Global Talent Visa access for award winners announced

The Global Talent route is for people aged 18 or over in the field of academia or research, arts and culture combined arts, and digital technology who can show they have exceptional talent or exceptional promise.


What are the changes?

The UK Government released a 2021 Budget Report with immigration reforms which lists several changes to the category of Global Talent Visa. These changes simplified the pathway to immigrate to the UK and is aimed at attracting more foreign talent. They are expected to take place on April 1, 2021.

Visa Reform

If you have received international prizes relevant to your field of work or have won scholarships for a program, you will automatically qualify for the Global Talent visa.

There will now be a list of “prestigious prizes”, the winning of which will qualify you for a Global Talent visa without the need to obtain an endorsement by a registered organization.

These prizes have been identified by the Global Talent endorsing bodies as demonstrating exceptional talent. A list of eligible awards or “prestigious prizes” can be found in the Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes.

Eligibility criteria

• You must be the named recipient of the prize (prizes given to an organisation or a group you are associated with are not acceptable) and
• The prize issued by the relevant body must not have been withdrawn at the time of your visa application.

Dependant route

Your dependant is no longer required to provide written consent to their application from a Government or international scholarship agency if they received an award within 12 months before the date of application to fund their living and study in the UK.