“Can I be bothered with this?” And other questions to ask yourself before applying for a Global Talent visa

We regularly help individuals applying for endorsement under the Global Talent visa. We encourage applicants to ask themselves some questions before doing so.

Can I be bothered with this?

Most applicants I speak to vastly underestimate the amount of work involved in applying for endorsement under the Global Talent visa route.

This is especially the case for endorsing bodies inviting provision of up to 10 pieces of supporting evidence (e.g. Arts Council), or a 1000 word personal statement (e.g. the British Academy), or both (e.g. Tech Nation).

That’s before you get to the need to relentlessly badger other leaders in the field to write you letters of endorsement.

Or trying to follow the confusing and often contradictory guidance about what your evidence needs to show (yes, that’s you Tech Nation).

And most exceptionally talented people are, you know, busy, and in demand.

So be warned: don’t underestimate the time needed to properly prepare an application.

What is my field?

This is a really important question, and frames the application.

The bar of being recognised as an “exceptional talent” and “leader in the field” is high.

So narrowing and thinking carefully about your field is going to be a useful exercise, and the result will be important to convey in your application.

Of course, there is a balance between narrowing the specialism, but also making sure that your specialism is eligible in respect of the rules and guidelines for the scheme.

Do I meet the criteria?

A lot of applicants don’t read the guidelines in detail.

And some of the guidance is very detailed and prescriptive regarding exactly what the endorsing body is expecting to see in terms of the production of evidence (e.g. Tech Nation).

The guidance can also be very precise on exactly what you need to have achieved in your career to date, and to which your evidence needs to speak.

Tech Nation doesn't care that you were a great team player: they want to hear about, for example, your track record of innovation.

The Arts Council will be more interested in the recognition you have had, for example, in the media for the quality of your work than you waxing lyrical about how passionate you are about your work.

All aspects of a Global Talent visa application should be relentlessly focussed on the criteria.

How does my evidence show that I meet the criteria?

Some applicants do read the criteria, but then don’t think hard enough about exactly how their evidence shows this.

A useful question in this context is “Yes, but so what?”

It’s easy to spot applications where applicants have not asked themselves this question, and have provided documents which (they think) speak for themselves (but often don't).

It is important to link the evidence provided with the criteria you are seeking to meet, and to document this in the application.

Information about our offering to Global Talent visa applicants (or those thinking about applying) is here