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A UK Global Talent visa enables individuals who have been endorsed as a leader or potential leader in the field of either academia or research, arts and culture or digital technology to come to the UK without the need for a job. This route does not require sponsorship.
Some of the key requirements for a Global Talent visa (this list is not exhaustive), include the following:
Applicants who are not relying on an eligible award will need to approach an approved endorsing body for endorsement. The endorsing body which an applicant will need to approach will depend on field of their work. The main endorsing bodies are as follows:
For Academia or Research:
For Arts and Culture:
To note, Arts Council of England accept applications on behalf of the PACT, the BFC and the RIBA. Where an applicant’s discipline is covered by PACT, BFC or RIBA, their application will be transferred by Arts Council England to the relevant organisation for a specialist assessment.
For Digital Technology:
A Global Talent visa is granted for up to 5 years.
Before the expiry of a Global Talent visa, applicants must apply to the Home Office to extend their stay in the UK. If the extension application is approved, applicants will be granted permission to stay in the UK for up to another 5 years. Applicants decide on the length of their stay from 1 to 5 years.
There is no limit on the number of times an applicant can extend this visa.
Once an applicant has held a Global Talent visa for 3 or 5 years, depending on the field they work in and how they applied, they may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. This gives settled status in the UK, also known as ‘settlement’. It gives the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as an applicant wishes and apply for benefits if eligible.
Once an applicant has held indefinite leave to remain in the UK for 12 months, an applicant may be eligible to apply for British Citizenship. If however an applicant is married to a British Citizen, an applicant will not need to wait 12 months and may be eligible to apply immediately for British Citizenship by naturalisation after obtaining indefinite leave to remain.
The partner and children of an applicant can accompany or join them so long as they meet the eligibility criteria. If this is met, they will be issued a visa which will have the same end date as the Global Talent visa holder.
The Home Office will usually process a Global Talent visa application submitted outside the UK within 3 weeks. An application for a Global Talent visa made within the UK is usually decided within 8 weeks.
If eligible, applicants will be advised whether they can apply to get a decision faster. The Home Office charge additional fees for these priority services.
The Home Office fee is £623.
If an applicant is applying based on an endorsement, they will pay the £623 in two parts:
Applicants applying to extend their visa will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. This is usually £624 per year.
Our highly experienced team will provide expert advice and guidance to you throughout your immigration journey.
If you have any questions, please complete our online enquiry form or email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can call us on 01724 701111 and one of our experts will be happy to assist you.