Since receiving my UK Global Talent Visa in Digital and Technology (formerly Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa) in July 2016, I became the #TechNationVisa Ambassador. This means that I help applicants from around the world with their questions on their applications
I love listening to their stories and why they want to apply to settle in the UK.
To help with making the process easier and less daunting, I would like to share some common questions that I am often asked about my experience and my answers after being through the process and speaking with other applicants.
And don’t worry, it is a common theme for applicants from outside the UK and within the UK that the process, the application and the words “leading talent” are daunting.
Hopefully these FAQs will ease your concerns, allow you to focus on your achievements in digital and tech and help you to confidently start your application to apply for the Stage 1 Global Talent Visa endorsement in Digital and Tech. These FAQs are about my experience and my experience in helping others.
1. What is the UK Global Talent Visa in digital technologies?
The UK Global Talent Visa in digital technologies is a special visa introduced to allow highly skilled entrepreneurs and talent in digital technologies the ability to apply for the right to live and work in the UK for up to five years. It is a two stage process where the applicant must be endorsed by Tech Nation, a Government organisation initiated in 2011 to help the UK tech sector to grow through a range of programmes and support entrepreneurs in digital technology BEFORE they can apply for the Global Talent Visa. An applicant must be endorsed with exceptional talent or exceptional promise by meeting the strict criteria set by Tech Nation before they can apply for their visa. The real benefit of the Global Talent Visa is that it is attached to you so it gives you the freedom and flexibility to live and work in the UK.
2. Do I apply under an exceptional talent or exceptional promise category?
This is a very common question. The guidelines are clearer now since I applied.
It states that:
Applicants who choose to apply under the Exceptional Promise criteria are likely to be earlier in their career, typically with 5 years or less commercial experience and therefore have yet to establish a track record in innovation. This means that they might not have had the same levels of experience or commercial impact as those expected to apply via the Exceptional Talent criteria, however they will need to be able to demonstrate the potential to be a leader in digital technology through their skills and achievements thus far. If you have 5 years or more commercial experience you should apply for the Exceptional Talent route rather than Exceptional Promise (unless there has been a recent career change into the digital technology sector or other differentiating factor). Tech Nation experts will establish whether your skills and achievements meet the necessary criteria and whether you should be endorsed for Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise.
If you are a graduate with less than 5 years experience, you would apply under the exceptional promise category.
3. How do I know what pieces of evidence I should submit?
Look at the application in its entirety and work your way through all the Mandatory and Qualifying criteria. Look at all your evidence for all the criteria and decide which criteria puts you in the strongest light. In addition to the 10 documents you have to submit, you also need to submit 3 x letters of recommendation, your CV, and your personal statement. In total, there are 15 documents.
As part of your 10 documents, you may wish to include letters of support. These are different to letters of recommendation by experts in that the people you choose to write letters of support don’t have to be C suite executives or be experts. Their letters would need to help you satisfy the Qualifying or Mandatory criteria that you select. Try to keep your application balanced with letters of support and other evidence. In other words, don’t overload your application with too many letters of support and ensure they are all from different organisations.
4. I have more than 2 pages as part of my evidence that I want to submit. Shall I submit it anyway?
There is a strict 2 page limit per document. I went over the 2 page limit and the Home Office emailed me to give me an opportunity to re-submit my documents. Note that emails from the Home Office may go into your junk/spam inbox so check all inboxes regularly.
5. Which is harder, the application for endorsement or the visa application?
In my experience, the application for the endorsement was more challenging because of the amount of evidence and documents I needed to gather, sift through and decide which ones to use and which ones to leave out. Recommendation letters of support also took time because my experts were busy so for me, it took me about 2.5 months to gather all my documents, submit it to the Home Office and receive the endorsement.
The application for the Global Talent Visa was a formality for me and after passing the criminal record check, submitting my passport and biometrics at the post office, my visa process was very quick i.e. about 2 weeks.
6. I already have a current visa but I want to switch to the Global Talent visa. When should I apply?
Seek legal advice to discuss your options and start the application process as soon as possible. This is because gathering documents, evidence and requesting letters of recommendations takes time.
7. I am afraid of the words “leading talent”. I don’t see myself as a leading talent. Should I still apply?
No one ever believes that they are a leading talent. Focus on your specific achievements which has led you to where your career in digital tech is now and how you and your specific skills will add value to the UK digital and tech sector.
8. What is the benefit of applying for the Global Talent Visa?
In my experience, I had the option of applying via a spousal visa route, renewing my Entrepreneur’s visa (this is now no longer available) or applying under the exceptional talent visa. The Global Talent Visa route was the best option for me because it gave me a potential 5 years to remain in the UK to continue to work on my business. It also helped with any contracts I would negotiate for my business because it gave me a certainty of term i.e. 5 years.
The Global Talent visa route also gave me the flexibility to work in other organisations alongside my start up so when I was offered to work as a Community Manager for an IoT accelerator in Newcastle for 2 months, I was able to accept the position without any approvals from the Home Office. I also worked as a Client Relationship Manager in Digital Technologies at Northumbria University for a short term project. When it came time to apply for my Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa, I submitted documents to evidence that I had earnt income in the field of digital technologies.
The Global Talent visa also provided me with the confidence to continue to work on my business, to continue to add value to the UK digital and tech community and be part of an emerging industry that will help push the UK to compete globally.
Since receiving my Global Talent Visa, in 2019, I successfully applied for an Indefinite Leave to Remain and then British Citizenship! I was able to use some of my time from my Entrepreneur’s visa and the Exceptional Talent Visa to make up the 3 years. Read my story on how I achieved my British Citizenship here.
There are now 2 new visa routes, the Start up Visa and the Innovator’s Visa which does not provide as much flexibility as the Global Talent Visa. I wrote a blog which compares all 3 types of visa to help you understand and help in your decision making process.
9. What kind of experts are they looking for? Are my experts good enough?
Your experts should be senior leaders in your field who can vouch for your skills, convince and explain why they think you are exceptionally talented and why you should be endorsed by Tech Nation.
They also should have a public facing profile and are experts in your field. Keep in mind that the experts you choose must provide all contact details in case Tech Nation wish to contact them. They are also usually very busy so the earlier you contact them and ask them for support, the better.
10. When should I write my personal statement?
In my experience, I found it easier to write my personal statement after I gathered all my documents and decided which Mandatory and which Qualifying criteria I would submit my application under.
After collating all the documents, I was able to write my personal statement in a logical, consistent and structured manner because I was clear in the direction of my application for endorsement.
I understand it is overwhelming. When I started my application for the endorsement, my biggest problem was starting the personal statement and asking my experts to write a recommendation for me.
For more Top 10 FAQs, read my blog here.
