GLOBAL TALENT VISA: INTRODUCTION

Talented and promising applicants who want to work in the UK in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology, and arts and culture (including fashion design, architecture, and film and television) may apply for the Global Talent visa.

“Promise” candidates can demonstrate the ability to become leaders in their industry, whereas “talent” applicants are currently leaders in their respective fields.

The Global Talent category does not have an application cap, does not need a work offer, and may result in UK settlement.  Through this option, a dependent partner and dependent children under the age of 18 may apply.

Global Talent Visa Requirements

To be eligible for a Global Talent visa, you must meet the following requirements specified by UK Visas and Immigration:

• You are at least 18 or over;
• You have received a prize mentioned in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes or you have received an endorsement letter from an endorsing body recognized by the Home Office;
• Your application is not subject to rejection based on the general grounds listed below;
• If needed, you have submitted a legitimate TB (Tuberculosis) certificate.

The specific requirements that you must meet may change based on your situation.  For professional guidance, you might wish to see an immigration lawyer.

Global Talent Endorsement Application

The majority of candidates will require an endorsement from an adequate endorsing authority as proof of their outstanding potential or promise to apply for a Global talent visa. Science, engineering, medicine, social science and humanities, digital technology, and arts and culture (including fashion design, architecture, and film and television) are among the fields in which you can receive endorsements.

For a Global Talent endorsement, each endorsing body has its own set of requirements, but in every instance, you’ll need a significant amount of work and the backing of authorities in your field of expertise.

For further information on the prerequisites for endorsement in each field Please refer to the following pages:

• Global Talent Visa: Arts and Culture
• Global Talent Visa: Film and Television
• Global Talent Visa: Architecture
• Global Talent Visa: Fashion
• Global Talent Visa: Digital Technology
• Global Talent Visa: Science, Engineering, Humanities, Social Science and Medicine

You can apply for a Global Talent visa once you’ve been endorsed. 

On the other hand, if you have been granted a qualified Prestigious Prize, you will only need to apply for a visa once and won’t require an endorsement from a Global Talent endorsing body.

Global Talent Prestigious Prizes Route

You will be able to quicken the endorsement application and go straight forward with submitting a single visa application if you have been awarded a qualified prestigious award.

Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes contains the list of prizes.  This list is periodically updated and is kept under review.

For a prize to qualify as a prestigious prize, it must be awarded to a specific person and explicitly acknowledge that person’s outstanding skills.  As a result, rewards granted to whole organizations or notable accolades for particular works, such as a film that has won an award, are not included in the list.

In addition, prizes must be available to people of all nationalities, and judges, not the general public, must choose the winners.

Global Talent Category English Language Requirement

English language proficiency is not a prerequisite for Global Talent candidates applying to enter the category or extend their stay in the Global Talent route.  To be eligible for settlement in the UK, Global Talent, however, migrants must prove that they are proficient in the English language.

Global Talent Route Maintenance Funds Requirement

Applicants for Global Talent visas are not required to meet the maintenance fund criterion.

How Long Is a UK Global Talent Visa Valid For?

Applicants for the Global Talent visa can select the maximum amount of leave, in full years, to be granted with a single application—up to five years.

Because of this flexibility, applicants for Global Talent visas can minimize their Immigration Health Surcharge payment, if they want to visit the UK for a maximum of two years, for example.

Global Talent Visa Extension

It is possible to prolong your stay in the UK if you decide that you would like to remain longer than you had planned or if you are unable to apply for settlement after receiving your first leave grant for any reason, such as excessive absences. You can stay in the UK for an unlimited amount of time under the Global Talent visa category.

If your initial application was approved using an endorsement, you must have earned money in the UK during your previous grant of leave to be eligible for an extension of stay under the Global Talent route. Alternatively, if your initial application was approved using a prize listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes, you must have earned money in a field related to the subject matter of your prize. You will have to provide proof from an independent source that can be verified by the Home Office.

If an endorsement was used to support your first application, the endorsing body must still have Home Office approval and you must not have had your endorsement revoked.  Additionally, the Home Office will review your immigration history and character to make sure you don’t fall for denial under the general grounds.

Global Talent ILR (Indefinite leave to remain)

If you fulfill the requirements for extending your stay and show that you have adequate knowledge of the English language and life in the UK, then you will be qualified to apply for indefinite leave to remain after spending a constant period of 3 years in the UK if:

• The Royal Society, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering, or UKRI, have endorsed you; or
• You received an endorsement from Tech Nation or Arts Council England based on the exceptional talent criterion; or
• Your first application was accepted based on a reward from Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes.

You will need to reside in the UK continuously for five years before you can apply for settlement if you were previously approved under the “exceptional promise” criteria for Tech Nation or Arts Council England.

Time spent in any of the following immigration categories—Global Talent, Innovator, Tier 1 (excluding Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)), Skilled Worker, T2 Minister of Religion, T2 Sportsperson, Scale-up, or Representative of an Overseas Business—may be included in the appropriate continuous period.

Residence Requirement for ILR as a Global Talent Migrant

You must have spent no more than 180 days outside of the UK in any rolling 12-month period throughout the continuous duration of leave that was relied upon to be eligible for indefinite leave to stay in the Global Talent category.

When applying for settlement, global talent migrants who hold leave after being approved by an endorsing body in the fields of science, engineering, humanities, or medicine and who have conducted research abroad that is directly relevant to the leave they were granted will not have their absences counted.  The same treatment will be given to partners of Global Talent migrants.

Switching Into the Global Talent Route

If the applicant does not currently possess or was not previously granted, permission to remain as a visitor, short-term student, parent of a child student, seasonal worker, domestic worker in a private household, or outside the Immigration Rules, they may apply from within the United Kingdom to switch to the Global Talent route.

Should you fall under any of the aforementioned criteria for leave, you will need to depart the UK and apply for a Global Talent visa from your place of origin.

When Should I Apply for a Global Talent Visa?

You have three months from the day you obtain your endorsement to apply for a Global Talent visa, however, you can do so up to three months in advance of your intended departure date. As a result, you should start your planning far in advance of the day you plan to arrive in the UK and work backward.

Global Talent Visa Application Processing Times

Most application centers provide priority services, which allow you to acquire an instant decision on your application if your goal is to arrive in the UK as soon as possible. It is advisable to estimate that the Home Office processing will take around one month; however, for priority services, the turnaround time for a decision might be as short as one week.  Certain application centers offer a 24-hour processing service.

You should be aware that you will have to wait for the endorsing body to decide on your application for endorsement before your visa application can be processed.

Working in the UK on a Global Talent Visa

You will be able to work in the UK under the Global Talent category, including self-employment and volunteer work, but you will not be able to work as a professional athlete or coach.

It is not necessary for you to do a certain quantity of work; but, if your goal is to become a permanent resident of the UK, you need to do some.

If you choose to, you will also be able to study in the UK, but you won’t be able to use government funds for it.

Can a Global Talent Visa Holder Bring Family Members?

Holders of a Global Talent visa is permitted to bring their unmarried partner, spouse, or civil partner.  If their children are under 18 at the time of their initial visa application to enter the category, they may also bring them.