The British Academy welcomes new fast-track UK visa for researchers

The British Academy today welcomes the Government’s announcement of a new fast-track UK visa for talented overseas researchers.

The Global Talent Visa is a new immigration route for individuals coming to the UK to work in research and innovation. It follows announcements by the Prime Minister in 2019 outlining plans for a more expansive visa offer for research talent and has been developed jointly by the Home Office and the scheme’s four endorsing bodies: the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Global Talent visa will be open from 20 February to those who work in a qualifying field and have been endorsed by one of the above bodies.

In response to the announcement, Professor Simon Goldhill, The British Academy’s Foreign Secretary, said:

‘The UK’s new Global Talent Visa will help secure this country’s status as a world-leader in researcher and innovation and further boost our thriving humanities and social sciences research base. Attracting and retaining the very best researchers from around the world allows the UK to drive research excellence, pioneer exciting new approaches and collaborate on international challenges.

‘This is a significant first step towards the fast, efficient and affordable future immigration system we need – one that truly welcomes researchers and their dependants. We look forward to working with the government to further strengthen humanities and social science research and the UK's reputation as a world leader in these fields.’