From 9 August  2011 a new route for exceptionally talented migrants in the fields of science, arts and humanities who wish to work and eventually settle in the UK comes into force.The applicant has to show the international recognition as one of the world leaders in his field. The Art Council can also endorse applicants with exceptional promise.

Limit on Exceptional talent applications

The UK government has limited the number of applications that can be made under Tier 1 (Exceptional talent).

Every initial application must be endorsed by a ‘designated competent body’.

There is a limit of 1,000 endorsements each year between 6 April and 5 April.
The endorsements will be assigned to the designated competent bodies in 2 phases: 500 will be available from 6 April to 30 September, and the second 500 from 1 October to 5 April.

Initial application

Applicants are required to score 75 points in total to successfully apply for this visa.

The points are awarded to those who are endorsed by a designated Competent Body, expert within these fields.

The endorsement should be dated no earlier than 3 months prior to application.

The role of the Competent Body is to vouch to the Home Office that in their opinion the migrant is exceptionally talented. There is no single definition of “exceptional talent” and each such Competent Body set its own criteria to select those who will qualify for endorsement as well as sets out its procedures for receiving and processing requests for endorsements.

At present there are four Competent Bodies:

Arts Council England – for arts and culture applications

The British Academy – for humanities and social science applications

The Royal Society – for natural sciences and medical science research applications

The Royal Academy of Engineering – for engineering applications

Tech City UK – for digital technology sector applications.

Eligibility and Assessment Criteria of Arts Council The British Academy, The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering and Tech City UK are given here

The Arts Council now endorses applicants with exceptional promise.

The Exceptional Talent visa is available to those applying from outside the UK. You are allowed to apply in the UK if you are here with permission to stay as a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Migrant, a Tier 2 (General) Migrant, or a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Migrant, sponsored in the Government Authorised Exchange sub-category in an exchange scheme for sponsored researchers.

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent migrants cannot switch into another category within the UK.

There are no English language or maintenance requirements for initial application under this category.

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