Global Talent visa: who can apply, what it costs and how long you can stay

The Global Talent visa is for leaders and potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. GOV.UK says you must be at least 18. If you have won an eligible prestigious prize, you apply directly. If not, you need an endorsement first. You can stay up to 5 years at a time.

Who is this visa for?

It is for people who are leaders or potential leaders in one of these fields:

• academia or research
• arts and culture
• digital technology

Can I apply?

You can apply if you are a leader or potential leader in one of those fields and you are at least 18 years old.

How you apply depends on whether you have won a prize:

Your situation	What GOV.UK says
You have won an eligible prestigious prize	You can apply for the visa directly, without an endorsement
You have not won an eligible prestigious prize	You need an endorsement first, to prove you are a leader or potential leader in your field

The prize route

The prize must be on the Home Office’s list of eligible prizes. Other prizes from the same institutions do not count. You must be the named winner.

The Home Office checks public information, such as the prize organisation’s website, to confirm that you won. It only asks you for evidence if it cannot find this.

The endorsement route

An endorsement is approval from an organisation that the Home Office has approved. You can apply for the visa if:

• an organisation approved by the Home Office has endorsed you
• you apply within 3 months of getting your endorsement letter
• the organisation that endorsed you has not withdrawn its approval

What do I need?

Documents

GOV.UK lists the documents you need to give:

• a valid passport or another document that shows your identity and nationality
• tuberculosis test results, if you are from a country where you have to take the test
• written permission to apply from the agency or government that gave you the award or scholarship, if you have had an award or scholarship to study in the UK in the last year

A job offer, sponsor or salary

GOV.UK’s Global Talent pages do not set a job offer, an employer sponsor or a salary. Your eligibility depends on the prize or the endorsement.

English language

GOV.UK’s Global Talent pages do not set an English language requirement.

How much does it cost?

Cost	Amount
Application fee (total)	£766
Endorsement route: paid when you apply for the endorsement	£561
Endorsement route: paid when you apply for the visa	£205
Prize route: paid when you apply for the visa	£766
Fee for each partner or child	£766
Healthcare surcharge	Usually £1,035 per year for each person applying

There is no fee for your fingerprints and photo (called biometric information) as part of the application.

Applying to extend costs £766. This is the same from inside or outside the UK. Switching to a Global Talent visa also costs £766.

How long can I stay?

You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time. GOV.UK says there is no limit on how long you can stay in total, but you must extend the visa when it ends. Each extension can be from 1 to 5 years, and you choose the length.

You may be able to get indefinite leave to remain (permission to stay in the UK for good) after 3 or 5 years. It depends on which field you work in and how you apply.

Once you have applied online, proved your identity and given your documents, you will usually get a decision in:

Where you are when you apply	Usual decision time
Outside the UK	3 weeks
Inside the UK	8 weeks

You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

Can I bring my family?

Yes. Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK. GOV.UK calls them dependants. A dependant is:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18, including a child born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18, if they currently have permission to be in the UK as your dependant

A dependant’s visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different end dates, the child’s visa ends on the earlier date.

To count as your partner, you must be able to prove one of these:

• you are in a marriage or civil partnership that the UK recognises
• you have lived together in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply
• you have been in a relationship for at least 2 years when you apply but cannot live together, for example because you work or study in different places, or your culture does not accept it

Your child must live with you, unless they live away from home in full-time education. Your child must not be married or in a civil partnership.

Each family member makes a separate application. They pay the visa fee of £766 plus the healthcare surcharge.

Partners and children can work, except as a sportsperson or coach. They can also study. They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension.

GOV.UK says they can apply to settle permanently if they have lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other rules.

Can I extend or switch?

Extending

You can usually extend if either of these is true:

• you applied with an endorsement and the endorsing organisation has not withdrawn its approval
• you applied with an eligible prestigious prize and the prize has not been withdrawn

You must show that you earned money in your expert field while in the UK, for example with payslips.

You can extend for up to 5 years at a time. You can renew as many times as you like while you still meet the rules. If you have a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa, you can extend under the Global Talent category. The usual decision time for an extension is 8 weeks.

Switching from another visa

You must be in the UK to switch. The same prize or endorsement rules apply, and you must apply within 3 months of getting an endorsement.

If you are on a Student visa, one of these must also be true:

• you have finished the course you were sponsored to study
• you are studying for a PhD full time and have been for at least 24 months

You cannot switch if you are in the UK:

• on a visit visa
• on a short-term student visa
• on a Parent of a Child Student visa
• on a seasonal worker visa
• on a domestic worker in a private household visa
• on immigration bail
• with permission to stay outside the immigration rules, for example on compassionate grounds

If you are in one of these groups, you must leave the UK and apply from abroad.

The same list applies to partners and children who want to switch to your Global Talent visa as dependants. A partner or child on a Student visa can only switch if they have finished the course they were sponsored to study, or have studied for a PhD for at least 24 months.