Immigration Lawyers for UK Global Talent Visa

Overview

UK’s Global Talent Visa is open to foreign individuals over the age of 18 who are exceptional or promising talents in the fields of:

• Academia and Research – engineering, humanities, medicine, and science.
• Arts and Culture – Architecture, combined art, dance, fashion design, film & television, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts.
• Digital Technology – The eligible applicant must get 70 points on the points-based immigration system to qualify. You meet the 70-point requirement if you have one of the following:
• An endorsement from one of the six approved endorsing bodies: the Arts Council England, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society, Tech Nation, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The endorsement must be no earlier than three months before your visa application.
• A recognised prestigious award such as a Golden Global Award or Nobel prize. In this case, you don’t need to apply for endorsement.
• You meet the earned money requirement, and your initial endorsement has not been withdrawn (if you apply for a Global Talent Visa extension).

Image by Ernesto Eslava from Pixabay

Academia and Research

To qualify for a Global Talent Visa under academia and research, you must meet one of the following endorsement requirements.

• You have an offer from a UK higher educational or research institution to work as an academic or researcher.
• You are participating in research as part of a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-approved research grant from an endorsed funder. A UKRI-approved research institution must also host you.
• You are a recipient of an individual fellowship in the UK.
• You have received a peer review endorsement. To qualify for a peer review endorsement, you must hold a PhD or equivalent research experience and participate in ongoing research. You must provide a recommendation letter from a renowned UK research organisation.

The British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) administer endorsements in this field.

Arts and Culture

To qualify for a Global Talent Visa under arts and culture, applicants must:

• Have worked continuously in the field for the last five years and produced internationally recognised outstanding artwork considered exceptional by the Arts Council England.
• Prove that their work or performance has been recognised in more than one country.
• Provide three letters of recommendation from eligible organisations.

Other industry-specific requirements under arts and culture include:

For Architecture endorsement:

• Applicants must have evidence of internationally published works.
• The Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA) must consider their work outstanding.

For Fashion Design endorsement, the applicant must:

• Be known as a leading figure, and other leading figures in the industry must recognise their work.
• Have works that have been exhibited and sold internationally.
• Potential leaders must have proof of media recognition or sponsorship from eligible international fashion organisations.

For Film & Television endorsement, applicants must

• Have won a prestigious award such as an Academy Award, BAFTA, Emmy Award, or Golden Globe or must have been nominated for any of these within the last ten years.
• Be considered exceptional by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT).

Digital Technology

To qualify for a Global Talent Visa under digital technology, a foreign individual must meet one of the following requirements. You must:

• Have founded, made substantial commercial investment, or held a senior position in a product development tech company.
• Have worked on an innovative digital concept.
• Have taught or participated in a collaborative technical project that significantly contributed to developing the digital technology sector.

Winning an award or having your research endorsed by an expert further increases your qualification for the visa. Tech Nation is responsible for administering endorsements in this field. You must also provide three recommendation letters from eligible bodies.

Overview

When applying for a Global Talent Visa, you’ll be required to submit certain documents to prove your qualification for the visa. The specific documents required vary across different fields. They include:

• Valid passport having at least two blank pages.
• Endorsement letter from the appropriate endorsing body.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining your career accomplishments.
• Up to 10 proofs of your exceptional work – achievements, international awards, publications, media recognitions, or international exhibitions.
• Recommendation letters or references from experts in your field.

• For academic leaders or researchers: A letter from the host UK organisation stating your identity details, department, and position. It should also state that you got the job via an open competition for an advertised role, senior members of the organisation interviewed you, and you provided at least three references.
• For research grant work: A letter from the funding organisation stating that the research grant is worth at least £30,000 and will last up to two years.
• For peer-reviewed endorsement: A letter from a known expert in your field attesting to your exceptional talents and how they will benefit the UK.
• For art and culture global talents: Three recommendation letters from leaders in your field attesting to your qualifications and their benefits to the UK.
• For digital technology talents: Three recommendation letters from leading organisations in the digital technology sector. Each letter should attest to your work and its benefit to the digital technology industry and the UK.

• Valid Tuberculosis certificate if you’re from a country that requires the test.

You must provide certified translations of documents in languages other than English and Welsh. You must complete your application within three months of receiving your endorsement letter, or it’ll become invalid. The Home Office may request additional supporting documents for further eligibility checks.

Global Talent Visa Application Fees

The total application fee for a Global Talent Visa is £205. You’ll pay it in two parts if you apply based on endorsement.

• £561 endorsement fee.
• £766 visa application fee.

If you apply using an eligible award, you’ll pay £205 as a lump sum. If you bring your family members along, each dependant’s visa application will cost an additional £766.

You’ll also have to pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge of £1035 per annum for each person.

Application Processing Time

A Global Talent Visa processing time varies for each application depending on where you’re applying from and the basis of the application. The typical processing time for applications from outside the UK is three to four weeks, while applications from within the UK can take up to eight weeks.

Individuals applying based on endorsement must first apply for an endorsement, which usually takes about eight weeks to process. This is why it’s best to get a decision on your endorsement application before proceeding to apply for the visa.

A large volume of applications from your visa application centre or a Home Office request for additional supporting evidence can delay visa processing.

Depending on your location, you can pay for a priority service for a faster decision.