Table Of Contents
- Who qualifies for the UK Global Talent Visa
- Endorsement Requirement
- No need of Job Offer
- Eligibility for UK Global Talent Visa
- Endorsement Route
- The Prestigious Prize Route
- Visa Requirements
- How can we apply to the UK Global Talent Visa
- Pay the Application Fee
- Conclusion
The UK has always welcomed global talent. The country continues its endeavor to attract talented people worldwide. Before 2020, the UK had a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa for such bright leaders that was replaced with the UK Global Talent Visa in 2020, widening the scope of existing visas. In this blog, we will see who can apply for a UK Global Talent Visa and how to apply for the UK Global Talent Visa.
Who qualifies for the UK Global Talent Visa?
If you are exceptional talent or exceptional promise in the fields of
- Science, engineering, humanities, social science, medicine or
- Arts and culture or
- Digital technology
You can apply for UK Global Talent Visa. The visa is for those who are at an early stage of becoming a leader and those who have proven themselves to be leaders.
You can apply to switch to a UK Global Talent Visa if you are already in the UK on one of the following visas.
- Start Up Visa
- UK Innovator Visa
- Tier 1 Visa
- Skilled worker, Tier 2 Visa
- Tier 5 Visa
- Student, Tier 4, with the exception of Short Term Student Visa
Endorsement Requirement
Endorsement is a key requirement for those applying for a UK global talent visa. This means that you should be endorsed by an ‘endorsing body’ recognized by the Home Office for being a leader or a potential leader in your field. Hence, you must apply for both endorsements and visas.
You do not need to apply for endorsement if you have won an award listed in “Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes”.
No need of Job Offer
To apply for a UK global talent visa, you do not require having a job offer, sponsorship from a UK based organization, not having to meet the minimum salary threshold, and not having to pass an English language test. You can apply from outside the UK or switch to this visa from inside the UK.
On the other hand, you are allowed to take up a job, be self-employed, or become a director of a company in the field in which you have been endorsed or won an eligible award.
Eligibility for UK Global Talent Visa
There are two ways to qualify a visa.
- You need to apply for an endorsement from an approved body. You can apply for the UK global talent visa at the same time, or after you have applied for endorsement and waiting for the decision, or after you receive the endorsement.
- Apply directly if you have an award listed in “Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes.”
1. Endorsement Route
On this route, you must be endorsed by an approved and relevant endorsing body. Only once you have applied for endorsement can you apply for the visa. If your endorsement is rejected, your visa application is also rejected.
Once you apply for the endorsement to work in your professional field, the relevant endorsing body will assess your application based on your profile and the evidence you provide to meet the sector-specific criteria (each body has its own criteria). Evidence you provide should prove to the endorsing body that you are an exceptional talent or an exceptional promise in your field.
Qualifying categories, professions and endorsing body
- Science – Researcher, Professors and Scientists – The Royal Society
- Medicine – Researcher, Professors and Scientists – The Royal Society
- Engineering – Mechanical Engineers, Civil Engineers – The Royal Academy of Engineering
- Humanities – Historians, Sociologists, Economist – The British Academy
- Social Science -Principal investigator, Postdoctoral researcher – UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Digital Technology – Software Engineers, Data Scientists – Tech Nation
- Arts and Culture – Artists, Musicians, Writers – Arts Council England
You can apply for endorsements in the following fields where you are either a leader or a
potential leader:
- Digital Technology
- Film & Television
- Architecture
- Science, Engineering, Humanities & Medicine
- Arts & culture
- Fashion
You should note here that depending on which category you are applying for endorsement, you need to meet different endorsement criteria set by the related endorsing body.
2. The Prestigious Prize Route
You do not need to apply for an endorsement if you have won one of the prestigious prizes listed in the Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes of the Immigration Rules. For example, you may have won an Academy Award for a leading role or a Nobel Prize in science. The endorsing bodies recognize these prizes as proof of exceptional talent or exceptional promise.
This means that one can directly apply to the visa. The time when you won the award is irrelevant (whether you won the award recently or many years ago) as long as the award has not been withdrawn since you won it.
Visa Requirements
Whether you apply for endorsement and visas or directly because you have won one of the prestigious prizes, you need to meet the conditions that include but are not limited to the following to apply for the UK global talent visas:
- You must be 18 or over
- You must provide a passport or other travel documents to show your identity and nationality.
- You must pay any fee and immigration health charges.
- You must have provided your biometrics (fingerprints and photographs) when required.
- You must have received an endorsement letter by an endorsing body approved by the Home Office or have won a prize listed in the Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes.
- If you are applying for the first time for permission to enter or remain on the Global Talent route using an endorsement letter, the date of the application must be no more than three months after the date on the endorsement letter.
- The endorsement or prize that you have won must not have been withdrawn or suspended on the date of the application.
- You must not have breached any of the immigration laws, except where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstay will be disregarded.
How can we apply to the UK Global Talent Visa?
You can apply online, whether you are applying to switch to this visa from inside the UK or for entry clearance from outside the UK.
If you are required to apply for an endorsement, you can apply for a visa at the same time or after receiving an endorsement letter. You should fill in the endorsement application, submit the required documents, and pay the required fee. The Home Office will send your application to a relevant endorsing body for review with expertise in your field.
If you receive an endorsement email and a letter from the Home Office, you can apply for a visa within three months. You must get endorsement from the relevant endorsing body in the field that you are a leader or potential leader.
Now you can apply for the UK global talent visa by submitting an endorsement letter and supporting documents. If your current visa is about to expire, you will be allowed to stay in the UK until you have been given a decision.
You can apply directly to the visa if you receive a prestigious award. The Home Office will ensure that you have won an eligible award by checking the organization’s website. If no information is available online, you will be asked to provide evidence of your prize. The earliest you can apply for a visa is 3 months before you travel.
Pay the Application Fee
You must pay a visa application fee of £716, irrespective of whether you are applying on the basis of endorsement or an eligible award.
However, if you are applying based on an endorsement, you will £524 when you apply for the endorsement and £192 when you apply for a visa.
Conclusion
The UK Global Talent Visa is intended for highly skilled people. For this visa, neither need a sponsorship nor the employers need a sponsor license to hire you. However, you need to prove that you are a leader or potential leader in your field.
How you apply for a UK Global Talent visa will depend on whether you need to apply for endorsement or you can directly apply for the visa because you have won an eligible award. UK Global Talent Visa is a route to “settlement” as well.
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