Would you like to relocate to the UK without investing a lot of money? Today, we will tell you about one of the most popular ways to move to the kingdom — with a Global Talent Visa. This option is suitable for talented people and high-class professionals. Read on for more details.

Global Talent Visa. Details

The Global Talent Visa is a recent arrival in the United Kingdom: in February 2020, it replaced another similar visa called Tier 1 Exceptional Talent.

Global Talent Visa is suitable for talents and professionals from anywhere in the world who want to relocate to Britain and work for the benefit of this country. Thanks to good professionals, the state wants to give a boost to its economy and other areas of development.

The visa is divided into two categories: Exceptional Promise and Exceptional Talent. The first category includes those who are at the beginning of their professional path (awards and achievements do not have a strong influence here); the second category includes already experienced specialists in their field (in this case, awards and achievements will play a key role).

Advantages of the Global Talent Visa: it provides the same opportunities as a residence permit; no need to prove knowledge of the English language; no proof of income; you can move with your family (with a partner and children under 18 years).

What you can do while living in the UK under a talent visa:

  • work for hire, or be self-employed;
  • change jobs without reconciling the visa application; 
  • be a volunteer.

What you can't do:

  • receive government funding;
  • work as a professional athlete or coach.

The period of validity of the visa is from 1 to 5 years — it can be extended as many times as you want. After 5 years you can apply for a permanent residence permit (ILR — Indefinite Leave to Remain), and after a year — for citizenship.

Who exactly can apply for the Global Talent Visa?

There are three main areas that are suitable for this purpose: 1) Arts and Culture; 2) Digital Technology; 3) Academia or Research.

Who belongs to the «Arts and Culture» category: organizers and producers, architects, artists, designers, dancers, musicians, theater and film workers, writers, photographers.

Who belongs to the «Digital Technology» category: employees of fintech companies, specialists in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, games.

Who belongs to the «Academia or Research» category: scientists, medical workers, engineers, humanities representatives.

Application process for Global Talent Visa

There are three main stages to go through:

1. Obtaining an approval from Endorsement Bodies, who will review and evaluate your documents.

2. Submission of an immigration visa application.

3. Getting a BRP card (Biometric Residence Permit).

The first point is to get approval from Endorsement Bodies.

The requirements will be slightly different depending on the talent category to which you belong. However, the standard set of documents is as follows:

  • CV. At this stage, it is worth checking all the data and update LinkedIn, as well as be sure to describe your contribution to the development of a particular product (holding high positions is not necessary).
  • Three different letters of recommendation (from different experts and companies).
  • Ten documents that prove you meet the chosen criteria for talent.
  • Awards and cover letters. It is important to show that you are a professional in your field and can bring value to the UK: work contracts, financial statements, publications, blogs, portfolios, etc. are all appropriate. 

There are several reasons for refusal of the Global Talent program: incomplete or inaccurate documentation, lack of «proof» of your talent or professionalism, and uncertainty of the examiners that your talent can be realized in Britain.

Importantly, documents can be re-submitted for revision — you can resend documents for the Global Talent Visa within 28 days.

The second point is the filing of the immigration visa application.

Once your application is approved, you will receive an email from the Home Office. Within 3 months of receiving it, you will have to apply for your visa. You will need to provide:

  • valid passport; 
  • tuberculosis test results — read more here.

The third point is getting a BRP card (Biometric Residence Permit). 

A biometric residence permit must be obtained by foreigners who intend to reside in the country for more than six months.

You must get your BRP card within 10 days of entering the UK. You can do this at your nearest post office (list the post office number in your application form beforehand).

Cost of applying for a Global Talent Visa

It costs £456 (about $520) to apply to the Kingdom’s receiving authorities. Applying for a visa costs £152 plus £624 for each year of standard health insurance.

That is, if you, for example, request a visa for 3 years, it will cost 2,480 pounds (456 + 152 + 624×3).

How long will it all take?

The whole process (from the beginning of preparation to obtaining a visa) can take from 1.5 to 6 months.

The time required to prepare for the application will depend on you: it may be several weeks or several months. Approving organizations usually take up to 8 weeks to review the documents. The visa application itself takes 3 to 8 weeks to process.

You can apply and learn more details about the visa here.