UK visas for leading historians
Nick Nason is a solicitor at Edgewater Legal (and history graduate) who frequently advises clients applying under the Global Talent immigration route. Nick outlines below how a historians may qualify, with advice on application preparation towards the end of the article.
If you are recognised as an exceptionally talented historian, or a person who demonstrates exceptional promise, you may be eligible to apply for a UK visa.
The Global Talent visa list of eligible disciplines breaks historians down into periods. But essentially if you are a leading historian within any period, you should be eligible for consideration.
For the avoidance of doubt, this includes ancient history, medieval, early modern and modern history, the history of science and ideas, social history, economic history and the history of art and music.
Visa outline
The Global Talent visa enables you to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years – you can choose how long – and is a pathway to applying to settlement (and British citizenship after that).
To apply for the visa, you will normally need to be endorsed by The British Academy beforehand. To apply, complete an online form, and then provide supporting evidence to show you meet the criteria. Once you are endorsed by The British Academy, you can go on to make the visa application.
Those endorsed as an Exceptional Talent may be eligible for accelerated settlement after 3 years. Those at an early stage in their career – showing Exceptional Promise – are usually be eligible after 5 years.
Peer review
You can be endorsed in four ways, but we are going to concentrate on Route 4: Peer Review, as this is the only route that doesn’t require a pre-existing offer of a position, fellowship, or funding.
However, if you have been offered an eligible academic or research position in the UK (Route 1), a qualifying fellowship (Route 2), or you are a key part of an approved funding grant from UKRI (Route 3), you should investigate these other routes.
It is also worth noting that if you hold a qualifying prestigious prize (listed at the end of this post), you will be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa without the need to obtain endorsement.
Basic eligibility
You must have a PhD or equivalent research experience, including industrial or clinical research and be an active researcher (e.g. in a university, a research institute or industry).
Additionally, to apply on the basis of Exceptional Promise (i.e. that you have the potential to be a leader in your field), you must be at an early stage of your career.
Applications are peer reviewed by other specialists in your field who analyse the strength of the documentary evidence to determine whether your application demonstrates Exceptional Talent (or Exceptional Promise).
They will only assess your application on the required evidence provided as part of your application.
Detailed criteria
The peer review assessment considers the following criteria to assess whether your application provides sufficient evidence that you have been recognised as an Exceptional Talent (and a leader in the field) or showing Exceptional Promise (and being a potential leader in the field):
- Your track record, career history and contributions to history to date, including your international standing and the significance of your publications, prizes or any research funding awarded;
- The expected benefits of your presence in the UK (in terms of the contribution to UK research and innovation excellence and to wider society, including potential economic benefits from exploitation of intellectual capital); and
- The strength of your letters of support
Assessors look for compelling evidence showing a high degree of originality, creativity, independence, and intellectual leadership in research and innovation.
They will consider the merit, novelty, significance, and quality of your research and innovation vision, and how it has advanced (or is expected to advance) the field.
They are also looking for a clear and credible plan for what you expect to do in the UK, and how you will contribute to UK research and innovation excellence.
What documents do you need to submit?
You must complete an online application form providing details of your qualifications, and any fellowships and grants awarded, significant publications and/or prizes. You must also provide a short CV (maximum 3 sides).
Your main evidence is a letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person resident in the UK supporting your application. They must be familiar with your work and contribution to the field, and qualified to assess your claim of being exceptionally talented, or showing exceptional promise.
A second letter must also be provided from another eminent person who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research or innovation within history. This only applies to applications for Exceptional Talent, and not for Exceptional Promise.
You are allowed to submit additional evidence beyond this to show how you meet the endorsement criteria if you wish.
Content of the supporting letter(s)
The personal recommendation letter should be signed, dated, and on headed paper (if applicable) from an ‘eminent’ person resident in the UK who is themselves a leader in the field. It should address:
- how the eminent person knows you;
- details of your achievements in your field;
- how, in the opinion of the eminent person, you exhibit Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise;
- how you would benefit from living in the UK; and
- how you are likely to contribute to UK research or innovation and to wider society.
If applying on the basis of Exceptional Talent, you must provide a second letter which is from another eminent person in your field and who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation widely acknowledged as having expertise within your specialism. Remember that you do not need to provide this second letter in an application for Exceptional Promise. This second letter must include:
- a statement confirming that the author is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research or innovation in history;
- why the author considers that your work shows exceptional talent;
- how you are likely to contribute to UK research or innovation excellence and to wider society; and
- a statement confirming that the author’s assessment is objective
Both letters should also include contact details for the author.
Application tips
The British Academy does not provide any kind of pre-assurance before you make an application but I would usually advise as follows:
- If you think you might have a shot, it’s worth applying. The Global Talent route is the golden ticket of UK visas. Compared with other visa routes, the documentary requirements here are relatively light, and the costs for endorsement application are relatively low
- Don’t feel restricted by the minimal documentary requirements. We have assisted clients who have letters or other documents from multiple sources, well in excess of the one (or two) mandatory letters
- Pay attention to the guidance – it’s there for a reason! The letters must cover specified information (summarised above), in particular, why and how you are considered to be a leader or potentially leader within history
- The bigger the letter writer’s profile, the more weight their evidence carries. Letters from more senior and eminent authors in your field of research or innovation are considered stronger.
Edgewater Legal reviews and manages Global Talent visa applications frequently. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information about how we can assist you.
Prestigious prizes list
As referred to above, you will be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa without the need to obtain an endorsement if you are the holder of any of the following qualifying prizes, and the prizes has not been withdrawn or suspended.
| Qualifying Prize | Name of Awarding Body |
|---|---|
| Abel Prize | Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters |
| AF Harvey Engineering Research Prize | Institute of Engineering and Technology |
| Annual Review Prize Lecture | Physiology Society |
| Bakerian Medal and Lecture | Royal Society |
| Balzan Prize | International Balzan Prize Foundation |
| Benjamin Franklin Medal | Franklin Institute |
| Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture | Berggruen Institute |
| Blue Planet Prize | Asahi Glass Foundation |
| Cadman Award | Energy Institute |
| Centenary Prize | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering | US National Academy of Engineering |
| Copley Medal | Royal Society |
| Crafoord Prize | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Crafoord |
| Croonian Medal and Lecture | Royal Society |
| Davis Medal | IChemE |
| Distinguished Fellowship | British Computing Society |
| Faraday Medal | Institute of Engineering and Technology |
| Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize | National Academy of Engineering |
| Fields Medal | International Mathematical Union |
| Fyssen International Prize | Fondation Fyssen |
| Gold Medal | Institution of Civil Engineers |
| Honorary Membership | British Ecological Society |
| Holberg Prize | Holberg Committee |
| Humboldt Research Award | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation |
| IEEE Medal of Honor | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
| INCOSE Pioneer Award | International Council on Systems Engineering |
| Individual Gold Medal | Royal Aeronautical Society |
| International Award | Biochemical Society |
| International Medal | Institution of Civil Engineers |
| Isaac Newton Medal and Award | Institute of Physics |
| IStructE Gold Medal | Institution of Structural Engineers |
| J J Thompson Medal for Electronics | Institution of Engineering and Technology |
| James Watt International Medal | Institution of Mechanical Engineering |
| Japan Prize | The Japan Prize Foundation |
| John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity | John W. Kluge Centre |
| King Faisal Prize – Medicine | King Faisal International Fund |
| King Faisal Prize - Science | King Faisal International Fund |
| Kyoto Prize – Advanced Technology | Inamori Foundation |
| Kyoto Prize – Basic Science | Inamori Foundation |
| Kyoto Prize – Arts and Philosophy | Inamori Foundation |
| Lasker-Debakey Clinical Medical Research Award | Lasker Foundation |
| Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science | Lasker Foundation |
| Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award | Lasker Foundation |
| L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science | L’Oréal-UNESCO |
| Louis-Jeantet Prize | The Louis-Jeantet Foundation |
| Lovelace Medal | British Computing Society |
| Melchett Award | Energy Institute |
| Mensforth Manufacturing Gold Medal | Institution of Engineering and Technology |
| Millennium Technology Prize | Technology Academy Finland |
| Mountbatten Medal | Institution of Engineering and Technology |
| Nine Dots Prize | Kadas Prize Foundation |
| Nobel Prize - Chemistry | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
| Nobel Prize - Economic Science | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
| Nobel Prize - Literature | The Swedish Academy |
| Nobel Prize - Physics | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
| Nobel Prize - Medicine | Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet |
| President’s Award | Energy Institute |
| Prince Philip Medal | Royal Academy of Engineering |
| Princess Royal Silver Medal | Royal Academy of Engineering |
| Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering | The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation |
| Rayleigh Medal | Institute of Acoustics |
| Robert Koch Award | Robert Koch Foundation |
| Robert Koch Gold Medal | Robert Koch Foundation |
| Vane Medal | British Pharmacological Society |
| W H Pierce Prize | Society for Applied Microbiology |
| Wolf Prize - Agriculture | Wolf Foundation |
| Wolf Prize - Arts | Wolf Foundation |
| Wolf Prize – Chemistry | Wolf Foundation |
| Wolf Prize – Mathematics | Wolf Foundation |
| Wolf Prize - Medicine | Wolf Foundation |
| Wolf Prize - Physics | Wolf Foundation |