- Prepare evidence and lettersUsually the longest partWeeks to months
- Apply online to the Home OfficeEndorsement fee£561
- Endorsing body decidesDepends on the endorsing body2 to 8+ weeks
- Apply for the visa£205 visa fee plus healthcare surchargeWithin 3 months
| Endorsing body and route | Letters | Who writes them |
|---|---|---|
| Tech Nation | 3 letters of recommendation | Established experts in digital technology who have known your work for at least 12 months |
| Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, British Academy (peer review) | 1 for Exceptional Promise, 2 for Exceptional Talent | The main letter from an eminent person resident in the UK with internationally recognised expertise in your field |
| Research fast track and UKRI | No recommendation letters | The route documents, such as an HR letter or award letter, replace them |
| Arts Council England | 3 letters of support | One from a well-established UK cultural organisation, one from another cultural organisation, and a third from an organisation or an eminent individual |
| Pact (film and television) | 3 letters | Two from well-established film and television organisations you have worked with, at least one in the UK, and a third from an organisation or individual with recognised expertise |
At a glance
Tech Nation and Arts Council England need 3 letters, research peer review needs 1 or 2
The number of letters, and who may write them, changes with the endorsing body. Start by confirming which endorsing body assesses your field, then build your list of authors around its rules.
Tech Nation
Tech Nation letters come from 3 digital technology experts who know your work
Each author must be an established expert in digital technology and must have known your work for at least 12 months. Each letter must give different examples of your achievements, skills, experience and contribution to the sector. Reference letters from an immediate colleague, manager or friend are not sufficient evidence of recognition, and managers at outsourcing or consultancy firms do not count as leading industry experts.
- Covers how the author knows you, your achievements, why you show exceptional talent or promise, your contribution to the UK digital economy and your future work plans
- Typed, dated and signed, up to 3 sides of A4 excluding the author's credentials and contact details
- Includes a telephone number, email address, and the organisation's logo and registered address if applicable
- Includes the author's CV or proof of credentials within the letter, not as a separate file
- Can be signed through a digital signature service such as DocuSign, with the log file showing the signature came from a different IP address to yours
Research peer review
Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering and British Academy letters need a UK link
Both categories need a letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person resident in the UK who has internationally recognised expertise in your field and knows your work. Exceptional Talent adds a second letter from a different eminent person who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation in your field. That second author does not need to know you personally, but must confirm the assessment is objective.
- Each letter up to 3 sides of A4, excluding the author's credentials and contact details
- Signed, dated and on headed paper, with the author's email address and direct telephone number
- Each letter comes with the author's CV
- The second letter names the UK organisation its author is a senior member of
- Examples of senior second authors include a Professor, Head of Department, Chief Executive or Vice-Chancellor
Reading the rules is one thing. Knowing how they apply to your own evidence is another.
Book a free 30-minute callUKRI
The UKRI endorsed funder route uses an HR letter, not referees
If you apply through a grant from an endorsed funder, you do not need recommendation letters. You need a letter from the director of human resources, or equivalent, at your UK employing or hosting organisation, and a letter from your funder if the grant is not on an approved award database. If you have no qualifying grant and apply for peer review instead, the research letter rules above apply.
- The name of your position and department
- That you have accepted the job offer or hosting agreement
- That you are essential to the grant
- That you will spend at least half of your agreed working time on the grant
- Details of the fair recruitment process, if you were not named on the grant application
- At least one year remaining on your contract or hosting agreement, which the Immigration Rules require HR to confirm
Arts and culture
Arts Council England wants 3 letters from organisations or people you have worked with
One letter must come from a well-established UK cultural organisation with expertise in your area of practice. The second comes from another well-established cultural organisation in the UK or overseas, and the third from a further organisation or an eminent individual with recognised expertise. Letters from Arts Council Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland and Arts Council Wales are not accepted.
- Each letter no more than 3 sides of A4, dated and signed
- Describes a past or current working relationship with you in your area of practice
- Organisation letters show the logo and registered address and are signed by a senior member, such as the Chief Executive, Artistic Director, Principal or Chair
- Organisation letters say when it was established, how it is constituted, give a website link and, for UK organisations where possible, a Companies House number
- Film and television (assessed by Pact): 3 letters, 2 of them from well-established film and television organisations you have worked with, at least one based in the UK
- Handwritten letters are not accepted, and any letter beyond the 3 listed on the form is not used
Common mistakes
Six letter mistakes the published guidance warns about
Most letter problems come from choosing the wrong author or reusing a letter written for something else. Each one below comes straight from the published rules.
- Sending a general reference letter, a testimonial or a letter written for another purpose
- Sending an employment contract in place of a letter, which does not contain the required information
- Not showing that the author is a credible referee, which on research routes can lead to refusal or a request for more information
- Three Tech Nation letters that repeat the same examples
- Two Arts Council England letters from the same organisation
- Missing or invalid contact details, which can delay a Pact decision while authors are verified
Briefing a referee
How to brief a referee without writing the letter for them
Give each author the facts and leave the words to them. Tech Nation does not accept templates or AI tools such as ChatGPT in letters, and it may treat letters that are duplicates, templates or close matches to other applicants' evidence as fraudulent or unacceptable. Tech Nation and Arts Council England may contact your authors to check a letter, so tell them in advance.
- Send the official list of what the letter must cover for your endorsing body
- Share your CV and the dates and projects you worked on together, so the facts match your evidence
- Suggest which achievements each author is best placed to describe, so the letters do not overlap
- Explain the format rules: page limit, date, signature, contact details and the author's own CV
- Ask them to reply quickly if an assessor emails them
Related guides
Keep reading
Guides applicants usually read next on this topic.
Tech Nation recommendation letters: who can write them and what they must include
The rules for the 3 Tech Nation recommendation letters, from choosing authors to format, content and briefing.
Read related guideGlobal Talent peer review recommendation letters: who writes them and what they must say
How to choose, brief and check the recommendation letters for a research peer review application.
Read related guideArts Council England letters of support for Global Talent: who can write them and what they must say
Arts Council England asks for exactly three letters of support, and each one has mandatory content and format rules.
Read related guideApplying from outside the UK. If most of your referees are outside the UK, check the residence and organisation rules before you ask anyone: research peer review needs a UK-resident author for the personal recommendation, Arts Council England needs one letter from a well-established UK cultural organisation, and Tech Nation looks at the author's expertise in digital technology and how long they have known your work.
Article FAQ
Questions to settle before you spend time or money.
Use these answers to check the practical risks, documents, and decisions connected to this topic.
Who can help me with Global Talent visa recommendation letters?
Tier 1 Global Talent Visa, led by founder Mihir Thaker, works only on the endorsement stage, including the Stage 1 endorsement for the UK Global Talent visa. We help you choose recommenders who meet your endorsing body's rules and plan what each letter should cover. Each letter must be written and signed by the recommender. The first call is free and lasts 30 minutes. We do not make endorsement decisions and cannot promise an outcome.
Can a letter writer live outside the UK?
It depends on the endorsing body. Research peer review needs the personal recommendation from someone resident in the UK, and Arts Council England needs at least one letter from a UK cultural organisation.
Can my current manager write a Tech Nation letter?
Not as evidence of recognition. Tech Nation says reference letters from an immediate colleague, manager or friend are not sufficient, so choose established experts in digital technology outside your immediate team.
Does the second Exceptional Talent letter author need to know me?
No. On research peer review, the second author must be a senior member of a reputable UK organisation in your field and give an objective assessment, but does not need to know you personally.
Will a fourth letter help?
No. Arts Council England only uses the 3 letters listed on the application form, and for Tech Nation any extra reference letters must sit inside your 10 evidence documents and be specific to a criterion.
Can I draft the letter for my referee to sign?
We advise against it. Tech Nation does not accept templates and may treat letters that closely match other evidence as fraudulent, so give your referee facts and dates, not wording.
Do I need recommendation letters for the UKRI route?
No. You need a letter from the director of human resources at your UK organisation, plus a funder letter if your grant is not on an approved database.
Plan your letters
Not sure who should write your letters?
We help you match each possible author to your endorsing body's rules, check residence and organisation requirements, and plan which achievements each letter covers. We do not write letters for referees, and we do not promise any outcome.
Which field is your work in?