UK Global Talent Visa Glossary
Plain-English definitions of every term you need to understand the application process, from MC1 to ILR.
B
Biometrics
Fingerprints and a photograph collected at a UK Visa Application Centre. Required as part of the Stage 2 visa application. You book a biometrics appointment after submitting your visa application online. VACs are available in most countries worldwide.
D
Dependent Visa
A visa for the partner and children under 18 of a Global Talent Visa holder. Dependents can join you in the UK and have full work rights, no employer restrictions. Each dependent submits a separate application. The fee is £766 per person (from outside the UK), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge.
E
Endorsement
Stage 1 of the Global Talent Visa process. An approved endorsing body (such as Tech Nation for Digital Technology) reviews your application and decides whether you meet the criteria for Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise. Endorsement is not the visa itself. It is the recommendation letter you then use to apply for the visa.
Exceptional Talent (MC1)
The Mandatory Criterion 1 route for established leaders in Digital Technology with a proven track record of significant impact. Applicants must demonstrate they are recognised as a leader in their field, have produced work of outstanding innovation, and have contributed to the UK's or another country's digital technology sector. ILR is available after 3 years.
Exceptional Promise (MC2)
Mandatory Criterion 2 for individuals recognised as having potential to be a leading talent in the digital technology sector in the last 5 years. You must be at an early stage in your career, though you can have had a longer career in another type of work. ILR is available after 5 years.
Evidence Document
A PDF document (maximum 3 A4 pages) submitted as part of your endorsement application to demonstrate one piece of evidence against a criterion. You can submit up to 10 evidence documents. Each must be a PDF snapshot, not a cloud link or URL. Common formats: press articles, screenshots with annotations, certificates, metrics reports.
Evidence Bundle
The complete set of documents submitted with your Stage 1 endorsement application: CV (max 3 pages), personal statement, up to 10 evidence documents (max 3 pages each), and 3 reference letters. All documents must be PDFs.
I
ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)
UK permanent residence. Global Talent Visa holders can apply for ILR after 3 years of continuous residence in the UK (Exceptional Talent route) or 5 years (Exceptional Promise route). ILR is the step before British citizenship.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
Covers your NHS healthcare access while you live in the UK. Paid upfront when you apply for the visa, for the full duration at once. The current rate is £1,035 per year for an adult and £776 per year for a dependant under 18. Each dependant pays separately.
O
OC1: Innovation
Optional Criterion 1. Evidence of significant technical innovation, including: novel products or services, significant open-source contributions, patents, or development of new technical methodologies. You must show the innovation was meaningful, not just that you used existing technology.
OC2: Recognition Beyond Occupation
Optional Criterion 2. Proof of recognition for work beyond your occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field. Covers voluntary, non-paid activities such as open source contributions, conference speaking (100+ attendees, main stage), and structured mentoring programmes. Activities done while representing your company do not qualify.
OC3: Significant Contributions
Optional Criterion 3. Evidence of recognition for your technical work by peers or the broader industry. Includes: awards, conference speaking (especially at selective international events), press coverage in recognised publications, judging at technical competitions, or peer review.
OC4: Academic Contribution
Optional Criterion 4. Evidence of contribution to academia through research, publications, or fellowships. OC4 is primarily designed for academic researchers and is rarely appropriate for commercial Digital Technology applicants. If in doubt, choose OC1, OC2, or OC3 instead.
P
Personal Statement
A 1,000-word maximum statement entered directly on the Home Office application form (not uploaded as a separate file). It must be future-focused: explaining how you will contribute to the UK's digital technology sector. It should cover your motivation, intended role, UK location, and sector contributions. Tech Nation says that using AI to write your application may weaken it, and that it will run checks if appropriate. Rejection attaches to fraudulent evidence, not to the use of a writing tool. There is no published detection system, and no official guidance mentions AI at all. The reason to write the statement yourself is that a generic statement is a weak statement: assessors are looking for the specific decisions, numbers and relationships only you can supply.
R
Reference Letter (Recommendation Letter)
A letter from a senior professional who knows your work, endorsing your application. You need exactly three letters of recommendation, each from a different individual (Immigration Rules GTE 7.2(b)). Each referee must be an established expert in the digital technology sector who has personal, professional knowledge of your work. Each letter must cover: how they know you, duration of relationship, your specific role, why you are exceptional, your impact on the field, and your potential UK benefit. Letters must be unique. No shared templates. Our advice, not a rule: letters from three different organisations usually read as stronger, because three independent vantage points are harder to dismiss than three views from inside one company. If two of your best referees work together, that is allowed and you should still use them.
S
Stage 1: Endorsement Application
The first stage of the Global Talent Visa process. You submit your evidence bundle (personal statement, CV, evidence documents, reference letters) to the Home Office, who forwards it to the endorsing body for assessment. The application fee is £561 (non-refundable). Tech Nation usually decides digital technology endorsement applications within 5 to 8 weeks of receiving a complete application. GOV.UK publishes this as a guide, not a guarantee. Priority processing is available for the Stage 2 visa application only. You cannot pay to speed up Stage 1 endorsement. If successful, you receive an endorsement letter valid for 3 months.
Stage 2: Visa Application
The second stage of the process, completed after endorsement. You apply for the actual visa through the UK government portal (gov.uk). The Stage 2 visa fee is £205, the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. The Immigration Health Surcharge is payable on top. Stage 2 decisions usually take 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside it. Both are measured from your biometrics appointment, not from when you submit the form, so add however long that appointment takes to come round.
T
Tech Nation
The endorsing body for the Digital Technology route of the UK Global Talent Visa. Tech Nation announced in 2023 that it was ceasing operations, but continued after joining Founders Forum Group, and remains the designated endorsing body for the Digital Technology route of the UK Global Talent visa. The 2023 announcement is why you will still find pages saying Tech Nation has gone; it is named as the endorsing body in the Immigration Rules and in Home Office caseworker guidance updated 3 August 2026. The criteria framework (MC1, MC2, OC1-OC4) is commonly referred to as "Tech Nation criteria". Last verified: 2026-09-05.
U
UK Global Talent Visa
A UK visa for leaders and potential leaders in academia, research, arts, culture, and digital technology. It requires no job offer, no employer sponsor, and no minimum salary. Holders have full work flexibility and a path to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after 3–5 years.
UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration)
The Home Office department that processes UK visa applications. UKVI handles Stage 2 of the Global Talent Visa (the actual visa, after endorsement). The endorsing body (Tech Nation for Digital Technology) handles Stage 1.
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