To apply for a Global Talent visa an applicant must be internationally recognised in their field as a world leader or have demonstrated exceptional promise in their particular field.
Application is a two-stage process
Stage one
First, you must qualify for a Global Talent visa by gaining an endorsement from one of the six endorsing bodies approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
They are:
The British Academy, for humanities
The Royal Society, for science and medicine
The Royal Academy of Engineering
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Arts Council England, for art and culture
Tech Nation, for digital technology
Stage two
After you have gained an endorsement, you can apply for your Global Talent visa.
Prestigious prizes
An applicant who has been awarded a prestigious prize will already be considered as showing exceptional talent and can apply for stage 2 without an endorsement.
There are four routes for eligible academics and researchers to obtain endorsement for a Global Talent visa. Each option has specific requirements and documents.
For those appointed to an academic or researcher position at the University of Edinburgh, where the applicant is either:
Responsible for academic, research or innovation leadership and development; or
Directs or leads:
an individual or team research project or programme of work; or
an individual or team innovation project or programme of work
This must be a significant function of the role being offered, evidenced by the Job Description.
The following recruitment process must also have been met:
The job was advertised, and an open competition was held, or where it was not, an explanation as to why not
At least two references were received
At least three academic, research or innovation representatives were on the interview panel(s)
At least one expert in the applicant’s field was on the interview panel(s), or at least one relevant expert, independent of the University of Edinburgh was consulted before the job offer was made
The individual has been offered and accepted the position
Documents required for stage one application:
Statement of Guarantee from the University of Edinburgh HR Director. This should be requested through your School/Department HR or administrator and will be issued centrally.
A copy of the Job Description setting out the duties and responsibilities of the position.
For those awarded an individual fellowship from a list approved by the British Academy, Royal Society, and Royal Academy of Engineering.
The listed fellowships are awarded through stringent peer review processes.
They can be held currently or in the last 5 years.
Fellowships are separated into ‘exceptional talent’ and ‘exceptional promise’ categories.
Documents required for stage one application:
Copy of fellowship award letter, showing name, name of fellowship, start date, duration and confirming individual has been awarded a fellowship. (Not all award letters contain relevant information such as the name of the applicant, in which case supporting information is likely to be required.)
For researchers and specialists whose name or job title is specified in a successful grant application from a list of approved endorsed funders.
The grant must be >£30k (not salary), and at least 2 years in duration
The employment contract or hosting agreement at the University of Edinburgh must have at least 12 months remaining at the time of the application for endorsement
The applicant will be spending at least 50% of their working time contributing to the grant
Researchers must hold a PhD; technical support at least a bachelor's degree and research experience within a University, Research Institute, or industry.
One of the following (A or B) must apply
(A) They must independently direct, or directly under the supervision of an R&D team leader, a unique research or innovation project; OR
(B) They must make critical contributions to research through the provision of core technical or domain excellence, or in developing new technologies and methodologies. They will be typically named, or their post listed, on the grant/award under ‘directly incurred costs’.
Documents required for stage one application:
1. Statement of Guarantee from the University of Edinburgh HR Director, confirming specific details.
The grant holder (UoE staff) must complete a checklist, confirming all the requirements are met
The completed checklist with supporting documents is then submitted as a Service Request in People and Money.
The Statement of Guarantee will be prepared and issued centrally.
2. Written confirmation from the funder that the value of the grant is at least £30,000, covers a minimum of two years; and is either funded by a one-off grant or award that has been won in open competition or attributed to a large institutional, renewable award that is subject to periodic peer review. This can be either:
Award/grant letter; or
A link to the grant or award on a UKRI-approved database.
For those who don’t qualify for a ‘fast track’ option (one-three, above), you can submit a peer review application to the British Academy, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering.
You can choose to be considered under the ‘Exceptional Promise’ or ‘Exceptional Talent’.
It’s important to note that endorsement is not guaranteed and will depend on your personal circumstances.
You will go through an initial eligibility check and the endorsing body to which you have applied will conduct an initial eligibility check to verify that you:
are an active researcher - for example in a university, a research institute or industry;
have a PhD or equivalent research experience, including industrial or clinical research;
are at an early stage of your career (exceptional promise only); and
have provided the required documents to be considered for assessment under peer review.
Your application will then be considered by experts in your field who will look at the strength of the evidence to determine whether your application demonstrates exceptional talent or exceptional promise.
A completed Stage 1 (endorsement) application form – this requires a lot of information, including a personal statement.
A short curriculum vitae outlining your career and publication history (no more than three sides of A4 in length);
A mandatory letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person resident in the UK supporting your application. The person must be familiar with your work and your contribution to your field, and qualified to assess your claim for exceptional talent or exceptional promise. Full details of what the letter should include can be found in the link below.
Exceptional talent only: A second letter containing an objective assessment of your talent in the field. The author of this letter must be an additional eminent person who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research or innovation in your field. This person must be qualified to independently assess your claim of exceptional talent in your field and be able to comment independently and authoritatively on your application. Full details of what the letter should include can be found below.
Applying for Stage one and Stage two at the same time
We generally advise you wait until you have received an email confirming endorsement has been granted before submitting your Global Talent stage two visa application (unless your visa is due to expire)
It is possible to submit applications for stage one and stage two at the same time.
You must tick the relevant box on the stage two form to confirm this.
If you tick this box, your stage two application will be placed on hold until the outcome of your stage one application is confirmed by the relevant endorsing body.
If the endorsement is refused, the visa application will be refused.
How to apply for the Global Talent visa
Once your endorsement has been received you can complete stage two and apply for your Global Talent Visa
