The Applied Linguist visa
Nick Nason, solicitor and principal at Edgewater Legal regularly provides advice to clients on applications under the Global Talent immigration route. Below, Nick outlines how an Applied Linguist might qualify with some top tips for applicants towards the end of the article.
Those recognised as exceptionally talented Applied Linguists, or those who demonstrate Exceptional Promise, may be eligible to apply for a UK visa.
This includes Applied Linguists demonstrating exceptional talent or promise within Cognitive Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psycholinguistics or Sociolinguistics.
Visa outline
The Global Talent visa allows you to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years, and you can choose your desired duration. It also serves as a pathway to settlement and eventually British citizenship.
To apply for this visa, you typically need to secure an endorsement from the British Academy. This involving filling out an online application form and submitting supporting evidence to demonstrate that you meet the criteria.
Once endorsed by the British Academy, you can proceed with your visa application.
If you are endorsed under the Exceptional Talent route, you may qualify for accelerated settlement after 3 years. Those endorsed under the Exceptional Promise route are usually eligible for settlement after 5 years.
Peer review
There are four possible routes for endorsement but we will focus on Route 4: Peer Review, as it’s the only option 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), then you
should explore these alternatives.
Additionally, if you are the holder of a prestigious prize, you are eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa without needing an endorsement. The qualifying prizes are listed at the bottom of this post.
Basic eligibility
To be considered, you must be an active researcher (for example in a university, a research institute or industry), and hold a PhD or have equivalent research experience, including industrial or clinical research.
If you are applying on the basis of Exceptional Promise – meaning that you have the potential to be a leader in your field – you must be at an early stage of your career.
Your application will undergo peer review by experts in your field who will evaluate the strength of your evidence to determine whether it demonstrates Exceptional Talent (or Exceptional Promise).
The peer review assessment will focus exclusively on the required evidence submitted within your application.
Detailed criteria
The peer review assessment will consider the following criteria to determine whether your application contains 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:
- Track record, career history and contributions: This includes your international standing, the significance of your publications, prizes and research funding awarded, as well as patents, licenses, spinouts or other forms of intellectual property. The impact of your past innovation activity, in an organisation, academia or as an individual, will also be considered
- Strength of the supporting statements: The quality and content of the letters of support, and
- Expected benefits of your presence in the UK: in terms of the contribution to UK research and innovation excellence, as well as to wider society, including potential economic benefits from exploitation of intellectual capital.
Assessors look for compelling evidence demonstrating a high degree of originality, creativity, independence, and intellectual leadership in research and innovation.
They will assess the merit, novelty, significance, and quality of your research and innovation vision, as well as how it has advanced or is expected to advance the field.
Additionally, they expect a clear and credible plan outlining what you intend to do in the UK as well as your future contributions to the UK research and innovation excellence.
What documents do you need to submit?
You must complete an online application form, and provide a short CV (maximum 3 sides). You will need to provide details of your qualifications, any fellowships and grants awarded, significant publications, prizes and/or patents.
The main evidence is a letter of personal recommendation from an eminent person resident in the UK. The person must be familiar with your work and contribution to your field, and qualified to assess your claim to being exceptionally talented, or showing exceptional promise.
For applications under the exceptional talent category, you must also provide a second letter from an another eminent person who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation concerned with research or innovation in your field.
You may submit further evidence 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 (if applicable) on headed paper, from an ‘eminent’ individual residing in the UK who is a leader in your field. The letter should include:
- 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, your second letter must be from another eminent person in your field who is a senior member of a reputable UK organisation widely recognised for expertise in your field. The second letter should 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 include the author’s contact details.
Application tips
The endorsing bodies do not provide pre-assurance. My usual advice would be:
- 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 be 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 often 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 not need an endorsement to apply for a Global Talent visa 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 |