Global Talent Visa: Guide to Endorsement

Global Talent Visa

The Global Talent visa is for leading professionals and emerging talents in the fields of the Arts, Scientific Research and Development and Product-led Digital Technology. No longer restricted by a cap on endorsements, the Global Talent visa route is a 3-year route to indefinite leave to remain with no restrictions with regards employment, making it the UK’s most flexible and valued visa route.

What is the Global Talent Visa?

The Global Talent visa route relies on endorsement from a UK governing body that is relevant to a particular field. Candidates submit a thorough application for endorsement for review to the governing body who then endorse the individual by letter. This letter is then used to complete a visa application to the Home Office. 

The Global Talent visa route covers the Arts: from artists to professionals working in film and television. It covers an incredible wide range of scientific disciplines, for those working in research to those working in industry. It also includes both technical and business development professionals working with product-led digital technologies. These professionals are either at the start of a bright career or those well established as leaders in their field, both of whom are lauded by UK-based institutions or winners of prestigious awards. 

The Global Talent is a visa route that does not require visa sponsorship, such as the Skilled Worker visa route and allows visa holders to take employment or to establish themselves as self-employed or company directors in the UK.

Who Can Apply for the Global Talent Visa?

Applicants for the Global Talent visa need to be in the fields of the Arts and Culture, Architecture, Fashion Design, Film and Television, Digital Technology and Science, Engineering, Humanities, Social Science and Medicine. Each of these fields has its own endorsing body to whom to apply. 

Applicants will either be those who have been recognised as an exceptional talent or someone with exceptional promise in the field, which is usually assessed by whether by whether the person is in the first five years of their career or more established.

Documents You Will Need

Each endorsing body will need to see evidence that the individual has been recognised as an exceptional talent or someone with exception promise in that field. Mandatory documents to evidence this recognition are in the forms of supporting letters from well-established organisations and eminent individuals in the field, as well as evidence of awards, international reviews, publications, exhibitions or sales figures.

Each field has its own evidential requirements and rules on how many documents are accepted. The common thread is the extent that the person’s achievements are public – whether it be from international awards, publications, exhibitions, reviews, shows, products they have created, sales figures they have driven, and the prestige of those who are willing to endorse the applicant by letter. 

How to Apply for a Global Talent Visa

Step 1: Apply for Endorsement

The most difficult but most important part of the process is the application for endorsement to the governing body. Each governing body follows the rules in Appendix Global Talent and their own guidance to assess the endorsement applications. An estimated 5000 applications are made each year for endorsement, so it is important to stand out from the other endorsement applications. 

Step 2: Prepare Visa Application

A visa application can be submitted simultaneously with the endorsement application, or following endorsement, which is recommended. The application is made online and in accordance with all of the eligibility and suitability requirements of Appendix Global Talent. Dependent applications can be submitted at the same time for dependent partners and minor children.

Step 3: Submit Visa Application

The application is submitted, and fees are paid for the visa processing and Immigration Health Surcharge. Biometrics can be submitted via the convenience of a Home Office mobile app. 

Global Talent applicants can request their visa length up to 5 years, which impacts on the cost of the visa as some of the costs are made per year that a person holds the visa. Currently, Global Talent applicants can make an application for indefinite leave to remain after three years of being on the visa, including any time spent on the Skilled Worker visa beforehand. 

Step 4: Decision

The Home Office will process the application and provide the confirmation of a visa grant by email.

Fees and Processing Times

These fees and processing times are correct at the time of writing, but please do always check these details at the time that you come to make your applications as fees are subject to regular increase and processing times are constantly fluctuating.

1. Endorsement Fee: £561
2. Visa Processing Fee: £205
3. Immigration Health Surcharge: £1035 per year of visa

Both the visa processing fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge are payable per dependent.

Processing times for endorsement applications can take up to 8 weeks. 

Visa processing times can take up to 8 weeks to be processed by Standard Processing or can be expedited to 5 working days and even 1 working day for additional processing fees.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

On the surface, the eligibility criteria for the Global Talent visa looks very accessible but the threshold for eligibility is unclear. The strength of any application is on the evidence in the public realm and the impressibility of those supporting the endorsement application. 

For those winning academy awards, selling out arena concerts and founding Silicon Valley giants, the evidence is readily available, and the path is clear. Most Global Talent applicants are not household names, however, and their successes are impressive but lesser publicised. It is the applicant’s responsibility to sing their own praises and present themselves as strongly as possible with evidence and testimonies. 

For some, the Global Talent route might not be the best option for them to start their UK business, but the Skilled Worker visa route might be the best option.

After You’re Approved

The Global Talent visa can be issued for up to five years. 

The Global Talent visa allows the holder to gain employment, to become self-employed, to study, to volunteer – there are no employment restrictions. There will just be a need at the date of application for indefinite leave to remain to evidence having made an income from the relevant professional field. 

At present, a Global Talent visa holder can apply for indefinite leave to remain after three years, which includes any time spent on a Skilled Worker visa beforehand. In some cases, those who have been on the Skilled Worker visa route for three years have been able to subsequently apply for indefinite leave to remain as soon as their Global Talent visa has been approved.

Why Choose Migrate UK

With any application with a high level of subjectivity in the decision-making process, it is really important to speak to those who have seen what has been successful and what has not. 

Our professionals have been lucky enough to work with exceptionally talented professionals in every field. We are confident that we know who can be successful and those for whom it might not be the right time to make their applications yet.