Global Talent VISA
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Global Talent Visa UK
The global talent visa scheme (previously Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa) allows qualifying Foreign nationals to come to the UK for work. To be eligible for this (Tier 1) visa, you must be a professional leader in either:
- Digital technology –apply for Tech Nation Global Talent Visa
- Arts and Culture
- Research and academia
With a Global talent visa, you can stay in the UK for five years and more, followed by a visa extension. Further, you can settle in the UK permanently via the ILR route.

What are the eligibility requirements of Global Talent Visa UK?
Global talent visa UK eligibility requirements:
To fully qualify, you must follow the two-step process:
- Receive the endorsement.
- Apply for the Global talent Visa UK.
Furthermore, to meet the Global Talent visa Endorsement requirements for entry clearance or leave to remain, you need to meet the 70-points threshold.
Therefore, you can only apply and qualify for the Global Talent visa (entry clearance) once you satisfy the following requirements:
- Receive an endorsement letter from an approved endorsing body.
- An endorsement must not be older than 3-months at the time of applying.
- The endorsing body must not withdraw your approval.
You can apply for leave to remain if:
- Your endorsing body had not withdrawn the endorsement.
- You have earned a sufficient amount of money in your field of expertise.
What are the required documents to apply for the Global Talent Visa UK?
For a successful global talent visa application, ensure to provide the following required documents:
- A valid travel document, passport with a blank page for the visa if you are from non-EEA countries.
- A medical test record, primarily TB test results if you are from a country where this test is required.
- An endorsement letter.
- A receipt of the application processing fee, including the Immigration healthcare surcharge.
What are the requirements for the Arts Council England?
The arts council is one of the Home office approved endorsing bodies for the professional experts working in the following domains:
- Literature.
- Music.
- Dance.
- Visual arts.
- Combined arts.
- Endorsement requirements for Arts Council England.
- Prove that you are a qualified professional in your field, i.e. a potential leader or internationally recognised expert.
- Must have published a high-quality work through international presentations/conferences, exhibitions, etc. within the last five years.
- Must prove an international success record to demonstrate your exceptional talent required for the Exceptional Promise Visa application.
- Must have won or contributed towards Global award-winning contests, i.e. the Booker Prize or an Academy award.
- Endorsement requirements for The British Academy, The Royal Society, and The Royal Academy of Engineering.
You must have received your endorsement to prove that you are active researcher in the following industries:
- Science.
- Engineering.
- Humanities.
- Medicine
Moreover, depending on your field and expertise, you can submit your endorsement application through a fast-track endorsement or a Full Peer review endorsement. Nevertheless, it’s important to carefully check the supporting documents requirements for each type of endorsement.
What are the different routes to endorsement for Researchers under the Global Talent Visa Route?
Endorsement routes for Academia and Researchers:
- Academic and Research positions (fast-track endorsement) approved by the UK higher education institution or research institute (UKRI). Further, the UKRI must either be:
- Responsible for innovative leadership, research and development and academia.
- Director of the innovation project or programme of work either for individual or team research.
- The route must be registered by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.
- Individual fellowships/awards- must be held currently for at least 12 month.
- UKRI -Endorsed funder – part of fast track endorsement and researchers grants must be approved by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, British academy.
- Full Peer review endorsement route for researchers.
COVID-19 concessions are available for international scientists, academics specifically working on COVID-19 related research projects. The UK government has announced criteria for Coronavirus research grants to be open till 31st Dec 2020.
What are the required supporting documents for the Fast Track Endorsement under the Global Talent Visa?
Fast Track endorsement supporting documents
- The written confirmation from the awarding institute enlisted and approved by the Royal Society, The British Academy and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- The fellowship grant held for at least 12 months before submitting the endorsement application.
- The academic or research position approved by the UKRI and enlisted or published by the aforestated academie.
- Provide a statement from the Director of Human resources confirming that:
- The advertised job was announced with open competition. Further, provide the name of the department where the position is based and, job title, etc. and
- Received at least two reference letters and
- A minimum of three employing members must be part of the interview panel.
- With at least one of the interviewers must be an expert in your relevant field independent of the employing body.
- For the endorsed funding route, the following requirements must be met:
- Applicants must satisfy that at least two years of their employment tenure are left and
- The grant was provided by the approved UKRI and is a one-off grant won in an open competition and
- Provide a written confirmation that the net worth of award by the endorsed funder is at least £30,000 coverage for two years.
- Applicants must be dedicating 50% of their time to research grant (except principle investigator and co-principle investigator can work in multiple grants).
How can applicants with Exceptional Talent and Evidencing Exceptional Promise Satisfy the Full Peer Review Endorsement Requirements?
Full Peer Review endorsement requirements, the applicants must
- Be an active researcher either in academia or related industry.
- Be a PhD. Researcher or hold equivalent research experience in the either clinical or industrial niche.
- Meet one of the following requirements:
- Be a member of the National academy or foreign academy or,
- Must have won an internationally recognised prize or,
- Provide the recommendation letter from the senior member of a UK recognised institute with expertise in the applicant’s field
- Be early-stage career researchers.
- Exceptional promise applicants under full peer review must:
- Along with the above requirements a. & b. The applicants under exceptional promise shall be in the early stage of their career and be a holder of UK based fellowship for the last five years or equivalent position approved by the endorsing body.
Who is eligible to apply for the Tech Nation Global Talent Visa UK
The Tech Nation Visa allows qualifying employers and business investors with exceptional technical and/business skills to work in the UK.
You can qualify to apply if you are the talented Tech national applicant having potential leadership (exceptional promise) or recognised leadership (exceptional talent) in the following sectors:
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- Cyber Security
- Fintech firms
- Gaming
With Tech Nation Visa, you can change employment/organisation without any Home office authorisation and even be self-employed. Moreover, you don’t need UK based Sponsor license or a job offer to start work through the Global talent visa route.
You can further check the full list of eligible digital technology roles on the UK government official website.
What are the endorsement requirements for the Tech Nation Applicants?
It is vital to know before applying for the Global talent visa in digital Tech that the home office reviews endorsement based on the following criteria:
- If you are an applicant with technical skills, you must showcase:
- Your technical expertise in building, deploying and/ using technology stacks and building infrastructure.
- If you are an applicant with business skills, you must prove:
- Your exceptional capacity to invest in commercial and digital technologies.
- Applicants with exceptional talent further need to prove:
- That they are recognised leaders or experts in the digital technology.
- Provide the prove of:
- Proven track record of innovation as a co-founder or a senior executive/employee working in the product-led tech company or working in a new digital company/concept or
- Recognition of work beyond the job title contributing towards advancement in the relevant field or
- Significant contribution in technical, commercial, entrepreneurial sectors of digital technology either as senior executive/employee, or
- Exceptional academic contribution in the field through publication or award by the endorsing body.
- Applicants with exceptional promise need to prove the following:
- Demonstrate ability to be recognised as the potential leader in Digital technology and,
- Must provide all the other additional evidence similar to the applicants with exceptional talent as mentioned above.
What are the required supporting documents to apply for the Tech Nation Applicants?
- An updated resume highlighting the merits of your work, talent with publication history.
- At least three recommendation letters from three different organisations who are experts in the digital technology.
- At least ten written evidence that may include:
- Recommendation letters.
- Letters of mentorship/leadership.
- Evidence of established and successful business.
- Employment documents.
The applicants of the Nation Tech visa must attach the above supporting documents with an online application for the Global talent scheme.
As alluded to, applying for the Global talent visa is a two-step process:
- Step 1. Apply for endorsement:
- You have won an eligible award
- You have received an endorsement letter within three months of making an application for a Global talent visa
- Step2. Apply for Global talent visa.
Applying from the outside the UK
You have to visit the local embassy/ visa application centre to submit your entry clearance Global talent visa application or apply online.
It is also essential to remember that your visa application will get rejected if you apply for a visa before applying for the endorsement.
Applying within the UK
If you are applying from inside the UK, you and your dependents (partner and children). You can submit your Global Talent visa application via an online portal on the Gov.Uk website. You can also extend or switch to a Global talent visa UK if you reside in the UK.
Hence, You can switch from the following visa routes:
- Tier 1
- Tier 2
- Tier 5
- Tier 4, (except Short Term Student Visa)
- Start-Up visa UK
- Innovator visa UK