- 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
The visa
What the Global Talent visa is and what it gives you
The Global Talent visa is a UK visa for people recognised as leaders (exceptional talent) or emerging leaders (exceptional promise) in digital technology, academia and research, or arts and culture. You get it in two steps. Stage 1 is endorsement by a Home Office approved endorsing body, unless you hold an eligible prestigious prize. Stage 2 is the visa application to the Home Office. We work only on Stage 1, the endorsement, because that is where your track record is judged.
The basics
Stage 1 is where an endorsing body judges your track record
The Global Talent route is for people in science, engineering, humanities, social science, medicine, digital technology or arts and culture who can show exceptional talent or exceptional promise. Stage 1 is the endorsement application. You submit it online to the Home Office, which passes it to the relevant endorsing body. The endorsement fee is £561.
- Digital technology
- Academia and research (science, engineering, humanities, social science and medicine)
- Arts and culture
Who decides
Six endorsing bodies cover different fields
Your field decides your endorsing body, not your job title. For research, the published disciplines list decides which endorsing body covers your area. Some subjects, such as computer science and some engineering areas, appear on more than one list.
Reading the rules is one thing. Knowing how they apply to your own evidence is another.
Book a free 30-minute callPrize route
Holders of certain prestigious prizes can skip Stage 1
A person who has won a prize listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes is treated as showing exceptional talent and does not need an endorsement. In arts and culture, this applies to Exceptional Talent applicants. The design industry is an exception: design applicants must apply for an endorsement as well as the visa.
Read the official guidanceTwo categories
Exceptional Talent is for leaders, Exceptional Promise for potential leaders
Exceptional Talent is for people already recognised as leaders in their field. Exceptional Promise is for people early in their career who are recognised as future leaders. Each endorsing body sets out the difference in its own way.
What you send
Most applications combine a CV, a statement, evidence and letters
The exact contents depend on the endorsing body and the route. Fast-track research routes rely on route documents, such as an HR statement of guarantee, instead of a full evidence bundle. The endorsing bodies cannot review your documents before you submit.
Timing
Decisions take from 14 working days to 8 weeks or more, depending on the route
Fast-track research routes are the quickest. Peer review and the Tech Nation and Arts Council England routes take longer.
After Stage 1
If you are endorsed, the visa is a separate application
Stage 2 is a separate application to the Home Office after endorsement. If you are refused, you can ask for a free review within 28 days, but you cannot add new evidence.
Read the official guidance What happens at Stage 2Costs
The visa costs £766, plus the healthcare surcharge
With an endorsement you pay £561 when you apply for the endorsement and £205 when you apply for the visa. If you hold an eligible prize, you pay the full £766 at the visa stage. Each partner or child pays £766 too. Most applicants also pay the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 a year for each adult and £776 for each child under 18. These are the GOV.UK figures, checked on 12 October 2026.
Fees on GOV.UK See the full cost guideHow to apply
You apply online, and the Home Office passes your application on
You apply for endorsement online on GOV.UK, not to the endorsing body. The Home Office sends your application to the endorsing body for your field, which decides whether to endorse you. Our step-by-step guide sets out the documents, letters and decision time for each endorsing body.
Read the official guidance How to apply for endorsement, step by stepWhat you can do
What the visa lets you do in the UK
You can be employed, self-employed or run a business, change jobs without asking anyone, and study, subject to the ATAS condition. You do not need a sponsoring employer. The visa gives no access to public funds, and the one work exception is professional sport or coaching.
Appendix Global Talent on GOV.UK Conditions and duration explainedFamily
Your partner and children can come with you
Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, and your children under 18, can apply as your dependants. Each pays the £766 fee and the healthcare surcharge, and their visa usually ends on the same date as yours.
Partners and children on GOV.UK Read our dependants guideLonger term
Extending, switching and settling
You can extend for up to 5 years at a time, with no limit on extensions, while your endorsement stands and you can show earnings in your field. Most people already in the UK can switch to the visa without leaving. You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 or 5 years, depending on your field and how you applied.
Global Talent visa on GOV.UK Read our extension guideRefusals
Why endorsement applications are refused
Most refusals happen at Stage 1, when the endorsing body decides the evidence does not meet its criteria. Common reasons are evidence that is not tied to the published criteria, recognition that does not reach beyond one employer, letters from people who do not know the work well, and choosing the wrong endorsing body or category. If you are refused, you can ask for a review or reapply with stronger evidence.
Read the common refusal reasonsOther routes
If the Global Talent visa is not the right fit
Other UK routes may suit you better, for example the Skilled Worker visa if you have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, or the Innovator Founder visa if you want to start an innovative business. Each has its own rules and fees on GOV.UK.
Work visas on GOV.UK Global Talent or Skilled Worker?Related guides
Keep reading
Guides applicants usually read next on this topic.
Global Talent Visa UK Requirements 2026: Who Can Apply
Each endorsing body sets its own Stage 1 tests, so the requirements for a software founder, a researcher and a theatre director are very different.
Read related guideGlobal Talent Visa Documents Checklist for Stage 1
Each endorsing body has its own document rules, from page limits to who can write your letters.
Read related guideGlobal Talent Visa Processing Time and Timeline 2026
Stage 1 decisions range from 14 working days on fast-track research routes to up to 8 weeks for peer review, usually 5 to 8 weeks for Tech Nation, and longer for the arts.
Read related guideApplying from outside the UK. If you work outside the UK, assessors may not know your local awards, media or companies, so your evidence should show their scale and standing in plain terms, such as audience size, revenue or how selective an award is.
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.
Is the Global Talent visa the same as the Exceptional Talent visa?
It replaced it. The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa was replaced by the Global Talent visa in February 2020, and Exceptional Talent and Exceptional Promise are now the two Global Talent endorsement categories.
Is the Global Talent visa permanent residence (PR)?
No. It gives permission to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time, and you can extend it. You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain, the UK's permanent status, after 3 or 5 years, depending on your field and how you applied.
Does a Global Talent visa allow you to work in the UK?
Yes. You can be employed, self-employed or run a business, and you do not need a sponsoring employer. The one exception in Appendix Global Talent is work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach.
How hard is it to get a Global Talent visa?
It depends on your evidence. The endorsing body for your field judges your CV, personal statement, evidence and letters against its own published criteria, so the same career can be strong for one endorsing body and weak for another. We do not publish success rates or promise outcomes.
What is the Global Talent visa?
A UK visa for leaders and potential leaders in academia or research, arts and culture, or digital technology. It needs no job offer or employer sponsor, lasts up to 5 years at a time, and can lead to settlement after 3 or 5 years. Most applicants need a Stage 1 endorsement from an endorsing body first.
Who can apply for the Global Talent visa?
Anyone aged 18 or over who is a leader or potential leader in one of the three fields, and who either has an endorsement from an endorsing body or has won an eligible prestigious prize.
Do I need a job offer?
No. You do not need a job offer to get the Global Talent visa, and no employer needs to sponsor you. For endorsement, Tech Nation and research peer review do not need one, but some fast-track research routes are tied to a UK post or grant.
Can my family come with me?
Yes. Your partner and children can come with you as your dependants, if they are eligible.
When can I settle in the UK?
Under the current rules, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 years if you are endorsed as a leader or work in academia or research, or after 5 years if you are endorsed as a potential leader in digital technology or arts and culture. Settlement is a separate Home Office application.
Can I send my application straight to the endorsing body?
No. You apply online, and the Home Office passes your application to the endorsing body.
Will an endorsing body check my documents before I apply?
No. The endorsing bodies do not review documents before submission or advise on your chances.
What is the difference between Exceptional Talent and Exceptional Promise?
Talent is for people already recognised as leaders in their field. Promise is for early-career people recognised as future leaders.
How much does the Global Talent visa cost?
£766 in total for the main applicant: £561 at the endorsement stage and £205 at the visa stage, plus the healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 a year. GOV.UK figures, checked on 12 October 2026.
Is Stage 2 part of the endorsement?
No. Stage 2 is a separate application to the Home Office.
Stage 1 planning
Not sure which endorsing body covers your work?
We can review your background against the published criteria, help you choose an endorsing body and route, and plan your evidence and letters.
Which field is your work in?