Skilled Worker vs Global Talent: how to choose a UK visa route

If you're moving to the UK for work, two paths come up often:

• Skilled Worker (sponsor-led)
• Global Talent (prestige/achievement-led)

They’re very different, and the best option is the one you can prove with evidence, not the one that sounds nicest.

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Skilled Worker (sponsored employment)

Best for people who:

• have a UK job offer
• are comfortable working with sponsorship timelines
• can meet role and salary requirements

Strength: clear structure and predictability when the sponsor is organised.
Risk: dependency on the sponsoring employer.

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Global Talent (endorsement-based)

Best for people who:

• have a strong profile in tech, arts/culture, academia, etc.
• can present compelling evidence of recognition and impact
• want flexibility without a single employer tie

Strength: flexibility.
Risk: evidence burden is high—your portfolio must tell a strong story.

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How to choose quickly

• If you already have a suitable UK job offer and sponsorship is realistic → Skilled Worker is often the fastest structured route.
• If your professional profile is strong and you want autonomy → Global Talent can be powerful.

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The evidence rule

UK applications live or die by evidence clarity:

• consistency
• completeness
• narrative flow

A good application is readable. A bad one is technically “fine” but confusing enough to trigger requests or refusal.

HAVN helps you map the strongest route and build a clean evidence pack.