UK Global Talent visas for philosophers
Edgewater Legal regularly provide advice to clients applying under the Global Talent immigration route. Here, principal Nick Nason outlines how academic or other philosophers might qualify and provides top tips for applicants towards the end of the article.
You may be eligible to apply for a UK visa if you are recognised as an exceptionally talented philosopher, or a person who demonstrates exceptional promise.
This includes philosophers demonstrating exceptional talent or promise within economic philosophy, ethics, logics, metaphysics and political philosophy.
Visa outline
Global Talent visas enable you to live and work in the UK without a sponsor. It is a pathway to applying to settlement - usually after 3 or 5 years - and British citizenship after that.
To apply for the visa, first, you usually need to be endorsed by the British Academy. To make the application, you complete an online form and provide evidence in support, showing how you meet the criteria (explored below).
If you are receive endorsement from the British Academy, you can then make the visa application.
If endorsed under the Exceptional Talent route, you may be able to apply for accelerated settlement after 3 years. Those at an early stage in their career – on the exceptional promise route – will usually be eligible after 5 years.
Peer review
You can be endorsed in four ways, but we are focusing on Route 4: Peer Review, as it one doesn’t require pre-existing offer of a position, fellowship, or funding.
If you have been offered an eligible academic or research position in the UK (Route 1), a qualifying fellowship (Route 2), or if you are a key part of an approved funding grant from UKRI (Route 3), you should investigate these other routes.
If you are the holder of a prestigious prize, you can apply for a Global Talent visa without the need to obtain an endorsement. The qualifying prizes are listed at the bottom of this article.
Basic eligibility
You must be an active researcher of philosophy or related eligible subjects (for example in a university, a research institute or industry), and have a PhD or equivalent research experience, including industrial or clinical research.
If are applying on the basis of having exceptional promise – i.e. that you have the potential to be a leader in your field – you must also be at an early stage of your career.
Applications are peer reviewed by experts in your field who consider the strength of your evidence to assess whether the application demonstrates exceptional talent (or exceptional promise).
The application will be assessed solely on the required evidence provided as part of your application.
Detailed criteria
Peer review assessments consider the following in order to determine whether you have provided sufficient evidence that you have been recognised as an exceptional talent and a leader in the field (or that you have been recognised as showing exceptional promise and as a potential leader in the field):
- Your track record, career history and contributions to the field to date, including your international standing; the significance of your publications, prizes and research funding awarded; patents, licenses, spinouts or other forms of intellectual property and the impact of past innovation activity, in an organisation, academia or as an individual (as applicable);
- The strength of the supporting statements in your letters of support; and
- 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.
They are looking for compelling evidence revealing a high degree of originality, creativity, independence, and intellectual leadership in research and innovation.
Consideration is given to 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, credible plan for what you will 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 will need to complete an online application form, and provide a short CV (maximum 3 sides). You will need to provide details of your qualifications, and any fellowships and grants awarded, significant publications, prizes and/or patents.
The crucial evidence is a letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person resident in the UK. The person must be familiar with your work and your contribution to your field, and be qualified to assess your claim to being an exceptional talent, or showing exceptional promise.
In exceptional talent applications only (so not those applying under the exceptional promise category), a second letter must be provided from a different eminent person who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation focused on research or innovation in your field.
If you wish, you can submit additional evidence beyond this to show how you meet the endorsement criteria.
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 leaders in your field. Points to cover:
- 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.
For the second letter (if you are applying on the basis of exceptional talent), this must include:
- a statement confirming that the author is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research or innovation in your field;
- why the author considers your work shows exceptional talent and how you are likely to contribute to UK research or innovation excellence and to wider society; and
- a statement confirming the objectivity of the author’s assessment
Both letters should also include contact details for the author.
Application tips
The relevant endorsing bodies do not provide any kind of pre-assurance. We usually provide the following guidance to anyone who is considering applying:
- If you think you might have a shot, it’s worth applying. The Global Talent route is the golden ticket of UK visas in what is otherwise a miserable and defensive vista for international talent. Compared to visa routes (even other streams within Global Talent e.g. Tech Nation), the documentary requirements are relatively light, and the costs for endorsement application relatively low
- Don’t feel restricted by the minimal documentary requirements: we have assisted clients who have provided letters or other documents from multiple sources, many more than the one or two mandatory letters required.
- Pay attention to the guidance – it’s there for a reason! The letters need to cover the specified information as summarised above, and in particular, why and how you are considered to be a leader or showing exceptional promise within the field
- The bigger the profile of the letter writer, the more weight their evidence will carry. The more senior and eminent the author is in your field of research or innovation the stronger the letter will be considered to be.
We frequently review and manage Global Talent visa applications. Please do not hesitate to contact us at Edgewater Legal for further information about how we might be able to assist.
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 prize 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 |