1. Overview
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if you’ve been endorsed in your field in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts as:
- a recognised leader (exceptional talent)
- an emerging leader (exceptional promise)
You must also be from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
Application process
There’s a 2-stage application process to get this visa.
You first need to apply to the Home Office for endorsement as a leader or an emerging leader in your particular field.
Then, once you have been endorsed, you can apply for the visa.
There are limited places available under this visa category, with 500 places released on both 6 April and 1 October each year.
How long it will take
After you get your endorsement, you can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
Fees
You must pay a separate fee for the 2 stages of this process:
- stage 1 – endorsement (£281)
- stage 2 – visa application (see table below)
Stage 1
All main applicants must pay the £281 (Rs.27705.90) fee to get an endorsement when applying for the first time or switching to this visa category.
You won’t automatically get a visa if you’ve been endorsed. You won’t be reimbursed your endorsement fee if your visa application is turned down.
Stage 2
How much you pay to apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa depends on your circumstances.
| Who you’re applying for | Stage 1 – endorsement application | Stage 2 – visa application |
|---|---|---|
| You | £281(Rs.27705.90) | £281(Rs.27705.90) |
| You if you’re from Turkey or Macedonia | £281(Rs.27705.90) | £226(Rs.22278.67) |
| All dependents | – | £562(Rs.55404.17) |
How long you can stay
You can stay in the UK for up to:
- 5 years and 4 months if you apply outside the UK
- 5 years if you apply inside the UK
What you can and can’t do
You can:
- work – for an employer, as a director of a company or be self-employed
- change jobs without telling the Home Office
- do voluntary work
- travel abroad and return to the UK
- bring family members with you
You can’t:
- get public funds
- work as a doctor or dentist in training
- work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
2. Eligibility
To get a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa, you need to be endorsed as a leader (exceptional talent) or emerging leader (exceptional promise) in:
- science
- engineering
- humanities
- medicine
- digital technology
- the arts
Your application for endorsement is considered by:
- Arts Council England
- British Academy
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Royal Society
- Tech City UK (Tech Nation)
3. Documents you must provide
When you apply for your visa you’ll need to provide:a current passport or other valid travel identification
- a passport-sized colour photograph
- a printed copy of your endorsement letter
- your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test
You need a page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.
You need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.
6. Switch to this visa
You can apply to switch to a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if you’re already in the UK with any of these visa types:
- Tier 1
- Tier 2
- Tier 5 (Temporary worker – Government Authorised Exchange) on an exchange scheme for sponsored researchers
You must leave the UK and make your application from abroad if you’re in another category.
Eligibility
You must first apply for endorsement in your particular field:
- as a leader (under the exceptional talent rules)
- as an emerging leader (under the exceptional promise rules)
How long you can stay
You can stay 5 years in the UK after switching to a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa.
Bio metric information
You must also provide your bio metric information (fingerprints and a photo). This costs £19.20 (Rs.1895.29).
UK Study Visa
Short-term study visa
The UK is a world leader in many areas of education including engineering, science, art and design, business and management, law and finance. The UK’s reputation and legacy as a world centre for scientific research makes it a magnet for some of the very best thinkers in the world.
UK Tier 4 (Child) student visa
You can apply for the UK Tier 4 (Child) student visa if you’re aged between 4 and 17 and you want to study in the UK.
UK Tier 4 (GE) student visa
You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you:
have been offered a place on a course
can speak, read, write and understand English
UK Work Visas
UK Work visa Tier 1 (Enterpreneur) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa if:
- you want to set up or run a business in the UK
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- you meet the other eligibility requirements
UK Work visa Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa if you’ve been endorsed in your field in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts as:
a recognised leader (exceptional talent)
an emerging leader (exceptional promise)
You must also be from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
UK Work visa Tier 1 (general) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if:
- you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- you meet the other eligibility requirements
UK Work visa Tier 1 (Graduate Enterpreneur) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa if you:
- are a graduate who has been officially endorsed as having a genuine and credible business idea
- are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- meet the other eligibility criteria
UK Work visa Tier 1 (Investor) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if:
- you want to invest £2,000,000 (Rs.19,77,29,784.85) or more in the UK
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- you meet the other eligibility requirements
UK Work visa Tier 2 (general) Visa
You can apply for a Tier 2 (General) visa if:
- you’ve been offered a skilled job in the UK
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa
You can apply for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa if:
- your overseas employer has offered you a role in a UK branch of the organisation
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa
You can apply for a Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) visa if:
you’ve been offered a job within a faith community (eg as a minister of religion, missionary, or member of a religious order) in the UK
you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 2 (Sportsperson) visa
You can apply for a Tier 2 (Sportsperson) visa if all of the following apply:
- you’re an elite sportsperson or qualified coach recognised by your sport’s governing body as internationally established at the highest level
- your sport’s governing body is endorsing your application
- your employment will develop your sport in the UK at the highest level
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 2 Priority Service
You can get a decision on your visa within 10 working days if you apply to extend or switch to a tier 2 visa using the Tier 2 Priority Service.
You can only use this service if you’re in the UK.
You can use the service for the following visas:
- Tier 2 (General)
- Tier 2 (Minister of religion)
- Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
- Tier 2 (Intra company transfer)
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Charity Worker) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Charity Worker) visa if:
- you want to do unpaid voluntary work for a charity
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and sporting) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and sporting) visa if:
- you’ve been offered work as a sports person or creative worker
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
A creative worker is someone who works in the creative industry, eg an actor, dancer, musician or film crew member.
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 Temporary Worker – Government Authorised Exchange visa if you:
- want to come to the UK for a short time for work experience or to do training, an Overseas Government Language Programme, research or a
- fellowship through an approved government authorised exchange scheme
- have a sponsor
- are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- meet the other eligibility requirements
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – International Agreement) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – International Agreement) visa if:
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
- you’ll be contracted to do work covered by international law while in the UK, eg working for a foreign government or as a private servant in a diplomatic household
- you meet the other eligibility requirements
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Religious Worker) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Religious Worker) visa if:
- you want to do religious work – eg preaching or working in a religious order
- you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
UK Work visa Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa
You can apply for a Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa if you:
- want to live and work in the UK for up to 2 years
- are aged 18 to 30
- have £1,890 in savings
- have certain types of British Nationality or are from certain countries