UK Global Talent visa for researchers, artists and tech leaders

You must be 18 or over and show that you are a leader (exceptional talent) or potential leader (exceptional promise) in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. If you are the named winner of a prize on the Home Office’s list of eligible prestigious prizes, you can apply for the visa directly; other prizes from the same institutions do not count. Everyone else applies first for an endorsement, where an approved endorsing body assesses your achievements against the field’s criteria.

The main applicant pays £766 in total: £561 when applying for endorsement and £205 for the visa, or £766 on the prize route. Each partner or child pays £766. The health surcharge is £1,035 per person per year. Extensions also cost £766.

Apply for the visa within 3 months of your endorsement letter, as long as the body has not withdrawn it. Documents are light: passport, TB results only if you come from a listed country, and written consent if an agency or government funded a UK scholarship in the last year. You may apply from any country where you have permission to live for at least 6 months.

You choose the length of each grant, from 1 to 5 years, and can renew without limit if the endorsement or prize stands and you show earnings in your field during your stay. Depending on your field and whether you were endorsed for talent or promise, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 or 5 years; partners and children usually qualify after 5 years.

If the application is refused you can usually ask for an administrative review within 28 days of the decision if you were outside the UK (14 days inside) where you think UKVI made a caseworking error; it costs £80 and the result usually takes 28 days or more. You can also simply make a fresh application.