The UK Global Talent Visa is one of the immigration routes through which the United Kingdom attracts talented bad gifted individuals in some selected sectors to work in the UK. The selected sectors include
- Arts and Culture
- Sciences
- Digital Technology
This visa route came into effect in February 2022, as it replaced the Tier 1 visa called Exceptional Talent Visa.
One of the merits of this UK Global Talent Visa over the other types of work visa is that there are fewer requirements to be met unlike the others. However, interested applicants must meet some eligibility requirements in order to qualify.
The first of the eligibility requirements is that the applicant must receive endorsement by any of the endorsing bodies from the UK Home Office. However, in some cases such as if the applicant has an award from any of the UK Home Offices award lists, he/ she does not necessarily need to seek endorsement and can simply apply for the UK Global Talent Visa right away.
Another advantage this visa has over other types of worker visas is that anyone holding it does not need to find a job to qualify, which is a prerequisite condition for some other types of work visas. The visa holder can chase to take up paid employment or become a director of a company. They can also choose to work self-employed. However, any work that the Global Talent Worker Visa holder chooses to take up must correlate with the field as the field he/ she was endorsed for.
In addition, there is no need for language tests nor is there any salary threshold for the holders of this visa. However, in some cases, the endorsing body might mandate its own language requirement.
How to Apply For the UK Global Talent Visa
The first step in applying for the UK Global Talent Visa is to receive endorsement. This doesn’t mean you cannot apply for the visa before seeking endorsement. The only risk is that if your endorsement request is not approved, you will also lose your visa application without a refund. This is why you should ensure to receive your endorsement letter before proceeding with your visa application.
And if your request for endorsement is approved, and you are endorsed, a copy of the endorsement letter will be sent to your mail by the Home Office. Once you receive your endorsement letter, you have only three months to apply for the UK Global Talent Visa. If on the other hand, your endorsement request application gets rejected, you can request an endorsement review. You can as well request the visa both within and outside of the UK.
However, if you are in the UK and you are holding any of the lawful statuses such as the categories listed below, you can easily switch to the Global Talent Visa by applying online. The categories include:
- Tier 1
- Tier 2 (Skilled worker)
- Tier 4 (Student Visa, excluding Short Term Student Visa)
- Tier 5
- Start-Up
- Innovator
If you hold any of the above lawful statuses in the UK and you currently reside there, you can change to the Global Talent Visa.
Eligibility for the UK Global Talent Visa
One of the downsides of the UK Global Talent Visa is that it is restricted only to talented individuals in some selected fields/disciplines. These individuals must be ready to demonstrate their command in their respective fields. They also accept promising applicants with the potential of becoming leaders in their selected fields.
The selected fields include:
- Research
- Engineering
- Science
- Medicine
- Arts and Culture
- Humanities
- Digital technology
As mentioned earlier, applicants must first seek endorsement from any of the six UK Home Offices before applying for the visa. The only time they can apply for the visa without an endorsement is when they have any prize or award from any of the Home offices. Other than this exception, all applicants must seek endorsement to qualify for the visa.
The six endorsing bodies of the UK Home Offices are:
- The Royal Society
- The Royal Academy of Engineering
- Arts Council England
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Tech Nation
- The British Academy
Requirements for the UK Global Talent Visa
The first requirement for applying for Global Talent Visa is to have an “endorsement letter”. To get the endorsement letter, you need to
- Fill the endorsement application forms correctly without mistakes,
- Pay the appropriate fee for the endorsement, and
- Secure your endorsement from the relevant authority in the relevant professional field.
Once you have your endorsement letter, the next requirement to make you eligible for the Global Talent Visa is to ensure that your visa application is valid.
To get a valid Visa, you are required to
- Fill out the correct visa application form
- Pay necessary fees
- Submit all necessary and required supporting documents (endorsement letter inclusive)
- Submit required biometrics
Application for the Global Talent Visa costs £623 for applicants from the UK or other countries. However, those with an endorsement letter can make their payment in two parts: £456 when they are applying for the endorsement and £167 when applying for the Visa.
The other requirements for application for the UK Global Talent Visa include
- Meeting the suitability requirement
- Being of good conduct and not breaching immigration laws or being on immigration bail
- Meeting the eligibility requirements (i.e. being recognized internationally as a leader in your discipline.
You must also submit your current valid passport or any other travel documents to the Home Office as part of your application for the Global Talent Visa.
Conclusion
If you have a brilliant talent In research, engineering, science, medicine, Arts and culture, humanities, or digital technology, and you are looking to migrate to the UK, taking the Global Talent Visa route is highly recommended. This is because you have fewer requirements to meet before you become eligible to apply for the visa.
The only thing you need to be able to apply for the Global Talent Visa is an endorsement letter, which you can easily apply for and get the letter within three weeks. After this, you have the grace of three months to use the endorsement letter to apply for the Global Talent Visa.
However, before applying for the visa or endorsement letter, you should ensure you meet all requirements and also make sure your educational discipline conforms with the required fields.
