Global Talent Visa to ILR Guidance

If you hold a Global Talent visa and have lived in the UK continuously for 3 or 5 years, you can consider applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). The amount of time you must have spent in the UK depends on how you were endorsed for your visa (please see more details on this below).

The earliest time you can apply for ILR from a Global Talent visa is 28 days before you meet the 3 or 5-year residence requirement, and your application may be refused if you apply too early. While Global Talent ILR applicants must still be endorsed, there is no need to provide evidence of this fact. Where endorsement is withdrawn for any reason, the Home Office will automatically be informed by the endorsing body.

Global Talent visa to ILR residence requirements

To qualify for ILR as a Global Talent visa holder, you must:

• Still be endorsed by the approved endorsing body
• Have met the 3 or 5-year UK continuous residence requirements
• Have earned money in the UK in a relevant field
• Meet the English language requirements (Unless exempt, you must have either an English qualification at CEFR level B1, B2, C1 or C2, or a degree taught or researched in English)
• Pass the Life in the UK test

Meeting the 3 or 5-year continuous residence requirements

To qualify for ILR, you can combine the time you have held any combination of the following visas:

• Global Talent (including Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent))
• Tier 1 (General)
• Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)
• Tier 1 (Investor)
• Skilled Worker visa (including Tier 2 (General))
• T2 Minister of Religion (including Tier 2 (Minister of religion))
• International Sportsperson visa (including Tier 2 (Sportsperson))
• Innovator visa
• Scale-Up visa
• Representative of an Overseas Business (replaced by the UK Expansion Worker visa)

You will be eligible to apply for ILR after just 3 years if you were endorsed by either:

• The British Academy
• The Royal Academy of Engineering
• The Royal Society
• UK Research and Innovation
• Arts Council England or Tech Nation (as long as you were endorsed as a leader, i.e. exceptional talent on an UK Artist visa or Tech Nation visa)

In addition, you may be able to apply for ILR after just 3 years if you did not need formal endorsement because you had an eligible award.

If you were endorsed by Arts Council England or Tech Nation as an emerging leader (i.e. exceptional promise), you would need to wait 5 years before applying for ILR.

Note: “Continuous” residence means that you must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any consecutive year.

Global Talent visa to ILR financial requirements

To qualify for ILR, you will need to show that you have earned some money in the UK as a Global Talent visa holder. Importantly, you will need to show that the money you earned was related to the field in which you were initially endorsed or to an eligible prize that you received (depending on how you originally qualified for your visa). There is no minimum income requirement in this respect, and there is no specific form of evidence to prove this. Examples of suitable evidence may include payslips, a letter from an employer confirming your earnings, or details of funding from a research institution.

How to apply for ILR from a Global Talent visa

To apply for ILR as a Global Talent visa holder, you will need to complete the following steps:

1. Complete and submit the online ILR application form¹
2. Pay the application fee of £2,404
3. Book and attend an appointment at your nearest UKVCAS service point to have your biometrics (i.e. your fingerprints scanned and a photo taken)
4. Upload any documents requested by the Home Office to support your application – e.g. your Life in the UK test pass certificate and proof of your English language proficiency

In most cases, you can expect to receive a decision on your Global Talent visa ILR application within 6 months. If you need a faster decision, it is possible to pay an extra fee of £500 to use the priority processing service for a decision within 5 working days or £1,000 to use the super priority service for a decision by the end of the next working day.

How can Reiss Edwards help?

Reiss Edwards specialises in all aspects of Global Talent visa and settlement applications. Our immigration solicitors can:

• Check your eligibility for ILR as a Global Talent visa holder – including that you have been resident for the required continuous amount of time.
• Prepare and submit ILR applications for you and your dependant family members.
• Handle any queries raised by UKVI on your behalf as well as an ILR refusal.
• Help you to get British citizenship once you have ILR.

For assistance with your Global Talent visa ILR application, please speak to one of our expert immigration lawyers for a free telephone consultation on 020 3744 2797 or complete our enquiry form.

References

¹ GOV.UK: Online application form for ILR