The Global Talent Visa is a visa designed for individuals at various stages of their career spectrum in fields such as science, engineering, technology, arts and humanities to come to the UK without the need for a job offer. Offering a more flexible working experience than other UK work visas, this visa does not require an offer of sponsorship from an employer and, as with the Skilled Worker Visa, does not restrict the type of work you can do in your field.
What is a Global Talent Visa?

The Global Talent Visa, which replaced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa in 2020, is designed to attract talented and promising professionals in science, digital technology, arts and culture to   work in the UK and is less extensive than other work visas under the UK's points-based immigration system.

Applicants will need to meet a number of eligibility conditions and in most cases will need to be endorsed by an authorised body; however, if you hold an award from any of the Home Office's eligible award lists, then you are exempt from the endorsement requirement and can apply for a visa immediately.

Global Talent Visa holders do not have to find a job to qualify for the visa and have the option of taking a paid job, working for themselves as self-employed or becoming a director of a company, but the work they choose must be within the area approved by the Home Office. Training is also permitted, subject to the conditions of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS).

There is no minimum salary threshold or English language test for the Global Talent route, but the approving organisation may impose its own language requirement.

Unlike the Skilled Worker Visa, you will not be required to notify the Home Office if you change employer or job after you are employed.

Global Talent participants may be accompanied by their dependants and it is possible to apply for  a Global Talent  visa from within the UK by switching from other UK visa categories. In addition,  the Global Talent route is a relatively flexible route for visa holders. Applicants can apply for visas from one year to five years in full annual increments. This means that while it is possible to apply  to extend the visa, in most cases the individual will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain in the UK after a single period of leave, i.e. after 3 years if an exceptional talent and after 5 years if a promising talent. For employers, the Global Talent route offers a flexible and less onerous alternative to recruiting under the Skilled Worker Visa, as the Global Talent route does not require sponsorship by an employer and organisations recruiting individuals under the Global Talent route will not have to pay costs associated with sponsoring workers, such as the Immigration Skills Charge.

Who is Suitable for the Global Talent Visa?
The Global Talent route is open to both established talent - individuals who can demonstrate that they are already leaders in their field - and applicants who show promise and potential to become leaders in their field.

Professionals can apply from the following fields:

Science
Research
Digital technology
Fillm, television, art (including fashion design and architecture) and culture
Engineering
Humanities
Medicine
Global Talent Visa applicants must obtain approval from one of the six Home Office-approved approval bodies before applying for a visa, unless they have been awarded a prestigious award listed in the Global Talent Supplement: Prestigious Awards are recognised as indicators of exceptional ability and therefore do not require approval. Information on which awards are relevant can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration- rules- appendix-global-talent-prestigious-prizes

Global Talent Visa Application Subject to Approval System

For most applicants, the application process for a Global Talent Visa has two stages: First, you apply to be approved by an organisation authorised to give approval. Once approved, you can apply for a visa at the Home Office.

Endorsing Bodies are tasked with assessing applications from individuals in their area of expertise and developing and applying sector-specific criteria and evidence requirements for applications. The relevant Endorsing Bodies will then make an approval decision based on your profile and the evidence you provide.

The six organisations that approve the Global Talent Visa are:

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Royal Society
The British Academy
The Royal Academy of Engineering - Tech Nation
Arts Council England
This list of approving organisations is subject to continuous review.

Each organisation has its own approval criteria and process, largely based on the following:

Exceptional Talent Criteria: They have made a significant contribution as a leader in their field to assess individuals who can prove their promise.
Exceptional Promise Criteria: To recognise individuals at an early stage in their career who have the potential to become future leaders and
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