The global talent visa allows you to work in the UK as if you are a leader or potential leader in the fields of academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology.
For this visa, you do not need to show salary proofs or language requirements. The Global Talent route has replaced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route, talented individuals can be granted immigration permission to work without restriction. They must be endorsed by a specialist endorsing body following peer review. The new policy will also aim to get quality migrants through global talent visas and post-study work visas (both routes are for highly qualified immigrants). Highly skilled scientists and researchers would be able to get to the UK without a job offer. If you are a Global Talent Visa holder, you can:
- Become an employee, self-employed, and a director of a company;
- Change or terminate your work without informing the Home Office;
- Trip abroad and return to the UK;
- Bring your partner and children as your dependents to the UK;
- Get “Permanent Residency” so-called indefinite leave to remain after living in the UK for 3 to 5 years.
In case you are a citizen of the EU, Iceland, Norway, or Liechtenstein and you or your family member are living in the UK prior to 1 January 2021, you may be able to apply for a free-of-cost EU Settlement Scheme. Otherwise, you have required a visa to work in the UK. Irish residents are not required to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Step by step information for each visa category under global talent visa can be viewed as follows:
- academia or research
- arts and culture
- digital technology
Eligibility criteria
The following are the major requirements you need to meet in order to apply for the visa:
- you are a leader or potential leader in the fields of academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology;
- you’ve been endorsed by an organization approved by the Home Office. You are applying within 3 months of receiving your endorsement letter.
Endorsing bodies
It is mandatroy for the applicants to apply for endorse ments from relavent authorities. The endorsement can only be accepted from approved bodies from UK government. The relevant Home Office approved endorsing bodies are:
- Tech Nation – for digital technology applications
- Arts Council England – for arts, culture, fashion, architecture, film, and television applications
- The British Academy – for humanities and social science applications
- The Royal Society – for natural and medical science applications
- The Royal Academy of Engineering – for engineering applications
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – for science and research applications
Documents you need to apply for the visa
You will need to submit the following documents in order to apply for the visa:
- a valid passport
- an endorsement confirmation letter from approved bodies
- proof that you are a leader or potential leader in one of the allowed fields of this visa stream
- in case you are a student who got a scholarship last year to study in the UK, you will need written confirmation from the agency you got the scholarship to apply for the visa
- a tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
The fee of visa application and endorsement
You have to pay £152 for your visa and £456 for endorsement. This is a per person fee, which means you have to pay £608 for yourself as an applicant. If your dependents (spouse, common-law partner, or children) apply with you, there will be an extra visa fee for them which is £608. You have to pay a Health care surcharge as well. The cost of it varies from case to case.
Fee concession for a citizen of some countries
You have a fee concession of up to £55 if you belong to one of the below-mentioned countries (this reduction is only for the primary applicant’s visa application. Yours depends need to pay the full application fee):
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark,
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
How to apply for the visa?
You can apply for the visa online on this portal. On the other hand, in some countries, the UK visa applications also receive on paper applications. You can check here the UK visa application center in your country of origin. The visa application can also be submitted to UKVAC if you are staying abroad with the visa for more than six months. If you are already in the UK, you can switch to the global talent visa as well. Your dependents and family members will have to apply separately using your visa application number. You will also have to submit your biometrics at the UKVAC. You may also have to attend an interview with the entry clearance officer. You can also withdraw your visa application with written confirmation to the UKVAC.
How your family members can apply for the visa?
1- From outside the UK
Your following family members can also apply for the dependant visa from outside the UK:
- your child under 18 – including if they were born in the UK during your stay
- your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as your dependant
- your husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried partner
The family members will have to apply for the visa separately by paying the visa fees £608. They will also have to pay for the health surcharge and biometrics fees. You children who are aged 16 or over can also apply as you dependant if:
they are living with you (unless they are in full-time education or in boarding school) and are unmarried. They must be supported by you financially and you will have to present proofs such as bank statements or other financial documents to prove this. Each family member will have to your a separate visa application. They can apply online for the visa on the following portals:
2- From inside the UK
Your family members can also apply for the visa or switch in from inside the UK. This includes both the UK-born and 18 plus children. They will have to book their fingerprints and submit supporting documents by UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS). If your partner or dependant children are on one of the following visa statuses, they cannot apply to sitch for the global talent visa as you dependants:
- on a domestic worker in a private household visa
- on immigration bail
- on a short-term student visa
- on a Parent of a Child Student visa
- on a visit visa
- on a seasonal worker visa
- they were given permission to stay outside the immigration rules, for example on compassionate grounds
Visa switching applications can be submitted on the following portals:
What you should do if you want to stay more in the UK
For visa extension, you have to fulfill the eligibility requirements. You can renew your visa as much time as you like to stay but a maximum of 5 years each time. You can apply for permanent residency/settle permanently in the UK if you have spent 36 months in the UK and fulfill the other eligibility needs- any time you stay outside the UK doing research counts towards this time. There are some things you cannot do whilst you are on this visa such as; you cannot work as a sportsman or you cannot request most benefits (public funds) or the state pension. When your request is accepted, you will get a complete description of what to do and what not to do.
When you submit a visa extension application you or your dependents must pay £608 for the visa and £19.20 for the biometrics. You will once again have to pay for the health surcharge (calculate here how much you may have to pay). You can only apply for the visa extension if:
- you can show that you earned money in your expert field during your time in the UK by sending evidence toward your application, for example, payslips
- the organization that endorsed you has not withdrawn its approval
The visa application can take up to 8 weeks to be decided. You must apply online on the following portals