UK opens fast-track visa route to over 100 employers

More than 100 UK research businesses, including AstraZeneca and Jaguar Land Rover, can now endorse overseas scientists and engineers applying for the Global Talent visa, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade confirmed on Thursday (6 August).

The change opens the visa’s endorsed funder pathway to commercial companies for the first time, placing them alongside the universities, academic institutions and independent research bodies that could already back applicants.

Researchers coming to Britain to work on funded projects can now name one of these firms in support of their application. The endorsed funder route has so far brought more than 12,500 people from over 130 countries into UK research careers.

Alongside the two global names, the expanded list covers fast-growing innovators such as Added Value Solutions, Denroy Plastics and Ffilm Cymru.

The firms work across nuclear fusion, medicines, automotive engineering and technology in the creative industries. Each falls into one of the eight high-growth sectors named in the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which include advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, clean energy, life sciences and the creative industries.

The full list of approved host research organisations sits on GOV.UK.

Researchers whose expertise carries a research grant can also switch to a new firm or start their own spin-out once in the country.

“The UK is already a magnet for the world’s most brilliant minds – and the discoveries they make here change lives and grow our economy,” said Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

“By expanding the Global Talent visa to more than 100 businesses, we’re making it easier than ever for our most innovative companies to recruit eligible researchers who will develop the medicines, technologies and industries of the future right here in the UK, underpinning our industrial strategy, creating skilled jobs and driving growth in the process.”

How the endorsement routes work

The Global Talent visa runs four endorsement pathways for academics and researchers.

Academic Appointments, Individual Fellowships and Endorsed Funders, all three of which are fast-track, plus a peer-review route for established or potential research leaders who hold no eligible appointment, fellowship or grant.

The British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society administer the academic appointments route on behalf of the Home Office.

The Home Office simplified that academic route in April, extending fast-track endorsement to every academic, research or innovation leadership role at an approved UK institution and to all PhD-level roles where research and innovation form the main function.

Thursday’s expansion builds on a further step in May, which brought the remaining members of the Association for Innovation, Research and Technology Organisations, including IBM, into the endorsed funder pathway.

UK Research and Innovation delivered the latest expansion through its Visa Advisory Board, with input from AIRTO, the BioIndustry Association, BioNow, the British Plastics Federation, Composites UK, Creative UK and UK Quantum.

“Riverlane is a Cambridge-born company solving one of the hardest problems in computing today: making quantum computers reliable enough to be useful,” said Steve Brierley, chief executive and founder of Riverlane.

“The Global Talent visa gives us a fast, flexible route to bring the best people to the UK, and that speed matters when the field is moving as quickly as quantum is right now.”

What comes next

The government is preparing to widen the Future Technology Research and Innovation scheme, a UKRI-run programme under the Government Authorised Exchange visa route.

It lets eligible UK companies working on critical technologies host international researchers, scientists, interns and technical specialists for research, training and work placements of up to two years.

The planned expansion will open it to more R&D-focused businesses in priority areas such as AI, quantum and engineering biology.

Two other schemes sit alongside the visa routes.

The £54 million Global Talent Fund brings new research group leaders to the UK and has funded 18 so far, while the Global Talent Taskforce runs a concierge service to identify and attract international talent.

ARIA now has 16 programme directors in post and opens a call for a third cohort this month.

Research-intensive organisations that want to support Global Talent visa applicants can register their interest with UKRI.

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