Global Talent Visa UK

UK Eligibility for this new Visa Category

 

Many citizens looking to immigrate will be seeking UK Eligibility for the Global Talent Visa.  Earlier this year, the Home Office announced the creation of a new visa type – Global Talent Visa UK. This is in place of the previous Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa.  This new visa category continues to share most of the characteristics of its predecessor and requires an endorsement from one of the Endorsing bodies.

The relevant organisations offering an endorsement will depend on the sector you specialise in, but will include one of the following:

• Tech Nation, for digital technology
• Arts Council England, for arts and culture, as well as fashion, architecture and film
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), for research applicants
• The Royal Society, for science and medicine
• The Royal Academy of Engineering, for engineering
• The British Academy, for humanities

As the UK Government announces a desire to attract “the brightest and the best” from across the globe we witness a lack of knowledge about how the Global Talent Visa UK applies in practice in the United Kingdom immigration process.

Addressing the general misconceptions about this Visa category, Taylor Hampton Solicitors Immigration Department clarifies the position below:

A: Global Talent visa applies to famous exceptional individuals such as well-known people

This is not necessarily the case.  This is because a Global Talent Visa category has two subsections.  For instance, the applicant can be endorsed for either Talent or Promise. Whilst an Exceptional Talent sub-category is usually awarded to those with a professional classification, the Exceptional Promise classification is designed for those who are still developing their career. This means those with under five years’ experience and those who can demonstrate innovation. This also means that they show potential for becoming a global talent candidate in the near future.

Some believe that to qualify for an endorsement they must achieve “celebrity” level to consider applying.  Demonstrating its success in this field, Taylor Hampton proactively assists numerous applicants, who initially downplayed their successes.  Initially they perceived their achievements as less than “exceptional”.  Yet if the applicant shows they meet at least one Key Criteria and two Qualifying Criteria, an endorsing body ought to grant an endorsement. Thus the person will achieve Global Talent status. Critical to success is the detail of the documents submitted and we assist you with this.

B: Tech Nation prioritises those with technical engineering skills

Tech Nation endorsement is perhaps one of the most popular Global Talent applications. Yet many people think that endorsements in digital technology are given only to tech experts such as an engineer or a developer.  In fact, Technical Skills applicants comprise only half of the Tech Nation successful applicants.

The remainder tend to be Business Skills applicants including many types of professionals from business development to product management, VC investments or those in sales. Several important facets of the application pertain to applicants relying on Business Skills. For example, they must focus on digital technology sector and need to avoid ‘excluded’ specialist areas. If you can show you meet all the requirements of Tech Nation’s guidance, Business Skills professionals have just as high a chance of acknowledgement for Global Talent UK as other technical professionals.

For queries as to whether your application will likely succeed under Technical or Business Skills, kindly get in touch with our excellent immigration team who will help you.

C:  My application demands up to 10 pieces of evidence, but I don’t actually need all 10

All the endorsement bodies list their own documentation criteria for the Global talent UK endorsement. However, generally, you should include these supporting documents: CV, personal statement, three letters of recommendation and up to 10 pieces of evidence. Many fall foul of the wording of “up to 10 pieces” and decide that they don’t need to try to include all 10 in their applications. This is a costly mistake and may mean refusal of the endorsement. This would be on the basis that you didn’t present enough evidence to meet all the requirements.

For every application you should use all the available supporting documents you can: From your CV to the 10 pieces of evidence, your  application must highlight and explain precisely why you meet the requirements for the Global Talent visa UK. If you think the content doubles up; perhaps your CV overlaps with your work evidence or recommendation letter, you should add details of past achievements and future plans.

Taylor Hampton helps with collecting the documents to ensure you meet the criteria.

D:  Having eliminated the cap, The UK government makes it easier to get an endorsement now

This relates to the abolishment of the annual cap for Global Talent UK endorsements. Widely advertised as a big step towards attracting more talent to the UK, government support to the science, arts and tech sector post-Brexit sounds great. However, what doe this change if anything in reality?

Previously, the total annual cap for approved endorsements was 2,000 for each endorsing body, with an additional 1,000 available to all endorsing bodies after they used up their cap. Referring to the historical numbers, the cap for the Exceptional Talent category was never reached. Thus, its abolishment has not affected its success rate or accessibility. Potential applicants with talent overlook this category and underusing it. This means that there could be more talented individuals contributing to the UK tech sector.

Global Talent Visa UK Benefits

The Global Talent visas are higher and stricter than others such as the Overseas Representative or Tier 2 work visa. However, the Global Talent Visa presents many advantages and offers more freedom to applicants such as:

• A faster route to permanent residence (ILR) within three years.
• Absences for ILR may not be counted where you conduct research overseas.
• Independence from the employer and ability to change employers.
• Potential to be employed or self-employed and start your own business.

 

How Can Taylor Hampton Help You?

Apply for a UK Global Talent visa endorsement in any sub-class including Tech Nation. Our expert immigration lawyers are here to help.

Please contact Taylor Hampton’s friendly immigration solicitors today on 020 7427 5972 or submit an enquiry here.