Global Talent Visa
The Purpose of Global Talent Visa Application
This visa type is for talented and promising individuals who want to work in the UK in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology and arts and culture (including film, TV, fashion design and architecture). With this visa type, you can live in the UK and work in your field. You can apply for permanent residence at the end of 5 years in the UK with a Global Talent Visa.
This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) Working Visa after the Brexit process happened on 31st of December 2020. It is a visa based on a points system. Briefly stated, to get this visa, there will be criteria you need to comply with and the points you will need to achieve based on these criteria.
Before applying for the visa, you must receive a letter from an authorised endorsing body in the UK that verifies your application’s validity, abilities, identity, etc. Therefore, your application process consists of two stages. In the first stage, you will make an application to an endorsing body to receive this verifying letter. And, in the second stage, your immigration application will be made to the Home Office which will enable your stay in the UK. The first stage is mandatory for all of the applicants.
After receiving the approval letter required in the first stage from the relevant institution, and providing the necessary documents, the first stage will be then concluded in 28 days approximately. The second phase takes approximately 3 to 8 weeks, according to the information on the official website of the UK government. However, of course, this period may be elongated if the reassessment/compliance/reliability of the documents are put into question.
Eligibility and The Basic Criteria
Stage 1 – Confirmation Letter
The institution to be applied for the confirmation letter in the first stage varies according to your field of ability. The scope for areas of skill is wide and diverse, but there are three main areas: art, technology, and science. You can find detailed information about these disciplines by clicking the link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-talent-endorsing-bodies
As stated above, the institution(the endorsing body) from which you will receive the approval letter will vary depending on your application area. When applying for your letter of approval, you will have to provide the documents that will prove your experience, education, and competence in the field of your choice. For your applications in the field of technology, you can upload documents online on Tech Nation’s website. However, if your skill area is not technology-related, you may need to post copies of up to 10 documents to support your application to the relevant institution.
Some of the disciplines which accepted by the Art Council England or the relevant bodies of this institution are listed below:
- Dance
- Music
- Theater
- Visual Arts (including museums and galleries)
- Combined arts
- Literature
- Fashion design industry
- Architecture
For your letter of approval application; You must provide up to 10 supporting documents demonstrating the appreciation and / or acknowledgment of your already recognized talents (or your potential) and three reference letters from well-known cultural organizations and experts in your field.
For more detailed information, you can visit : https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/global-talent-visa#section-1.
Some of the disciplines that are accepted by Tech Nation in the field of technology are as follows:
- DevOps / SysOps engineers
- Major software engineers / developers
- Experienced data scientists / data engineers
- Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning experts (AI, NLP, ML)
- Cyber security experts
- Hardware engineers
- Experienced front-end developers
- Operating systems engineers
- Experienced video game developers
- Experienced UX / UI designers
- Experienced Mobile Application developers
For detailed information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-talent-endorsing-bodies/technical-or-business-skills-covered-by-tech-nation.
Some of the disciplines accepted by the institutions granting approval letters in the fields of science, engineering, humanities and medicine are as follows:
- African, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, such as Japanese Language and Literature
- Anthropology and Geography
- Archaeology
- Classical antiquary
- Culture, Media and Performance Studies
- Education
- Psychology
- Biomedical and Medical
- Astronomy and Physics, Theoretical Physics and Applied Physics
For more detailed information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-talent-endorsing-bodies/disciplines-covered-by-the-endorsing-bodies-for-science-engineering-humanities-and-medicine
In the links shared above, you can find both your own talent field and the relevant endorsing bodies that accept applications for this field. Please note that the required application documents for each field, each applicant and each certification agency may vary accordingly.
Step 1 – Visa Application
The initial confirmation letter that is received from an institution or an endorsing body will remain valid for 3 months. You must apply for a visa with this letter within 3 months. The only document that will provide you with the 70 points required for your visa application is the letter of approval you will receive from the relevant approval institution at the first stage.
The points system is valid for the second stage. As stated in the table in the relevant visa guide, the most critical point for getting visa approval and living in the UK is the confirmation letter.
| Articles | Is it tradable? | Points |
| A letter of approval received from the relevant approval authority; The visa application date is made within 3 months of the date this letter was issued; The validity of the the approval letter on the day of application | No | 70 |
Duration of Global Talent Visa & Rights
Length of Stay-Extension
Your stay in the UK with a talent visa can vary from 1 to 5 years. When your visa expires, you can apply for an extension to elongate your stay. In order to apply for an extension, all three articles below must be valid:
- The recognition of the organization that issued your letter of approval should still be valid
- To be able to present documents showing that you have earned money in your area of expertise during your stay in the UK, such as Payroll etc.
Your family can live with you in the UK
Your spouse, unmarried partner, your same-sex partner and / or your children under the age of 18 can apply for a “dependant visa” and join you to live in the UK for the duration of your visa.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
One of the most important rights that the Skilled Worker visa grants you is that you can apply for permanent residence (Indefinite Leave to Remain) when you have completed 5 years of working in your field and earning income with this visa. You can contact us for conditions and detailed information.
Costs
There are 3 different main issues that you need to consider in terms of finance:
- The amount to be paid to the British Government as a Visa Application Fee
The basic application cost is £152 for the main applicant. If your family is also applying with you, an application fee of £608 must be paid for each of your dependent applicants.
(Short-term visa holders cannot apply for this visa from within the UK.)
There is a £55 discount for applicants from certain nationalities. Turkey is also among these countries. So, you can calculate by deducting £55 from the prices above.
- Additional fee to be paid to the British Government for health services
This fee is determined as £624 for each year of stay. For example, if you are applying for a 3-year visa, you must pay 624 x 3 = £1872 for health care. To complete your Global Talent visa application, you must complete the healthcare payment stage.
- Endorsement fee for your confirmation letter
When you apply for an approval with your confirmation letter, you have to pay £456.