Global Talent Visa: Your #1 Expert for Endorsement in the UK

Home
Services
Global Talent Visa: Your #1 Expert for Endorsement in the UK

The UK has a long history of immigration. Being a world leader in science and technology, arts, culture, and engineering, the UK is a home for skilled people worldwide. In line with this, the Government of the UK launched the Global Talent Visa on 20 February 2020 to attract more top talent globally across the fields the visa covers.

What is a Global Talent Visa?

The British government has recognised that the UK must be highly attractive to domain experts to remain competitive. Therefore, they introduced a specific talent-based immigration category-the Global Talent Visa. This visa is available for internationally recognised world leaders or potential world-leading talent in Science and Medicine, Engineering, Humanities, Digital Technology, Arts and Culture, and Research who require a visa to work in the UK. Global Talent visa enables individuals to live and work in the UK with full freedom.

Who can apply for the Global Talent Visa?

To be eligible for immigration under the Global Talent visa, applicants must obtain endorsement from one of the Home Office's six endorsing bodies. We have further divided them into 4 categories for your convenience.

Endorsing Bodies for Academics and Researchers
The Royal Society for Science and Medicine

The Royal Society can endorse experts in maths, chemistry, physics, certain types of engineering, environmental science, biochemistry, biology, physiology, neuroscience, ecology and clinical sciences. You will need to hold a PhD or equivalent qualification and hold a research fellowship to make this application.

The Royal Academy of Engineering for Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering can endorse applications in engineering, including mechanical, process, civil, biomedical, electrical, information communication technology and engineering policy. You will need to hold a PhD or equivalent qualification and hold a research fellowship to make this application.

The British Academy for humanities

The British Academy can endorse humanities, social sciences, literature, theology, and law applications. To make this application, you will need to hold a PhD or equivalent qualification and hold a research fellowship.

There are four routes for eligible academics and researchers to obtain endorsement for a Global Talent visa:
- Academic and Research Appointments – fast-track endorsement for individuals who have accepted a position at an approved UK higher education institution or research institute with responsibility either for academic, research or innovation leadership and development or for directing or leading an individual or team research or innovation project or programme of work. This route is administered by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.
- Individual Fellowships – fast-track endorsement for individuals awarded an individual fellowship on the list approved by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. The fellowship must be held currently or within the last 12 months.
- Endorsed Funders – fast-track endorsement for researchers and specialists whose name or job title is specified in a successful grant application from an endorsed funder approved by UKRI. To be eligible, researchers must be hosted or employed by an eligible institution approved by UKRI.
- Peer Review – standard endorsement for individuals who apply to full peer review by the British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering or Royal Society.
Eligibility Criteria for The Royal Society, The Royal Academy of Engineering and The British Academy
Exceptional talent (leader)
Mandatory criteria

You must be an active researcher in a relevant field, typically in a university, research institute or in industry;

You must have a PhD or equivalent research experience (including industrial or clinical research);

You must meet one or more of the following qualifying criteria.

Qualifying criteria (you must meet one or more of the following)

You must be a member of your national academy or a foreign member of an academy of another country; or

You must have been awarded a prestigious internationally recognised prize; or

You must provide a letter of recommendation from a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research in your field. This letter must be in addition to the mandatory letter detailed below under the heading ‘Application content and documentation for standard endorsement through peer review’.
Exceptional promise (potential leader)
Mandatory criteria

You must be an active researcher in a relevant field, typically in a university, research institute or in industry;

You must have a PhD or equivalent research experience (including industrial or clinical research);

You must be at an early stage in your career;

You must have been awarded, or have held in the last five years, a prestigious UK‐based research fellowship, an international fellowship or advanced post judged by the endorsing body to be equivalent to such a fellowship.
Endorsing Body for Digital Technology
Tech Nation for digital technology

Tech Nation's criteria are designed for applicants with technical and business skills in the digital technology sector. Suitable skill types are listed below. This list is incomplete and indicates the typical applicants assessed by Tech Nation

TECHNICAL APPLICANTS must demonstrate proven technical expertise with the latest technologies in building, deploying, exploiting a technology stack, and building technological infrastructure.

BUSINESS APPLICANTS must demonstrate a proven commercial, investment, or product expertise in building digital products or leading investments in significant digital product businesses.
Examples of Technical Skills
- DevOps / SysOps engineers
- Principal software engineers/developers
- Experienced data scientists/data engineers
- Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language
- Processing and Machine Learning experts (AI, NLP, ML)
- Cybersecurity experts
- Hardware engineers
- Experienced front-end developers
- Operating systems engineers
- Experienced video game developers
- Experienced UX/UI designers
- Experienced Mobile App developers
- Experienced back end developers leading development of, or contributing heavily to major new technologies or open-source projects (e.g. blockchain, Scala, Golang, Elasticsearch etc)
- CTO or VP engineering experience managing teams of in-house employees at a growing digital business
- Virtual and augmented reality developers
Examples of Business Skills
- Experience of 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 of expanding or growing a significant product-led digital technology business
- Sector-specific experience e.g. payment infrastructure in FinTech / international expansion in EdTech etc.
- Solution sales experts
- Experienced Product Manager
- SaaS or enterprise sales leadership for digital services
- Solution sales skills performed for a growing B2B digital business (i.e. not big-company experience)
- Performance marketing experts, performed in house for digital businesses
- Experienced and senior VC or PE analysts with track records of leading investments in digital businesses
- Experience as C Suite in a SMEs + (CEO, CMO, CIO) or head of operations for a digital business
THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS FOR APPLICANTS APPLYING FOR ENDORSEMENT BY TECH NATION:

Leader (called 'exceptional talent') and Emerging leader (called 'exceptional promise'). Applicants must either: Meet the mandatory and two optional "Exceptional Talent" criteria in the table below (OR) Meet the mandatory and two optional "Exceptional Promise" measures in the table below.

EXCEPTIONAL TALENT

(Leader in relevant field)

An applicant evidencing EXCEPTIONAL TALENT must:

Mandatory Criterion: show that they have been recognised as a leading talent in the digital technology sector

Optional Criteria: And provide evidence of 2 of the following:
- a proven track record for innovation as a founder or senior executive of a product-led digital technology company or as an employee working on a new digital field or concept
- proof of recognition for work beyond the applicant's occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field
- they have made significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions to the area as a founder, senior executive or employee of a product-led digital technology company
- they have demonstrated exceptional academic contributions by academic contributions through research published or endorsed by an expert.
EXCEPTIONAL PROMISE

(Potential leader in relevant field)

An applicant evidencing EXCEPTIONAL PROMISE must:

Mandatory Criterion: show they have been recognised as having the potential to be a leading talent in the digital technology field

Optional Criteria: And provide evidence of 2 of the following:
- at least two product-led examples of innovation as a founder of a product-led digital technology company or as an employee working on a new digital field or concept
- proof of recognition for work beyond the applicant's occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field
- they have made significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions to the area as a founder or employee of a product-led digital technology company
- at least two examples of exceptional ability in the field by academic contributions or through research endorsed by an expert.
Endorsing Body for Arts and Culture

Arts Council England for arts and culture

Arts Council England can endorse talented and promising individuals in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, literature, museums, galleries and combined skills. They can also endorse gifted individuals in film, television, animation, post-production and visual effects.

All applicants must provide no more than three letters of support, along with no more than ten individual pieces of supporting evidence.

Letters of support from the UK and overseas-based cultural organisation are established nationally and internationally and recognised as having expertise in your field of arts and culture, film and television or architecture. At least one of the three letters must be from a UK based organisation, and only one of the three letters can be from an eminent individual. The letters from organisations must be from separate organisations.

Applicants must provide supporting documents in at least two of three categories; media recognition, international awards, Proof of appearances, publications, exhibitions or distribution of your work.

Documents of individuals applying for (1) film, television, animation, post-production and visual effects, (2) fashion design and (2) Architecture will vary.
Endorsing Body for Research Applicants
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for research applicants

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will consider applications from individuals operating in the scientific community hosted or employed at a UK research organisation deemed acceptable by UKRI. Applicants must provide critical contributions to work supported by a substantial research grant or award from a specifically endorsed funder listed in the Immigration Rules.

The visa was designed as a fast and efficient route into the UK for leading scientists and researchers worldwide and their teams. It supports the international mobility of researchers and other specialists, which is vital to pursuing new ideas and technology. It is open to EU and international applications and has four routes:
- a senior appointment or an individual fellowship at an approved institution
- through a grant by an endorsed funder
- through peer review
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) operates the endorsed funder route of the visa. Its global mobility team worked to simplify the application process and reduce the bureaucracy involved in obtaining a permit to research in the UK. To apply, you'll need a copy of the grant award letter. You'll also need a dated letter from the director of human resources at the organisation hosting your research project.
Global Talent Visa Routes: Promise & Talent

There are two routes available - Exceptional Talent is for people considered as leaders in their field, and Exceptional Promise is for people who have the potential to become leaders in their area. One of our expert team members can help you understand which endorsement route you should apply.
Advantages of Global Talent Visa
The visa comes with many benefits over its counterpart, the Tier 2 'Skilled Worker Visa':
- Fastest Settlement Route: Successful applicants can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) within three years and ultimately, British Citizenship within four years
- Numerous advantages for the family: Advantages for individuals and their partners and their dependants wishing to establish in the UK
- Exempted from the entry requirements: Language tests, Minimum salary thresholds and Minimum fund maintenance
- You do not need a sponsor: You don't need a job/company sponsorship to come to the UK, you can stay in the UK without a job, you are allowed to do any job, you can enter and leave the UK anytime, and as many times you wish.
- Freedom of choices: Change roles and join organisations without permission from the Home Office, enter self-employment, set up your company and earn additional income from consultancy or other sources which may or may not relate to the field
- Most attractive benefits: No cap on the number of visas granted, choose the length of your visa, renew multiple times, fast career growth, free access to broader exceptional talents and global leaders’ network, inexpensive process, highly flexible as per your needs, Fast Track Option available, and absences are allowed in the context of applications for settlement.
Global Talent Visa- Application Process

You can apply for a Global Talent visa from within or outside the UK, and the application process involves two stages.

Stage 1: Endorsement

You must submit your application to the applicable endorsing body for endorsement at the first stage. The endorsing body will then review the application and assess you based on specific criteria, such as your skills, abilities, and achievements in the niche industry, and advise the Home Office on whether the endorsement should be issued. This stage takes up to 8 weeks to be processed. If your application is considered under 'Fast Track', you may get an endorsement decision in 3 weeks.

Stage 2: Visa Application or Immigration:

After gaining an endorsement, you can proceed to the second stage, the visa application itself. You are guaranteed a Global Talent visa (subject to regular immigration checks).

You must apply for the Global Talent Visa within three months of receiving your endorsement from one of the endorsement bodies. You must submit a copy of the endorsement letter that was emailed to you when your endorsement application was approved, a valid passport and other travel document and if the applicant is from one of the countries on the Home Office's Tuberculosis (TB) testing list, TB test result letter is required. This stage usually takes up to 3 weeks if you are outside the UK and up to 8 weeks inside the UK.
Global Talent Visa Validity and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Global Talent Visa is granted up to a maximum of 5 years in a single application, and applicants can choose the length of their visa. For example;

Mr Gupta is an Indian national in digital technology and grated Global Talent Endorsement from Tech Nation – Digital Technology endorsement body. When Mr Gupta applies for the stage 2 Immigration or Visa, he can choose how much leave (in years) up to a maximum of 5 years he wishes to be granted in a single application. This flexibility allows him to minimise the Immigration Health Surcharge payment, to come to the UK for three years.

Suppose Mr Gupta decides that he wants to stay for longer than he anticipated, and for any reason, he cannot apply for settlement. In that case, he is eligible to apply for an extension of stay on the Global Talent route.

To qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the Global Talent category, Mr Gupta must have spent not more than 180 days outside the UK during any rolling 12 months during the continuous period of leave relied upon. However, Global Talent migrants who hold leave following an endorsement by one of the endorsing bodies for science, engineering, humanities and medicine and who have undertaken research overseas directly related to their grant of leave will not have such absences counted when they apply for settlement. Partners of Global Talent migrants will be treated in the same way.
Unsuccessful Endorsement Applications: Review & Reapplication

If your application for endorsement is unsuccessful, you have the right to submit an Endorsement Review requesting that the decision be reassessed. The review enables you to identify any mistakes in processing your application.
Under review, the new evidence cannot be presented, and you cannot alter your initial application. If your review appeal has been unsuccessful, you can consider making a new Global Talent application for endorsement. If you make a new application, carefully consider improving your application based on the previous endorsement decision and the provided feedback.

Please note: the data presented here are taken from the official websites of the endorsing bodies. We have not altered or changed any data in our attempt to give accurate information
How can we help?

We are a team of Global Talent Visa endorsement experts assisting talented and promising individuals globally in Science, Engineering, Medicine, Humanities, Digital Technology, Arts and Culture wishing to live and work in the UK.

We are very distinctive from an ordinary immigration consulting company, as we not only advise you in your endorsement matters but also equally get involved in the writing and rewriting process. Given that the Global Talent Visa Endorsement Stage involves a stringent documentation process and requires very high-level subject matter experts to prepare the endorsement application, we are our client's first choice. After all, for Global Talent Endorsement, you need technical experts, not immigration experts.

In our approach, we always deploy a creative, quality and responsible business approach, and our team are the brightest minds from respective endorsement fields. By the breadth and depth of their collective expertise and experience, we offer an outstanding service to our clients. We help our clients in the end-to-end Global Talent Visa application process considerably cost-effective and time-efficient. We also provide many complimentary services – Stage 2 visa application, Job Placement, Review file, and Re-application.

Contact us to discuss your Global Talent visa application with one of our endorsement experts. For more information about the UK visa and immigration visit our Magazine – Technologist Confidant

Global Talent Visa: Your #1 Expert for Endorsement in the UK

What is a Global Talent Visa?

Who can apply for the Global Talent Visa?

Endorsing Bodies for Academics and Researchers

The Royal Society for Science and Medicine

The Royal Academy of Engineering for Engineering

The British Academy for humanities

Mandatory criteria

Qualifying criteria (you must meet one or more of the following)

Mandatory criteria

Endorsing Body for Digital Technology

Tech Nation for digital technology

Examples of Technical Skills

Examples of Business Skills

EXCEPTIONAL TALENT

EXCEPTIONAL PROMISE

Endorsing Body for Arts and Culture

Arts Council England for arts and culture

Endorsing Body for Research Applicants

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for research applicants

Global Talent Visa Routes: Promise & Talent

Advantages of Global Talent Visa

Global Talent Visa- Application Process

Global Talent Visa Validity and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

Unsuccessful Endorsement Applications: Review & Reapplication

How can we help?

Latest Endorsements