Hey all,

This subreddit was helpful to me as I researched this visa and the application process, so I'm hoping I can be helpful to others in turn.

I'm an American. I graduated from Duke in May 2021 (undergrad), so this was my last year of eligibility for the HPI visa and I decided to go for it.

Here's how that played out:

• February 3, 2026: Ecctis application submitted
• February 9: Ecctis status switched to 'in progress'
• February 10: Ecctis verification completed
• February 10: Submitted HPI visa application to UKVI, paid health surcharge and application fees
• February 11: Scheduled VFS biometrics appointment and uploaded documents
• February 13: Attended in-person VFS appointment
  • This was the worst part of the entire process. I had to drive four hours to a different state to go to the appointment, arrived an hour in advance, and still nearly missed it because there was no system of calling people up to the floor where VFS offices were located (which were not publicly accessible).
  • Once I was in, the wait was long and disorganized, employees were curt and dismissive, and at one point my passport was handed to a completely different person with a completely different visa and only made its way back to me because she realized it was someone else's when tucking it back into her passport cover. I was a nervous wreck after this appointment.
• February 17: Approved by UKVI for HPI visa
  • Note: there was no communication between the VFS appointment and the approval, no notification of receipt of documents, etc.
• February 18: Set up eVisa and linked it to my UKVI account

And that's that! Except, no, it isn't, because getting the visa is just the first step of actually emigrating:

• February 27: Began an international transfer process with my current employer, who operates in both the US and UK.
• March 6: Was approved for international transfer and the process of trying to place me somewhere in the UK began
• April 8: Got my first update from the UK side of the company, who'd been unsuccessful in finding me anything in the area where I wanted to live
• Early April: Began the search for a place to live.
  • This is much harder than it sounds. I have savings and thought I could provide a large deposit up front even if I didn't have proof of UK income or a UK-based guarantor. I was wrong!
  • If you're intending to live in England, read up on 2026 changes to renter's rights.
• April 22: Signed a lodger's agreement with a live-in landlord I found on Spareroom. This ended up being the easiest route when immigration and employment status was taken into account.
• May 1: Got a job offer from the UK side of the company - but not anywhere near the place I'd just found accommodations.
• May 10: Moved to the UK on the day my eVisa began.

Now, I've been here three weeks, I'm currently doing remote freelance work separate from my previous employer, from whom I'm officially on a leave of absence for now.

The big disclaimer I would tell anyone considering this route: make sure you actually, truly want to live in the UK and make sure you can financially support yourself without working for 6+ months.

For me, it's perfect, because I've dreamed of living here for years, I had a stable cushion of savings, and the UK itself was the appeal of the visa. I'm a massive football fan and I've already been to premier league matches, made friends with other supporters, and started content creation projects. I feel immediately at home. I adore the city I've chosen to live in.

But bear in mind:

• The HPI visa is not widely known and you will have to explicitly explain it to potential employers.
• You should always prominently state in your CV and cover letter that you have the right to work in the UK until x date and that you do not require visa sponsorship.
• You will probably have no luck with job applications until you have a UK address and phone number. Even then, the job market is highly competitive.
• If you work for an international company, transferring might be a legitimate route. But don't rely on it.
• Renting is a big challenge for new immigrants and you may find yourself in expensive or unstable short term situations at first: Airbnb, lodging agreements (less rights and protections than a real tenant gets), or living with friends / family.

Happy to answer questions people have or clarify my experience.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently setting up my UKVI account for my eVisa and I’ve run into a question on the sign-in setup page. It asks: "What phone number do you want to use when you sign in to the account?" and specifies that they will send a new security code via SMS every time I sign in.

I am currently in the US and about to move to the UK. My current US phone number will not be maintained once I move, and I obviously don't have a UK mobile number yet.

Appreciate any advice from anyone who has gone through the transition from an international number to a UK one on their UKVI account!

Hi there

I was confused about the deadline. Anyone have experience applying a bit after your conferral date and getting approved? Ecctis people were kind of encouraging. I spent the money on ecctis, I know I could get a refund if i pull it before it gets sent to someone for review. But the $1300 non refundable application fee for the visa is crazy. Feels like I’m gambling with this money unless it’s just a stupid gamble. If I knew there was a way of getting approved I would do it but seems like the 5 year thing is pretty hard and fast. Any advice? I put 5/31 as my conferral on the application but my transcripts clearly say 5/22

Hi everyone,

i submitted by qualification for verification on 11th may. Its been on reviewing status since then.

The order status shows - Status -Reviewing

“We have checked your qualification and confirmed it is eligible for the service. Your application has now been passed to our Verification team for review.”

It also says that if no response is received from my institution within 20 working days, the outcome may become “unable to verify”.

I’m getting anxious because it has already been several days and I’m not sure whether they have contacted my university yet or not.

Their live chat is useless as they say no advisor is available. I kept calling calling them and they keep mentioning its with their verification team and my university hasnt been contacted yet.

Has anyone here gone through the same stage recently?

• How long did verification take for you?
• Did ECCTIS actually contact your university?
• What happens if the university replies late?
• Any tips to speed things up or follow up correctly?

I need the ECCTIS result for my UK Skilled Worker visa process, so the delay is stressing me out a bit.

Thanks in advance.

Hi there

Put off applying bc I wasn't sure. I also saw the application window and thought it was anytime within that window not on the exact date you graduated. My certs say 5/22/2021. If i apply today, is that gonna be too late? have seen where it will count the month generally, not the exact date? Just curious before I spend the money, but should probably just do it anyway. any thoughts? quick reply would be awesome.

Asking because I haven't made accommodations yet. I plan to stay at a friend's place or find something closer to my actual travel date.

I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation and could help -

My UK HPI visa just got approved and this automatically got updated on my UKVI account, however, I already had a tourist visa that has now disappeared from the account. I had done a lot of research before and all the research showed me that I would still be able to use my tourist visa until my UK HPI visa became active.

Now the issue here is, my UK HPI visa is only valid from the 12th of July ( I chose a later day so I could maximize the two years because realistically I won't be able to get there till August because I am currently finishing my Master's degree, but I needed to apply now because I was running out of my five-year window) but I was counting on using the tourist visa in June to attend my cousin's wedding in Scotland.

So I guess my question is is my tourist visa still valid till the UK HPI visa kicks in, even though I can't see it on my account?

hi there,

for anyone who has cancelled their application after paying the full application fee and healthcare surcharge amount, how many days did it take for you to get back the refund ?

I used an VISA card for the payment.
Thanks

Hi, I got my HPI and it is an e-visa! I was able to link it to my passport and generate necessary share codes too. I arrive in London on 11 June.
My visa is effective starting 1 Jun 2026 (until 2 years), and was wondering whether my planned entry on the 11 June is alright? I read a bunch of secondary sources that talk about the 90-day window to enter but did not see any official source. Would appreciate any insight.

Additionally, I am coming in from New York where I have been working since the past year, and studying before that. I am an Indian citizen and thus was confused about the TB test requirement. India is on the list of countries that need it but at the same time I have spent the last six months outside of India / in the US. Would you still recommend having the test done?

Is there any other document / thing to keep in mind for the entry into UK? I am little nervous, thanks to the US side of things and thus any recent experience would help, appreciate it.

I am a US grad, citizen of one of the non-exempt countries for English tests. When I apply for the English Proficiency and Qualification Comparison, it requests a MOI. How do I go about that?

Should I select the other service? Or do I just upload my diploma in the MOI section again?

My student visa to UK was rejected once in 2015 due to insufficient funds in bank statement. I got offer in another country so I just let it be.

I will disclose this rejection in HPI application I am going to do. Will previous rejection complicate HPI application process?

The rejection letter said that as we are not married or in a civil partnership, we need to demonstrate a relationship similar to marriage for 2+ years. It says we have not demonstrated the relationship is genuine or subsisting, that we have provided no official documents in joint names or any evidence of having
lived together or been in a relationship for over 2 years.

We have been together online for 3 years and spent around two months living together across three trips. The website clearly says that we can apply as an online couple if we've been in relationship for over 2 years but cannot live together yet because of work or study (which is the case, we have provided ample official evidence including a previous visa attempt to the US). The website says we need to provide evidence that we communicate regularly, support each other financially, and spend time together as a couple, all of which we did.

So I feel upset and confused, is it possible that since they only recently allowed online relationships, the case worker wouldn't be used to these new rules? I believe we check every condition and nowhere does it say we require official documents in joint name or having lived together (i.e. outside of trips).

Should we apply for administrative review? Anyone in a similar situation or knows how long it would take or if there's any chance of success?

It's 2 days after May 19, 2021, which was my Master's degree conferral - should I pay and apply or save my money because I'll be rejected?

Thank you!

My timeline was as follows

Ecctis

9-april

submitted application

15-april

Additional documents needed

27-april

Consent form needed for university contact

12-may

Ecctis contacted my university

My uni responded the same day

18-may

Positive verification

19-may

Positive outcome

HPI Visa

19-may

Submitted visa application late at night with fast track fee and did my biometrics online (EU passport)

I did this as I have a trip planned to the uk in two weeks and travel to the UK is not allowed when a visa is pending

20-may

At 11:00 uk time I received a positive outcome

Tips

-The planned travel date is the start date of your visa validity

-You are allowed to enter the uk later than the planned travel date

-The planned travel date can be no more than 3 months later than your submission date

-Travel to the common travel area during a pending visa application may lead to refusal for some reason (I was told this by a lawyer of my future employer)

Any questions feel free to ask!

I got my ECCTIS verification done and I’m planning to complete my visa application in a couple of days.
I graduated in May 2021 so I don’t have much time to complete my application, it must happen now. However, I’m not ready to go to the UK just yet. I live in USA and I’m considering moving next year. Will it be okay to put the entry date as Jan 1 2027? Or would that be considered too far away and reduce my chances of being the visa approved?
Is there a maximum allowed time period for the time difference between application date and visa issue date?

Ok so firstly, yes i should have been timely and not waited for the last day to submit my HPI visa application , I get that.

Now, I graduated from NYU in May 2021, and it just mentions the month and year on the degree certficate. However, on the transcript , it mentions degree awarded date as 19th May 2021.

I applied for both Ecctis verification and UKVI HPI application along with payments today morning in IST , i.e. 19th of May 2026. Technically , it still falls within the 5 year range as mentioned on HPI website.

However when I was trying to choose 19th may 2021 as date of qualification, the HPI application was throwing an error 'You must have been awarded your qualification in the last 5 years'. I panicked and just chose 20th may 2021, and finished the application and paid everyhting.

Is this fine? Will it work ? I have not booked my biometric appointment yet as it complicates cancellation and refunds, also my Ecctis status is 'in review' as of now.

When i reached out to UKVI over email and call different agents suggested different options, please help me choose the best path , or suggest another-

1. Cancel the application and get refund, file a new one - but the problem remains the same , it wont let me enter 19th may 2021 again.
2. Attach a covering letter beforehand explaining my situation during biometric documents upload.
3. Do nothing, just go with , schedule biometric and give explanation only if they ask for it over email. The only reason I feel this could work is because, they have not asked to upload transcript for biometric , only the degree certificate which only mentions the month. I guess they would rely on QLS results/letter from ECCTIS regd. my degree validity and all. Does it mention anywhere regarding the date of degree awarded ? The transcript was a reqd. document for Ecctis so they have that info.

I'm pretty stressed, will a difference of 4.5 hrs ( I submitted at 430 am british time today) lead to a rejection OR can i explain my way out of this? Once i have a clear way forward, I'll book my biometrics, which is just fingerprint and photo taken , not any interview afaik.

UKVI agents suggested speaking to immigration advisor and i have seen some of them replying on this space before, would greatly appreciate if you could chime in.

Thanks for your input

I am aware some other people asked this question before. I just would like to know double check.

I would show 3 bank statements (Feb 1-28, March 1-31 and April 1-30). My application date is May 9.

Is it sufficient or should I also know statement for May 1-8? Thanks!

My Ecctis timeline is still in progress, unfort dragging on longer than expected, currently is as follows:

Apr 15 - sent application (converted OpenCert into a PDF online, only submitted the PDF)
Apr 21 - received an additional request for a clear photo of my university certificate, in addition to the PDF sent earlier
May 7 - received a system update that my application is 'Awaiting verification'

May 7 is also where I messed up - I received no further update, and May 14 I sent a message asking for an update. The next day they replied, saying they were waiting on further documents from my end. Turns out I had missed an email from QLS verification (not the usual Ecctis email address) on May 7 requesting the OpenCert file or link. I immediately replied and also gave my uni a heads up to hopefully quicken their reply.

I'm still waiting, but will update here
Lessons learned:
1. Only provide 1 degree, even with a double degree certification (I suspect this slowed it down slightly)
2. Be on the lookout for other Ecctis-related emails, especially from QLS

If anyone has advice on what else I could do to accelerate the application / prepare for the move while waiting for Ecctis, keen to hear it!

hi all c: I have been reading about everyone's experience with the ecctis qls process and as someone who is on a bit of a time crunch I was wondering what do you suggest that I do at this point. This morning, the status changed from basically point 0 to this:

"We have checked your qualification and confirmed it is eligible for the service.

Your application has now been passed to our Verification team for review."

I have all the email addresses my uni should contact and send the documents to, however, do you know which documents they need exactly? I could email my uni (already emailed them last week to let them know ecctis would reach out) and tell them exactly what to send before ecctis does to cut down some processing time maybe? idkkkkk also if anyone has any experience witht he columbia registrar specifically please enlighten me on what you told them when you went through this process pls🙏🏻😭 this is taking forever and it is stressing me outttt

thank you so much for your help and suggestions in advance!!

I applied for the HPI visa with a planned arrival date (early June), but held on before submitted because of some personal reasons. If I submit my application next week (with biometrics), does that date still apply? My country’s biometrics office states a minimum of 3-4 working weeks before the application can be approved. This means the original date won’t be applicable anymore. Will they issue the visa when they get it done despite the date indicated?

Hi all! I’ve been trying to understand who ECCTIS actually contacts at UofT for the verification step, but my registrar’s office has been pretty unhelpful.

For anyone with a successful application:
Did you need to do anything proactively on your end?
How long did it take?

Any tips appreciated!