Immigration options for Charities: the Global Talent route

Since opening in February 2020 in its current form, Global Talent has been a very popular immigration route to the UK. It enables individuals from numerous disciplines to make the UK their home, and provides a welcome alternative to sponsorship for employers.

Applicants must demonstrate that they are  ‘leaders’ or ‘potential leaders’ in their chosen fields, and must specialise in either:

i) arts and culture;

ii) digital technology; or

iii) academia or research.

The immigration route leads to Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) in the UK and allows for close family members to have dependent visas.

With the significant reduction of roles being eligible for Skilled Worker (work visa) sponsorship, and additionally needing to carefully consider how charitable funds are allocated, hiring individuals on the Global Talent route is an excellent option for charities. 

The Home Office has recently announced an expansion to the eligible organisations who can “employ or host an applicant who holds, or provides critical contributions to work supported by, an award or grant from an endorsed funder” for a Global Talent visa, under the UK Research and Innovation category.

The list of endorsed funders can be found on the UK Government website, and includes numerous well-known charities, many of whom we have the pleasure of working with at Stone King. Once funding has been secured, the list of research organisations where individuals can undertake their research can be found on the recently-expanded list also on the UK Government website. The list of organisations ranges from national museums and galleries, to botanic gardens, and from laboratories to conservation charities.

If your organisation is interested in using this immigration route, our lawyers can advise. Please do not hesitate to contact our Immigration Team for more information.