India is the third-largest technical and scientific manpower in the world, and the UK has always recognized this and welcomed bright and talented Indians to come and be a part of their ever-growing economy.
Currently, the UK is under the transition period after officially exiting the European Union (Brexit) on 31st January 2020. As a way to bring in more talented and promising Indian professionals into the UK, PM Boris Johnson announced the Global Talent Visa on 27th January 2020 which was published in a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. The Global Talent Visa is a rebranded version of Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa but is a fast-track way to fill in the shortage of skilled workers. Also, the new Visa has opened gateways of opportunities for research professionals that wish to work in the UK, after receiving an endorsement from the UK Research & Innovation.
To fulfill the shortage of skilled professionals, the UK government announced the Global Talent Visa in January 2020. According to Technation.io, “With 20% of UK Global Talent Visa in Digital Technologies or #TechNationVisa applicants coming from India and 28% of applicants are software engineers.”
So, if you are an Indian excelling in the field of Science and Innovation, the Global Talent Visa can be your ticket to the UK. Let’s discuss how:
Global Talent Visa in Digital Technology
The Global Talent Visa in Digital Technology is operational from 20th February 2020 and aims toward bringing the best and brightest tech talent into the UK. The endorsing body to obtain the GTV in Digital Technology is Tech Nation.
To be endorsed by the Tech Nation, individuals are required to prove:
- ‘Exceptional Talent’ as recognised leaders or
- ‘Exceptional Promise’ an emerging leader
Eligibility/Requirements for endorsement by the Tech Nation
Every endorsing body has its own set of prerequisites that individuals need to fulfill in order to receive an endorsement. To qualify for the Tech Nation endorsement, individuals need to show:
Exceptional Talent’ for Individuals who already a proven track record of being a recognised leader in the digital technology field as:
- a founder or director of a product-led digital technology company or
- or an employee working in the digital technology sector, or
- provide proof of innovative work that has contributed to the advancement of the digital technology sector
‘Exceptional Promise’ for individuals who are emerging leaders in the digital technology field but they will have to prove more than 1 example of their potential as:
- a founder or director of a product-led digital technology company or
- an employee working in the digital technology sector, or
- provide proof of innovative work that has contributed to the advancement of the digital technology sector
To qualify for Tech Nation endorsement, individuals need to satisfy at least two of the following four criteria:
- Made significant technical, commercial, or entrepreneurial contributions in the digital technology sector as either a founder, entrepreneur or employee of a digital technology company.
- Have been recognised as a leading talent or having the potential to be a leading talent in the digital technology sector
- Have undergone continuous learning/mastery of new digital skills (commercial or technical) throughout your career
- Have demonstrated exceptional ability in the field by making academic contributions through research published or otherwise endorsed by a research supervisor or other expert
Do you have a way to calculate the Skilled Worker Visa UK cost?
Yes! Use our calculator below to calculate your Skilled Worker Visa cost.
Please answer the questions and you will be able to calculate the approx. cost for The Skilled Worker Visa –
Required Technical Skills
- DevOps/ SysOps engineer
- Software Engineers/ Developers
- Data Scientists/ Engineer
- Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing experts
- Cybersecurity expert
- Hardware engineer
- Front-end developers with experience
- Back-end developers with significant contribution to major technology open source projects like Blockchain, Golang, etc
- Operating System engineer
- Experienced Video Game Developer
- Experienced UX/UI Developer
- Experienced Mobile App Developer
- Augmented/Virtual Reality expert
- CTO or VP managing in-house engineering teams
Required Business Skills
- Experience leading Venture Capital investments over￡25 million GBP
- Experience as a leader in digital business/commercial(Growth, P&L, Sales and Distribution Strategy)
- Experience as a growth hacker in product-led digital business
- Solution sales expertise for growing B2B digital technology business
- Experience as a Product Manager
- Enterprise sales or SaaS leadership in digital technology
- Performance Marketing expert
- CEO, CMO, CIO with experience in C-suite profiles in SMEs or head of operations in Digital Business
Note:
- These are the general profiles considered under for endorsement by the Tech Nation and may vary.
- For Business Skills, candidates need to prove these skills in a product-led company and not in service-based companies, outsourcing, marketing agencies, etc.
Application Process:
The application process for the Global Talent Visa in Digital Technology undergoes through two stages:
- Stage 1-Endorsement: The first stage asks applicants to apply to the Home Office for an endorsement from the Tech Nation (in case of Digital Technology). The standard fee for this is ￡456.
Note: No reimbursement in case your application has been turned down.
- Stage 2 -Visa application:
Once endorsed, the applicant needs to pay a standard fee of ￡152 for Visa application process. Major documents required for the Visa Application process after an individual has been endorsed by the Tech Nation are:
- Current passport and/or other travel documents
- A separate passport photograph
- A letter of endorsement
- Clear tuberculosis (TB) test result letter, if the applicant is from one of the countries on the Home Office’s TB testing list
Documents Checklist for Tech Nation endorsement
- 1 Completed Tech Nation Visa application form
- 1 Curriculum Vitae (up to 3 pages)
- 3 Letters of Recommendation duly signed by 3 senior members of 3 different and established organisations in the digital technology sector
- 10 pieces of evidence submitted via the Tech Nation (global talent consultants) online form demonstrating you meet the Global talent Visa Eligibility Criteria
Other important factors Tech Nation takes into consideration for an endorsement
Tech Nation also takes into consideration the following factors:
- Individuals track record and career history considering his/her international contribution in the field of Digital Technology
- Verification and trueness of the provided qualifying criteria
- What an individual might offer to the UK’s digital technology sector
- Level of your impact towards a company based on your previous work
Benefits of the Global Talent Visa in Digital Technology
The new Global Talent Visa has opened new gateways for the ‘best and brightest’ minds as it offers many benefits like:
- There is no cap on the number of applicants accepted each year.
- No sponsorship required.
- No English language requirement
- There is no restriction on the type of work you can do in the UK (work for an employer or be self-employed)
- You can renew the Visa multiple times
- You can change jobs without permission from the Home Office
- Individuals can bring their partners and dependants to the UK
Who are we and how can we help
A Y & J Solicitors is a team of SRA-regulated solicitors that has established its reputation as the best immigration law firm in the UK.
A Y & J Solicitors has over 10+ years of Immigration Law experience and has helped 4000+ clients with their UK Visa applications, work permits, visa extensions and visa renewals, including the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa (now Global Talent Visa).
If you are an Indian applying for the Global Talent Visa, dealing with the complexities of the Home Office rules and regulations can be a tough walk.
Our expert team of dedicated employees can guide you through the endorsement phase as well as the Visa application phase. We also specialize in overturning refusals on endorsements. There is no limit on the number of visas but the competition is rigorous.
