You can apply for the Global Talent visa to work in the UK if you're a leader or potential leader in academic or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. Overview The Global Talent visa is a non-sponsored visa route. This means that you do not have to have a job before you can apply for the visa. You can apply for a Global Talent visa if you're a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: academia or research arts and culture digital technology You must also be at least 18 years old. What you can do with a Global Talent visa choose how long your visa is for (up to 5 years) be an employee, self-employed, and a director of a company change or stop doing your job without telling the Home Office, and without having to apply for another visa bring your partner and children as your dependants There are no language or minimum salary requirements. If you want to stay longer in the UK, you: can renew your visa as many times as you like (providing you meet the criteria) may be apply to settle permanently in the UK after 3 years or 5 years, depending on which field your work in and how you apply You cannot: access public funds or the State Pension work as a sportsperson. Endorsement Unless you have an eligible award, you will normally need to apply for an endorsement to prove you are a leader or potential leader in your field. The UKVI will send your application to be reviewed by a UK organisation ('endorsing body') with expertise in your field. List of eligible awards Academia and Research You must be a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: science medicine engineering humanities social science You may be eligible to apply for endorsement if you have any of the following: an eligible job offer as an academic or researcher an individual fellowship a research grant that is approved by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) If you do not, you can apply by having your application peer reviewed, but your application will take longer. An endorsement application will take around 2 weeks, and a peer review endorsement application will take around 5 weeks. Find out more details about getting endorsed for academia and research Arts and Culture You must be a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: combined arts, dance, literature, music, theatre or visual arts architecture fashion design film and television, including animation, post-production and visual effects Check the full list of eligible arts and culture fields An endorsement application will take around 8 weeks. Find out more details about getting endorsed for arts and culture Digital Technology You must be a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: financial technology ('fintech') gaming cyber security artificial intelligence Your background can be either: technical, for example, you're a developer, engineer, or data scientist business, for example, you have commercial, investment, or digital product expertise in a technology company that creates software, hardware, or that processes data Check the full list of digital technology roles The UKVI will send your endorsement application to Tech Nation. You will usually get a decision about your endorsement within 5 to 8 weeks (or 3 weeks if your application is 'fast track'). Find out more about getting endorsed for digital technology Applying for a Global Talent visa Before you apply, you will need to have either: won an eligible award, or successfully applied for an endorsement to prove that you are a leader or potential leader in your field You must make your application within 3 months of when your endorsement is approved. Apply for the Global Talent visa This article was published on 2024-07-29