The Global Talent visa route is intended for use by talented and promising academics, researchers and technical specialists who are working in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, the social sciences or the humanities. Applying for a Global Talent visa is a two stage process (endorsement and visa) and must be undertaken by the applicant.
The visa comes with many benefits over its counterpart, the Skilled Worker visa:
- Greater flexibility in your employment. With a Global Talent visa you can freely move between institutions, locations, disciplines and job roles. By contrast, a Skilled Worker Visa ‘ties’ you to a particular employer, job role and discipline, requiring you in most cases to apply for a new visa if you want to change any of these.
- A low cost, flat-rate fee. A Global Talent visa is around half the cost of a 5 year Skilled Worker visa.
- Greater flexibility to undertake collaborations within the UK which would not be permitted under the Skilled Worker route.
- Your choice in visa length. You can apply for any length of visa from 1 year to 5 years, regardless of the length of an employment contract, visiting agreement, fellowship or grant, with the option to extend indefinitely.
- A quicker route to settlement. An application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) can be made after 3 years, rather than 5 years under Skilled Worker. ILR will exempt you from the requirement to hold a visa to work in the UK and, as the name suggests, does not need to be extended. Please see our comprehensive guidance for further information.
The other pages in this section (see links on the left) provide guidance on each endorsement ‘path’ and on applying for a Global Talent visa. If you need further information, please contact the HR Compliance Team.
Version: 20
Last updated: September 2025
Owner: HR Compliance Team