This is how I got my Endorsement for a Global Talent Visa under Exceptional Promise Route (Digital Technology - Cybersecurity)

I applied for the Global Talent Visa intending to get an Exceptional Talent endorsement but got the endorsement for Exceptional Promise instead. I want to share my post here to help others. Disclaimer: This is my personal experience; I do not guarantee an endorsement following this.

I am a Ph.D. candidate at University College London (UCL), residing in the UK with a student visa. You can check out more about my work at sharad1126.github.io. After two years of my Ph.D., I can switch to the global talent visa as per the UKVI rules about switching to a global talent visa. I applied for the endorsement on 26 August 2024 and got it approved on 4 September 2024 (within 7 working days).

When I applied for the Stage 1 Endorsement, I chose the following answers to the questions on the application form:

• Are you applying directly for Global Talent or Switching from another visa category? - Switching from another visa category

• Switching from which route - Student Visa

• State your field of talent - Digital Technology

• Which endorsing body do you wish to support your application for endorsement? - Tech Nation

• Please indicate your sector - Cybersecurity

• Please indicate your specialist skill - Research

• Highest formal education level completed - Masters degree

• Are you applying under the eligibility criteria for Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise? - Exceptional Talent

• What is the main reason you have chosen to apply for the route of 'Exceptional Talent' (rather than Exceptional Promise)? - I have worked in digital technology for over five years and am a third-year PhD candidate at UCL. My work has significantly contributed to the advancement of cybersecurity, the growth of a non-profit, and the UK's digital economy. It is recognised by UK government authorities and cited in news articles.

An applicant evidencing EXCEPTIONAL TALENT must:

• Show that they have been recognised as a leading talent in the digital technology sector in the last 5 years.

Optional Categories:

• 2 - Proof of recognition for work beyond the applicant’s occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field - This stands for Optional Criteria 2 (OC2)
• 4 - Have demonstrated exceptional ability in the field by academic contributions through research published or endorsed by an expert - - This stands for Optional Criteria 4 (OC4)

The list of evidence submitted is detailed below. There is a complete guide with examples of evidence that Tech Nation accepts under various categories available on the website. Even though the application says to submit at least 2 unique pieces of evidence for each option, alumni on the Tech Nation Forum advise to submit 4-3-3 per section. My understanding is that this is done to ensure if a piece of evidence is not counted, you have a backup already provided. However, as I did not have 4 pieces of evidence for the mandatory criteria (MC), I submitted 3-3-4 instead.

Primary Documents:

• Three letters of recommendation: I took two from my first and second PhD advisors at UCL and the third one from the CEO of my organisation, where I have been interning full-time during the summers and working part-time during my term time. I attached the CVs of all 3 referees at the end of each PDF, so it remains 3 documents only. Note: Tech Nation allows to provide LinkedIn if the referees do not want to provide their mobile numbers.

• Personal Statement: I wrote a 998-word essay from the very beginning of my journey into the field of computer science to date and my future aims. As a PhD student, I am used to writing much longer articles, so cutting this down to the word limit of 1000 words was difficult. It took me at least 3-4 revisions and help from a few amazing friends @iaktech, @mercuryheavens and @AriannaTrozze to look over it and get their suggestions.

• Resume: I updated my resume to ensure it aligns with all the documents I submitted in the evidence. It was almost three pages long. PhD students end up having a lot of publications, taking up considerably more space.

Mandatory criteria (MC) for Exceptional Talent - MC

1. A letter from the chief product officer showing that my work led to the growth of a non-profit organisation where I worked for more than a year.
2. Significant expert role in participating in panels internationally.
3. Speaker at high-profile digital technology sector events.

First optional criteria for Exceptional Talent - OC2

1. Op-ed News articles where I have been cited/quoted.
2. Conference Talk with an audience of over 100-200 participants.
3. Active GitHub profile demonstrating participation in collaborative projects.

Second optional criteria for Exceptional Talent - OC4

1. Paper in a Peer-reviewed Journal.
2. Presentation at a Peer-reviewed Conferences.
3. Awards received for outstanding applied work included my MSc distinction and Dean's List award.
4. Academic Expert Evidence Letter.

FaQs

• I did not use DocuSign or anything similar to get signatures for my recommendation letters. I used smallpdf.com for two of the four letters I used in my application to get a better signature but did not add the details it generates so that anyone can initiate that signing process.
• Keep each piece of evidence within the 3-page limit. Even I had to remove one letter for this reason.

Lastly, I want to say, 'Good luck with your application!' If you have any questions after reading this, feel free to create an issue on this repo so I can answer them here for everyone to look at and maybe even add them to this readme. If there's something else you'd like to ask, get in touch with me. I also want to thank my advisors, employers, collaborators, and friends, who have helped and supported my application.

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