Global Talent Visa

Who is eligible for a Global Talent Visa?

You may apply for this route if you are 18 or over and showcase an exceptional promise or have exceptional talent in one of the following fields:

• Arts and Culture
• Academia or Research
• Digital Technology
• Science or Engineering
• Medicine
• Fashion
• Film, Television
• Architecture

Full guidance for each field is available on the home office website.

Global Talent Visa requirements

Applicants will need to demonstrate that they are either a recognised or emerging leader in their field. While documents required will depend on the nature of your application and the evidence required by your endorsing body, documents you will need to provide can include:

• A passport
• A comprehensive CV outlining your key achievements
• Three letters of recommendations from peers or supervisors, confirming your achievements and outlining how you can continue contributing to the field in the UK
• Up to 10 pieces of evidence to support the application and highlight your achievements
• Confirmation of any grant you have received, if applicable

A medical test (tuberculosis) may also be required depending on your country of residence. Note that any documents that are not in English will need to be translated prior to your application.

Examples of our successful clients’ cases:

• Assisted a Chinese tech entrepreneur, specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to successfully obtain a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa. We helped him secure endorsement from Tech Nation as a candidate of Exceptional Promise and with his visa application.
• Successfully represented a C-suite Canadian client with her Exceptional Talent endorsement and Global Talent Visa application

What is an exceptional talent?

Showcasing an exceptional talent means that the applicant has a proven track record of being a recognised leader in their field or have made a significant contribution. This could involve:

• Being an active researcher in a relevant field e.g. university
• Having a PhD or equivalent research experience
• Providing a dated letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person residing in the UK supporting the visa application – they must be familiar with your work and your contribution to the field, qualified to assess your claim to be a world leader in your field
• Being a member of your national academy or a foreign member of academies of other countries
• Being awarded a prestigious internationally recognised prize
• Providing a written recommendation from a reputable UK organisation concerned with research in your field. The dated letter must be written by an authorised senior member of the organisation, such as Chief-Executive, Vice-Chancellor, or similar, on official paper

What is a promised talent?

An exceptional promise (or promised talent) means that applicants can be earlier in their careers but have already shown potential to make significant contributions as a future leader in their fields. This could mean:

• Being an active researcher in a relevant field e.g. university
• Having a PhD or equivalent research experience
• Providing a dated letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person residing in the UK supporting the visa application – they must be familiar with your work and your contribution to the field, qualified to assess your claim to be a world leader in your field
• Being at an early stage in your career
• Being awarded, hold or have held in the past five year, a prestigious UK-based Research Fellowship, or an international Fellowship or advanced research post judged by the competent body to be of equivalent standing

Want to get more Info?

First name

Last name

Email

Continue

Endorsing Bodies for the Global Talent Visa

To apply for a Global Talent Visa, applicants will first need to secure endorsement from the relevant Endorsing Body:

1. Tech Nation: Covers a range of technical and business skills in the digital technology sector.
2. Examples of technical skills include: Principal software engineers/developers, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning experts (AI, NLP, ML), Hardware engineers and Cybersecurity experts, etc.
3. Examples of business skills include: Experience in leading substantial VC investment over £25m GBP, Experience as a commercial / business lead (P&L, growth, sales and distribution strategy) in a digital business, Experience in expanding or growing a significant product-led digital technology business, Experienced Product Manager, etc.
4. Arts Council England: Considers Exceptional Talent and Exceptional Promise applications from the following disciplines: dance, music, theatre, visual arts (including museums and galleries), literature and combined arts and more.
5. The British Academy: Covers a range of disciplines from economics, history to law and many more.
6. The Royal Academy of Engineering: For engineering applications.
7. The Royal Society: For natural sciences and medical science research applications. Covers a range of disciplines from pure mathematics to conducting clinical research in genetics and many more.
8. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): For applications from all research fields, supported by a grant or award from an endorsed funder.

QC Immigration can help with both your endorsement and Global Talent Visa application, and provide support at all stages of the process.

How to apply

There are two steps in the application process: obtaining endorsement (stage 1) and the immigration application (stage 2).

Stage 1: Apply to the Home Office for endorsement as a leader or an emerging leader in your field.
Stage 2: Apply for the visa.

All Global Talent Visa applications are done online, but how you apply will depend on whether you are:

• Outside the UK
• Inside the UK and extending your current visa
• Inside the UK and switching from a different visa

You can find more details on the home office website. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any help with your application and our expert team will be happy to help.

Global Talent Visa costs

A Global Talent Visa application costs £716. If you are including a partner or a child in the application, this cost will apply to each individual.

If you are applying based on an endorsement, you can pay in two parts (£524 for the endorsement application and £192 for the visa itself).

If you are applying based on an eligible award, the full cost is paid when applying for the visa.

An Immigration Healthcare Surcharge fee (IHS) is also due as part of your application. This is usually £1,035 per year per applicant, and can be paid online on the Home Office website. You can check how much you need to pay here.

Application waiting times

While waiting times can vary, a decision is expected to be given within 3 weeks if you are outside the UK and 8 weeks if you are in the UK. A well-presented case usually helps the home office make a decision faster.

Additional fees can be paid in order to get a decision faster through a ‘priority service’ which can cost an extra £500 for a decision within 5 working days or £1000 for the next working day.

How we can help

Whether you are looking for help with endorsements, gathering the required documents to prepare your application or would like our expert lawyers to take you through the whole visa application process, the QC Immigration team have a wealth of experience and a solid track record of helping clients successfully submit visa applications. Get in touch if you would like to discuss your case.