Global Talent Visa Endorsement Guide

The UK’s Global Talent visa is proving to be a popular work route, attracting highly skilled individuals to come to Britain to work on the basis of their professional standing, without having to be sponsored by an employer.

There are two stages to the Global Talent application; first the individual must prove they meet the talent threshold, in most cases through endorsement by an authorised body, before they can proceed to apply to the Home Office for the visa.

In this guide, we focus on the Global Talent visa endorsement process, from the different types of endorsing bodies for each of the qualifying professional fields, to the applicable requirements and procedure to be followed.

 

Global Talent visa eligibility requirements

 

The Global Talent visa (replacing the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa) provides a specific route for highly skilled migrants in a number of recognised fields looking to work in the UK in their chosen specialist area. This visa is a niche category for those aged 18 or over, with exceptional talent or exceptional promise in any one of the following fields: academia or research, digital technology, or arts and culture.

This route is designed to encourage talented and promising individuals to choose the UK to work, without being restricted to working for a sponsoring employer.

In a bid to boost the UK’s economy by attracting more exceptionally talented and promising migrants to the UK, the Home Office removed the cap on how many people can apply under this re-branded route. As such, there is no cap on the number of applicants who can be granted a Global Talent visa each year. The rules also permit certain prize-winning individuals to bypass the endorsement stage. However, unless you’re the holder of one the specified prestigious prizes — including some very high profile awards, such as the Booker Prize or Brit award, enabling you to move directly to the visa application stage — you’ll still need to secure Global Talent visa endorsement before you can apply for the visa.

To be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa, applicants must either be an established or emerging leader in one of the qualifying fields, as determined by an endorsing body that’s approved by the UK Home Office. This means that for most applicants, unless they’ve won an eligible award and therefore able to bypass the endorsement stage, there’s a two-part application process: a stage-1 endorsement application and a stage-2 visa application.

 

Endorsement

 

Endorsement must be given from an approved body to demonstrate the applicant is either an established leader (exceptional talent) or an emerging leader (exceptional promise) in one of three fields:

 

• Academia or Research: Endorsements are assessed by bodies like the British Academy, Royal Society, or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
• Digital Technology: Tech Nation assesses applications from those contributing to digital fields like software engineering or fintech.
• Arts and Culture: Endorsements are provided by Arts Council England and other relevant cultural bodies.

 

Applicants must submit evidence showcasing their expertise, achievements, or potential in their respective field.

 

Prestigious prizes

 

Applicants who hold a prestigious prize specified by the Home Office, such as the Booker Prize, Brit Award, or Fields Medal, can bypass the endorsement stage and proceed directly to the visa application. The full list of eligible awards can be found on the official UK government website and is updated regularly

 

Global Talent visa endorsing bodies

 

Approval from an endorsing body as to your exceptional talent or exceptional promise must be given before most applicants can be considered for a Global Talent visa. There are various different endorsing bodies depending on your specialised field including, for example:

 

• Arts Council England – for arts and culture, including sub-endorsers:
  • British Fashion Council (BFC) – fashion design
  • Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – architecture
  • Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) – film and television
• Barclays Eagle Labs – for digital technology, following the closure of Tech Nation on 31 March 2023.
• The Royal Society – for natural and medical sciences
• The British Academy – for humanities and social sciences
• The Royal Academy of Engineering – for engineering
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – for all research fields via job offers, fellowships, or grants.

 

For those who are established or emerging leaders in fashion design, architecture or in film and television, their applications will be assessed by sub-endorsers on behalf of Arts Council England. These sub-endorsers include the British Fashion Council (BFC), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT).

You’ll need to decide which endorsing body is best placed to consider your particular skillset in the field relevant to you, and what requirements you’ll need to meet to be successfully endorsed. The endorsing bodies have applied their expertise in each respective area of responsibility to formulate the criteria to be used in considering whether an applicant is either ‘exceptionally talented’ or demonstrates ‘exceptional promise’. The requirements therefore differ depending on which body will assess your application.

The different disciplines that can be considered by each endorsing body are listed under both the Home Office Global Talent visa guidance on GOV.UK or Appendix Global Talent under the Immigration Rules. For example, an applicant for endorsement in arts and culture must:

 

• be engaged professionally in producing work of outstanding quality that’s performed, presented, distributed or exhibited internationally, and
• have been regularly engaged as a professional in their field during the last five years, and
• be able to demonstrate a substantial track record in more than one country (for exceptional talent), or a developing track record in one or more countries (for exceptional promise).

 

The endorsing bodies do not, however, cover an exhaustive list of disciplines, and it may be that your speciality cannot currently be assessed. In academia or research, applicants may be endorsed through peer review by providing evidence of exceptional contributions to their field. Endorsement criteria include holding a research grant from an approved UK funder, a fellowship, or a job offer in academia or research that meets UKRI requirements.

However, if your skillset is such that you’re ineligible to be considered by an endorsing body, you may still qualify for a different type of visa.

 

Global Talent visa endorsement process

 

The Global Talent visa endorsement process involves two distinct stages.

At stage-1, applicants must secure endorsement from a relevant Home Office-approved endorsing body to verify their exceptional talent or exceptional promise. Applications are submitted online via GOV.UK using the form ‘Apply for Global Talent endorsement – stage 1’. For applicants in digital technology, endorsements are now assessed by Barclays Eagle Labs following the closure of Tech Nation in March 2023.

Endorsement decisions are based on criteria set by each endorsing body and the “Code of Practice for Endorsing Bodies” on GOV.UK. Processing times typically range from 1 to 8 weeks but can vary depending on the endorsing body and complexity of the application.

Applicants must note that a stage-1 endorsement application does not extend current leave to remain in the UK. Therefore, applicants must ensure they have enough time to complete both stages before their visa expires. Alternatively, both applications can be submitted simultaneously.

At stage-2, the endorsed applicant must submit their visa application within three months of receiving their endorsement. The total cost for the visa is £716: £524 for stage-1 and £192 for stage-2. Applicants bypassing endorsement with an eligible award pay the full £608 upfront.

 

Supporting documents for endorsement

 

When applying for approval from an endorsing body, you’ll be required to provide a number of documents in support of your application to demonstrate that you’re internationally recognised at the highest level as a leader or, alternatively, have exceptional promise as a potential leader, in your specialised field. The evidential requirements for endorsement for a Global Talent visa will differ depending on the applicant’s chosen field.

In support of your endorsement application there will be both general and specific evidential requirements. These are again set out in the Home Office online guidance and under Appendix Global Talent of the Immigration Rules. You’ll need to carefully assess the evidential requirements for the appropriate body relevant to your particular skillset.

For example, for an arts and culture endorsement an applicant must provide three letters of recommendation: two from arts and culture organisations acknowledged as experts in this field, and at least one of these must be based in the UK, and the third from another well-established arts and culture organisation, or individual, with recognised expertise in their chosen field.

An applicant demonstrating exceptional promise in the field of arts and culture must provide at least two of the following:

 

• evidence from at least one country (including their country of residence) of two or more examples of recent recognition by the media for their work as an individual, or as a named group member or contributor
• evidence of winning, being nominated or shortlisted for, or significantly contributing to a win, nomination or shortlisting, for an international award for excellence, and/or
• evidence from at least one country of proof of either appearances, performances, publications or exhibitions recognised in this field, or evidence of international distribution and audiences for the applicant’s individual work, or as a group member or contributor.

 

The applicant must submit their application, along with the required supporting documents as specified by their chosen endorsing body, via the online portal on GOV.UK. The Home Office will forward the application to the endorsing body for assessment.

 

What if I already have Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) endorsement?

 

If you already have an endorsement via the previous Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route under the old rules — and are currently working in the UK within your specialised field — you can apply to extend your grant of leave under the Global Talent visa category.

Provided your existing endorsement has not been withdrawn by the endorsing body, you’ll not be required to submit a new stage-1 endorsement application, although you will need to show that during your last grant of leave you‘ve earned money in the UK linked to your expert field. However, there’s no minimum level of earnings to meet this financial requirement, where applicants can provide any evidence, provided it’s from an independent and verifiable source.

 

Can I use my endorsement to apply to settle in the UK?

 

You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time under a Global Talent visa, with no limit to how long you can stay in the UK in total, provided you apply to renew prior to expiry of your existing grant of leave. This also provides a route to settlement after either a period of 3 or 5 years, depending on which qualifying field you work in.

If you’re applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under this route, so as to settle in the UK on a permanent basis, as with an extension application, you must be able to show that your endorsement has not been withdrawn and during your last grant of leave you‘ve earned money in the UK linked to your expert field. You must also be able to satisfy the continuous residence, English language and knowledge of Life in the UK (KOL) requirements.

 

Need assistance?

 

DavidsonMorris’ team of UK immigration specialists support with all UK work visa applications, including the Global Talent visa. For advice on the eligibility requirements and application process, including endorsement guidance, contact us.

 

Global talent visa endorsement FAQs

 

What is the Global Talent visa for Arts and Culture?

The Global Talent visa allows highly skilled individuals in arts and culture to work in the UK. It applies to those recognised as established leaders (exceptional talent) or emerging leaders (exceptional promise) in their field.

 

What evidence is required for exceptional promise applicants?

Applicants demonstrating exceptional promise must provide at least two pieces of evidence. This can include recent media recognition, significant contributions to international awards, or proof of appearances, performances, or exhibitions recognised in their field.

 

Who assesses applications for Arts and Culture endorsements?

Applications for Arts and Culture are assessed by Arts Council England, the endorsing body responsible for evaluating applicants’ evidence and achievements.

 

What counts as international recognition for awards?

International recognition refers to winning, being nominated, or contributing significantly to an award that is recognised globally as a mark of excellence in the arts and culture sector.

 

Can group contributions be used as evidence?

Contributions as a named group member or contributor can be used as evidence, provided they are clearly documented and show a significant role.

 

How long does it take to get an endorsement?

Endorsement processing times vary but typically take between 1 to 8 weeks, depending on the complexity of the application and endorsing body workload.

 

Is exceptional promise the same as exceptional talent?

Exceptional talent is for established leaders with significant achievements, while exceptional promise is for emerging leaders showing potential for future excellence.

 

Can I apply if I only have local recognition?

For exceptional promise, evidence must show recognition from at least one country, which can include your country of residence. International recognition, however, strengthens your application.

 

What happens if my endorsement is refused?

If your endorsement is refused, you will receive feedback. You can either request a review of the decision or submit a new application with stronger supporting evidence.

 

Do I need to meet other requirements beyond endorsement?

After receiving endorsement, you must apply for the stage-2 visa within three months. The Home Office will make the final decision based on immigration requirements.

 

Glossary

 

Term	Definition
Global Talent Visa	A UK immigration route for highly skilled individuals in the fields of arts and culture, digital technology, and research.
Exceptional Talent	A category for applicants recognised as established leaders with significant achievements in their field.
Exceptional Promise	A category for applicants recognised as emerging leaders with potential for future excellence in their field.
Endorsing Body	An organisation approved by the UK Home Office to assess and endorse Global Talent visa applications.
Arts Council England	The endorsing body for applicants in the arts and culture field, including sub-sectors like architecture, film, and fashion.
Recognition in Media	Evidence of recent acknowledgement of an applicant’s work, such as media articles, reviews, or press coverage.
International Award	A globally recognised prize for excellence, which can include winning, nomination, or significant contribution.
Performances or Exhibitions	Documented appearances, shows, or exhibitions recognised in the applicant’s field, including international distribution.
Peer Review	A method of endorsement, particularly for academic and research fields, where experts assess the applicant’s contributions.
Stage-1 Endorsement	The first step in the Global Talent visa process, where an endorsing body assesses the applicant’s skills and achievements.
Stage-2 Visa Application	The second step where the applicant applies for the visa after receiving an endorsement.
Home Office	The UK government department responsible for immigration, security, and law enforcement, including visa approvals.
Barclays Eagle Labs	The current endorsing body for applicants in the digital technology sector, replacing Tech Nation in 2023.
Sub-Endorsers	Organisations that assess specific Arts and Culture disciplines on behalf of Arts Council England, such as BFC, RIBA, and PACT.
Eligible Award	Prestigious prizes recognised by the Home Office that allow applicants to bypass the endorsement stage.
Immigration Rules	The legal framework governing eligibility and application processes for visas in the UK.

 

 

Additional Resources

 

GOV.UK – Global Talent Visa Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/global-talent

 

Arts Council England – Endorsement for Arts and Culture
https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

 

Barclays Eagle Labs – Digital Technology Endorsement
https://labs.uk.barclays/

 

Royal Society – Endorsement for Natural and Medical Sciences
https://royalsociety.org/

 

British Academy – Endorsement for Humanities and Social Sciences
https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/

 

Royal Academy of Engineering – Endorsement for Engineering
https://raeng.org.uk/

 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
https://www.ukri.org/

 

Home Office Immigration Rules – Appendix Global Talent
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/

 

British Fashion Council (BFC) – Fashion Design Endorsements
https://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/

 

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – Architecture Endorsements
https://www.architecture.com/

 

Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT)
https://www.pact.co.uk/