Main Features
This category is for talented and promising individuals in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology and arts and culture (including film and television, fashion design and architecture) wishing to work in the UK.
Applicants will be leaders in their field, or have the potential to be leaders, as determined by a Home Office recognised endorsing body. These very talented individuals will contribute to the UK’s economy and benefit the wider society. Broadly speaking, an applicant is either granted a visa for being ‘a recognised leader’ (exceptional talent) or ‘an emerging leader’ (exceptional promise). You may qualify for this visa if you have made significant contribution as a leader in your field, or you have demonstrated potential to become a leader i.e. contribute significantly as future leader in your field.
All migrants entering the UK under the Global Talent category must have valid entry clearance under this route. If they do not, entry will be refused.
If you qualify, you can work as an employee, change your employer or work as self-employed, set up your own business without the need for further authorisation or to be sponsored for employment in a specific post (as in Tier 2 general migrant visa).
You do not require any amount as initial investment in this category.
Application process
You need to complete 2 stages to get this visa.
You need to:
apply to the Home Office for endorsement as a leader or an emerging leader in your particular field
apply for the visa
Most people apply for endorsement first, but you can complete both applications at the same time. However, if your endorsement is refused, your visa application will also be refused and you will not get any money back for either application.
Applicants must be endorsed by one of the recognised UK body, as approved by the Home Office. Individuals can apply to one of the following endorsing bodies who will verify their expertise before they can apply for a visa:
The Royal Society, for science and medicine;
The Royal Academy of Engineering, for engineering;
The British Academy, for humanities;
UK Research and Innovation, for science and research;
Tech Nation, for digital technology;
Arts Council England, for arts and culture.
Once endorsed, subject to criminality and immigration checks, migrants are given a highly flexible permission, enabling them to work for employers or be self-employed; change jobs without informing the Home Office; travel abroad and return to the UK for research purposes; and bring dependents with them. There is no limit on the number of eligible individuals who can use the route.
Fees
You must pay a separate fee for the 2 stages of this process:
stage 1 - endorsement
stage 2 - visa application
Stage 1 - endorsement
All main applicants must pay the £456 fee to get an endorsement when applying for the first time or switching to this visa category.
You will not automatically get a visa if you have been endorsed. You will not be reimbursed your endorsement fee if your visa application is turned down.
Stage 2 - visa application
How much you pay to apply for a Global Talent visa depends on your circumstances. Main applicant pays £97 if from Turkey or Macedonia but pays £152 if from anywhere else in the world. Dependant’s fee is £608 per person. In addition to this, you have to pay £624 PPPY the Immigration Health Surcharge.
How long you can stay
You can apply to stay for between 1 and 5 years. You only have to pay the healthcare surcharge for time you choose to stay.
You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like. Each extension can last from 1 to 5 years.
You can apply for settlement once you’ve been in the UK for:-
3 years with an exceptional talent visa
3 years with an exceptional talent endorsement in science
3 years with an endorsement under the UKRI endorsed funder scheme
5 years with an exceptional promise endorsement in either arts and culture or digital technology
What you can and cannot do
You can:
work - for an employer, as a director of a company or be self-employed
change jobs without telling the Home Office
do voluntary work
travel abroad and return to the UK
bring family members with you
get public funds
work as a doctor or dentist in training
work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
Switch to this visa
You can apply to switch to a Global Talent visa if you’re already in the UK with any of these visa types:
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 5 (Temporary worker - Government Authorised Exchange) on an exchange scheme for sponsored researchers
a Start-up visa
an Innovator visa