CV for the UK Graduate visa and Global Talent endorsement: when you need one and what each endorsing body reads
The Graduate visa needs no CV; GOV.UK asks for a passport and a CAS number. Global Talent endorsement by peer review, Tech Nation or Arts Council England needs a typed CV, at most 3 A4 sides in research and tech.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First step: work out which route and which assessor you face
These two routes are searched together but work in opposite ways. On the Graduate route no official reads a CV; your CV is for employers. On Global Talent, a specialist body reads your CV as part of an endorsement file, and some sub-routes do not ask for one at all. Find your row before writing anything.
| Your situation | Route | Is a CV part of the official file? |
|---|---|---|
| Finishing a UK degree on a Student visa | Graduate visa | No |
| Offered an eligible academic or research job at an approved UK institution | Global Talent, fast track (job offer) | No; a full job description and an HR director’s letter |
| Held an approved individual fellowship in the last 5 years | Global Talent, fast track (fellowship) | No; the award letter |
| Named on a grant from a UKRI-endorsed funder | Global Talent, UKRI endorsement | No; a database link or funder letter, plus an HR letter |
| Active researcher with none of the above | Global Talent, peer review | Yes, up to 3 single sides of A4 |
| Digital technology | Global Talent, Tech Nation | Yes, up to 3 sides of A4 |
| Arts, architecture, fashion, film and TV, design | Global Talent, Arts Council England | Yes, typed; GOV.UK sets no page limit |
| Winner of a prize on the eligible prize list | Global Talent without endorsement | No |
The other UK visas that ask for a CV are compared on the visa application page; this page goes deeper on the two routes above.
The Graduate visa: nothing to submit, a lot to search for
GOV.UK’s document list for the Graduate visa names a valid passport and the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number from your Student visa. A BRP can still prove your Student visa until 24 months after its printed expiry or 31 December 2026, whichever comes first. A scholarship letter is needed only if a sponsor paid both fees and living costs in the last 12 months.
How long the visa lasts, and the 2027 cut
| When you apply | Length (bachelor’s or master’s) | Length (PhD or other doctorate) |
|---|---|---|
| On or before 31 December 2026 | 2 years | 3 years |
| On or after 1 January 2027 | 18 months | 3 years |
You apply from inside the UK, before your Student visa ends, once your university has told the Home Office you completed the course; you do not need to wait for graduation. The fee is £937 plus the health surcharge. The visa cannot be extended, but you can switch to another route such as Skilled Worker.
What the Graduate visa lets you do while you search
- Work in most jobs without a sponsor.
- Look for work and be self-employed.
- Do unpaid voluntary work for a charity, voluntary organisation or statutory body.
- Not work as a professional sportsperson, and not claim most public funds.
The line your job-search CV needs
Employers cannot see your status from your name, so write the end date: "Right to work: Graduate visa valid until [month year]; no sponsorship needed until then." If you will want to stay, target employers on the sponsor register now. A switch from the Graduate route can use the new-entrant salary rate, and the sponsorship page explains that rule and its 4-year cap.
Write the UK degree the way an employer checks it
Give the exact award title, university and month of completion, then the dissertation or final project in one line with its method and result. Put the completion month first: on this visa it tells the employer how much of your permission is left.
How Global Talent endorsement works
Global Talent is for leaders (exceptional talent) and potential leaders (exceptional promise) in academia or research, arts and culture, and digital technology. Most people apply in two stages: endorsement first, then the visa within 3 months of the endorsement letter. The £766 fee is split: £561 for endorsement and £205 for the visa. You can file both at once, but the visa is refused if the endorsement is.
The six endorsing bodies
The Royal Academy of Engineering’s page, updated 14 September 2026, names six: the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for research, and Arts Council England and Tech Nation for the non-academic fields. Arts Council England passes architecture to RIBA, fashion to the British Fashion Council, film and television to Pact and design to the Design Business Association.
Decision times GOV.UK gives for endorsement
- Academic job offer or approved fellowship: usually within 1 week.
- UKRI endorsed funder: usually within 2 weeks.
- Peer review: usually 5 weeks.
- Digital technology: usually 5 to 8 weeks.
- Arts and culture: within 8 weeks.
Endorsing body by body: CV limit, letters and evidence
This is the core of the page. Each row comes from the GOV.UK guide for that field, read on 13 October 2026, with the endorsing body’s own page where it adds detail.
| Endorsing body (field) | CV rule | Letters | Other evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Society (science, medicine), British Academy (humanities, social science), Royal Academy of Engineering: peer review | Typed, up to 3 single sides of A4, career and any publication history | One personal recommendation from an eminent UK-resident person, up to 3 sides; exceptional talent adds an objective-assessment letter from a senior member of a UK organisation | GOV.UK says no other evidence is needed; RAEng says extra documents are allowed but degree certificates are not required |
| Same three bodies: fast track | No CV on the GOV.UK list | HR director’s letter (job route) | Full job description showing a PhD or equivalent is required, or the fellowship award letter |
| UKRI: endorsed funders | No CV on the GOV.UK list | HR director’s letter | Grant link in a UKRI-approved database or funder letter; grant of at least £30,000 over at least 2 years, at least half your time |
| Tech Nation (digital technology) | Typed, up to 3 sides of A4, career and any relevant publication history | 3 letters from established experts who have known your work for 12 months or more, each up to 3 sides | Up to 10 documents of up to 3 sides each: at least 2 on recognition, at least 4 on two other criteria; founders add sales figures or accounts |
| Arts Council England (combined arts, dance, literature, music, theatre, visual arts) | Typed, outlining your professional career and education; no page limit on GOV.UK | 3 letters, each up to 3 sides; 2 from established organisations, at least 1 UK-based | Up to 10 pieces of up to 2 sides each, from the last 5 years, covering at least 2 of media recognition, prizes, international appearances |
| RIBA, British Fashion Council, Design Business Association (for Arts Council England) | Same as Arts Council England | Same structure | Up to 10 pieces of up to 2 sides each, from the last 5 years |
| Pact (film, television, animation, post-production, VFX) | Same as Arts Council England | Same structure | Up to 10 documents; Pact decides on the first 10 if you send more. Leader route only, no promise route |
Peer review CV: what fits in three sides
RAEng’s FAQ, updated 8 April 2026, says you do not send copies of publications, but your CV must give each one’s full bibliographic reference, the publisher and where it can be obtained, with a URL if there is one. It also lists patents, licences and spinouts among the outputs assessors weigh. Put those on the CV with references, not as attachments.
| Weak line | Line an assessor can check |
|---|---|
| Published widely in top journals | Yilmaz, A., et al. (2025). [Title]. [Journal], 12(3), 45 to 60. [Publisher]. doi or URL |
| Led a research group | Principal investigator, [grant name], [funder], 2023 to 2026; supervised 3 PhD students to completion |
| Industry impact | Patent [number], registered in [countries]; licensed to [company] in 2024 |
Digital technology CV: one line per criterion
The digital technology guide asks you to show recognition plus two of: innovation as a founder or senior executive, innovation as an employee in a new field, contribution outside work such as mentoring or open source, technical or commercial contribution to a product-led company, and published or expert-endorsed research. Make each CV line point at one criterion and at one of your 10 evidence documents.
- Lead engineer, [company], 2022 to 2026: designed the payments service now processing [volume] a month (Evidence 3).
- Maintainer, [open-source project], 2021 to now: 40 merged releases; cited in [named report] (Evidence 6).
- Mentor, [programme], 2024 to 2025: 12 junior developers over two cohorts (Evidence 8).
Arts and culture CV: dates, countries, venues
Arts Council England’s leader route asks for a substantial record of work in at least 2 countries in the last 5 years; the promise route expects about 3 years of professional work in at least 1 country. Write each line with year, country, venue or publisher and your role, so the assessor can match it to a review or programme in your evidence.
Proof: sources and the date we read them
| Claim | Source (read 13 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Graduate documents, lengths, 1 January 2027 change, £937 | GOV.UK, Graduate visa |
| £766 split, 3-month window, prize route | GOV.UK, Global Talent visa |
| Peer review CV and letters; fast-track and UKRI documents; decision times | GOV.UK, Global Talent: researcher or academic |
| Digital technology CV, letters, 10 documents, Tech Nation | GOV.UK, Global Talent: digital technology |
| Arts, architecture, fashion, film and design rules | GOV.UK, Global Talent: arts and culture |
| Six endorsing bodies | Royal Academy of Engineering, Global Talent visa page (updated 14 September 2026) |
| Bibliographic references in the CV, no degree certificates | Royal Academy of Engineering, route 4 page and FAQ |
| First 10 documents, no promise route | Pact, Applying for Talent Visas |
| CV requirements in the rules | Immigration Rules, Appendix Global Talent (updated 3 August 2026) |
Arts Council England’s own Global Talent page refused our requests on 13 October 2026, so its rows use the GOV.UK guide and Pact. Check the linked pages again before you apply.
Who this page is not for
- Graduates of universities outside the UK: the Graduate visa needs a UK course completed on a Student visa.
- People with a sponsored job offer: the Skilled Worker page covers sponsorship and salary.
- Students looking for part-time work during their course, which has its own page.
- Winners of a prize on the eligible list, who apply for the visa without endorsement.
- Anyone looking for settlement rules; GOV.UK covers them separately.
Next steps
- Find your row in the first table and open the matching GOV.UK guide.
- For Global Talent, list your strongest evidence first, then write the CV to point at it.
- Ask your recommenders early: every letter must be written for this application.
- On the Graduate visa, add the right-to-work line and start applying well before the end date.
CitedCV can turn the publications, roles and results you enter into a typed English CV, and you can set a length that fits 3 sides of A4. It does not judge whether you meet an endorsement criterion; the endorsing body does.
Questions people ask
Do I need a CV for a Graduate visa?
No. GOV.UK asks for a passport and the CAS reference number from your Student visa, plus a sponsor letter in some cases. Your CV is only for employers.
How long is the Graduate visa from 2027?
It is 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027, and 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. Doctoral graduates get 3 years.
How many pages can a Global Talent CV be?
Up to 3 sides of A4 for peer review and for digital technology. GOV.UK’s arts and culture guide says the CV must be typed but gives no page limit.
Who endorses Global Talent applications in digital technology?
Tech Nation, according to the GOV.UK guide and the Royal Academy of Engineering page we read on 13 October 2026.
What evidence counts for Global Talent digital technology?
Up to 10 documents of up to 3 sides each: at least 2 showing recognition and at least 4 covering two other criteria, such as open-source work or speaking at a prestigious conference.
Can I apply for Global Talent without a job offer?
Yes. GOV.UK says peer review needs no job offer, and the arts and digital technology document lists do not include one; the fast-track academic route does need one.
Do I send copies of my publications for peer review?
No. The Royal Academy of Engineering says to give full bibliographic references in your CV instead, with the publisher and a URL where available.
Can I switch from a Graduate visa to a Skilled Worker visa?
Yes. GOV.UK says the Graduate visa cannot be extended but you may switch, and Graduate visa holders can use the lower new-entrant salary rate.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Graduate visawww.gov.uk/graduate-visa
- GOV.UK, Apply for the Global Talent visawww.gov.uk/global-talent
- GOV.UK, Global Talent: researcher or academicwww.gov.uk/global-talent-researcher-academic
- GOV.UK, Global Talent: digital technologywww.gov.uk/global-talent-digital-technology
- GOV.UK, Global Talent: arts and culturewww.gov.uk/global-talent-arts-culture
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Global Talentwww.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-global-talent
- Royal Academy of Engineering, Global Talent visaraeng.org.uk/programmes-and-prizes/programmes/international-programmes/global-talent-visa/
- Royal Academy of Engineering, Global Talent route 4: peer reviewraeng.org.uk/programmes-and-prizes/programmes/international-programmes/global-talent-visa/route-4/
- Royal Academy of Engineering, Global Talent visa FAQraeng.org.uk/programmes-and-prizes/programmes/international-programmes/global-talent-visa/faq/
- Pact, Applying for Talent Visaswww.pact.co.uk/applying-for-talent-visas.html