Step By Step Guide To Sponsor A Global Talent to the UK

Global hiring is crucial for competitive organisations looking to attain successful growth. If your business plans to expand internationally, sponsoring global talents can bring a slew of benefits that is only possible through global mobility.  

Such a situation is possible through the Global Talent visa and the Global talent Employer-Sponsored Program. But before anything else, you’d first need to secure a sponsorship licence to sponsor a global talent into your organisation. Moreover, it’s also important to be aware of the processes involved in the application. 

 

To sponsor a global talent, you only need to follow a few steps. 

 

1. Determine if your business is eligible.

To obtain a license, you must have no criminal convictions for crimes or immigration offenses like money laundering or fraud. Moreover, you should also have no record of a revoked sponsor license for the last 12 months. The UKVI will review the application form and the supporting documents you have submitted to determine your legitimacy and trustworthiness as a business. 

 

2. Check the suitability of the job for sponsorship.

It’s important to remember that you are only eligible to sponsor workers if their job is accompanied by a suitable level of skill and compensation and requires the criteria needed for their visa. 

 

3. Determine the type of license you wish to apply for.

Choosing the type of license you want to apply for depends on the kind of worker you wish to sponsor. In this case, you will be sponsoring a Global talent and would thus opt for a sponsored Global Talent visa.

 

What is a Global Talent Visa?

The Global talent Visa is an immigration category in the UK designated for promising and talented individuals over 18 years old in specific sectors such as technology, humanities, sciences, arts, medicine, and engineering, who want to work in the United Kingdom. It applies to people who have demonstrable promise and existing exceptional talent who have the potential to become future leaders in their respective fields. 

The application process is usually divided into two parts. The first part involves the applicant applying for a significant industry organisation, while the other one is the application needed to stay or enter the UK. 

Once you complete the application and the maximum required period of residency in the UK, you can now be eligible to apply for permanent British Citizenship.

 

Who is qualified for a Global Talent Visa?

 

Before applying for a Global Talent Visa, the applicants must first meet its requirements. First, it’s open to foreign nationals over 18 years old who possess exceptional talent or promise in digital technology, academia, and culture and arts. This also includes the categories of science, engineering, social science, medicine, and fashion, among many others. 

Moreover, the applicant must also have an endorsement from the right endorsing body and apply for the Global Talent visa outside the UK. Given that the country utilises a point-based system in the immigration process, they must also meet a minimum of 70 points to qualify for this route. You will also need to submit your valid passport alongside the necessary travel documentation. 

 

What is the Global Talent Employer-Sponsored Program?

 

If you’re an employer wanting to hire global talent, the Global Talent Employer-Sponsored Program will help make it easier for you. This program is specifically designed to attract the best and the top global talents in the country to stimulate growth and innovation in the economy. First piloted in 2018, this program was conceived with the intent to attract international and foreign talent for STEM startups and is now accessible to other technology and future-focused sectors. 

Employers can utilise the GTES program to sponsor foreign workers for highly-skilled niche job positions that UK workers or other standard programs cannot occupy. Moreover, it’s also important that employers consider that the job position must be in support of the country’s job creation and aid in the transferring of skills to local workers. 

Unlike standard visa programs, the GTES program enables businesses or organisations to entice and keep highly-skilled candidates who may have otherwise not been eligible due to certain reasons such as ineligibility or unavailability of the job position in standard programs.

Generally, the GTES program offers assurance for visa holders regarding PR options as opposed to standard programs. 

 

How to be part of the program

 

To be a participant of the program, the employer must first have an agreement with the Department of Immigration and show proof that they cannot locate either overseas or UK workers who may be qualified for a TSS subclass 482 visa. You must also comply with the requirements to sponsor the employee despite being approved to be a participant in the program. 

 

Who can use the Global Talent Employer-Sponsored Program?

 

This program has two main streams:

 

• The Startup Stream. This stream permits STEM field or tech-based startup businesses to access at least five job positions each year. Regardless, they must still be endorsed by an independent advisory panel for this matter. 
• The Established Business Stream. This stream enables businesses that possess Accredited Sponsorship status to access 20 positions each year. 

 

It’s also worth noting that applicants should be suitably qualified and possess at least three years of work experience in both streams. 

 

4. Decide who manages the sponsorship and pays the fee. 

Once you have thoroughly considered and accomplished the above information, you can now appoint people in your business to manage the sponsorship upon applying for the license. Afterward, you can now apply online and pay the designated fee.