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The Global Talent Visa for Design
Talented and promising individuals can now apply for the Global Talent Visa in Design, and the DBA will assess applications on behalf of the Arts Council.
What is the Global Talent Visa?
- The Global Talent visa is available for talented and promising individuals from the fields of science, engineering, medicine and humanities, digital technology and arts and culture, who wish to continue their professional career in the UK.
- The visa allows you to live and work in the UK for up to five years, and you can extend the visa after this period, or apply for settlement.
There are two routes available for people with different levels of experience. You must choose which of these routes is most appropriate for your current stage of career when you apply:
- Exceptional Talent is for people who have a substantial track record of working regularly as a professional in the last five years, and who are widely recognised as being current leaders or experts in their field.
- Exceptional Promise is for people who have a developing track record of working as a professional in the last five years, and who are recognised as being future leaders or experts in their field.
The Arts Council is the chosen endorsing body for arts and culture applications.
They assess applications from professional artists and arts practitioners who work in the following areas of practice of Combined Arts, Dance, Literature, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. Please see The Arts Council Guide for Global Talent visa applicants for more details on the above areas of practice.
Those who work in the Film, Television, Animation, Postproduction and Visual Effects industries can also apply, and so can Fashion designers and Architects. From 1 July 2026 individuals working in specific fields of Design can apply – please see the supported disciplines guidance for Design applicants for more details.
The Arts Council is not an expert organisation in these areas, so they ask the following organisations to assess these applications for them:
- Applications from people working in the Design field are assessed by the Design Business Association (DBA)
- Film, Television, Animation, Postproduction and Visual Effects applications are assessed by the Producers’ Alliance for Film and Television (PACT)
- Applications from Fashion designers are assessed by the British Fashion Council (BFC)
- Applications from Architects are assessed by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
How do people working in the Design field apply?
- All applications are submitted to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) service via the UK website, and they send your application to the Arts Council and their recognised expert organisation in Design, the DBA, to assess.
- Following the assessment, our decision is sent back to UKVI, who will tell you whether your application was successful or not.
- At all times you will communicate with UKVI about your application, so you do not need to send anything directly to us or contact us for your decision.
Apply on this link: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent
