UK Global Talent Visa – Digital Technology

What can be considered the ‘Talent Hunt’ by the UK, the country has introduced several pathways as UK visa to attract individuals across the globe to migrate to the UK based on their exceptional skills. There has been a new addition for the leaders or potential leaders in digital technology to promote the UK Global Talent Visa Program. Individuals with extraordinary talent in Financial Technology, Gaming, Cyber Security, and Artificial Intelligence can easily approach this program to make the UK their future home.

Benefits –

This is the first thing that pops into the mind while applying for an immigration pathway. The benefits you get under UK exceptional talent visa are –
 

• Up to 5 years of stay in the UK, which can be converted into UK settlement
• Freedom to be an employee, self-employed, or director of a company
• Freedom to switch the job or leave it altogether without informing the authorities
• You can move to the UK with your family, which means your partner and children as dependents
• Freedom to cross UK borders as and when you please to do so
• There is no language requirement or minimum salary criteria to apply for this visa
• You can apply for UK residency after three years if you are applying as a leader and after five years if you have applied as a potential leader

 
One must note that the applicant cannot subscribe to state funds or pension and also cannot work as a sportsperson on this visa.

Eligibility –

The Global Talent Visa UK Eligibility under the digital technology category is mainly dependent upon your skills. These skills are broadly classified as technical or business skills, which are mentioned as follows –

Technical:
 

• Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Machine Learning (ML) experts.
• CTO or VP engineering experience where you are responsible for managing teams (in-house employees) within a growing digital business.
• Cybersecurity experts; DevOps/SysOps Engineers.
• Leader in developing major new technologies (Blockchain, Scala, Golang, Elasticsearch, etc.).
• Experienced Data Scientists/Data Engineers, Front-end Developers, Mobile App Developers, UX/UI designers, Video Game Developers.
• Hardware/Operating System Engineers.
• Principal Software Engineer/Developer; Virtual and augmented reality developers.

 
Business:

• Business Lead in a digital business or head of operations for a digital business (CEO, CMO, or CIO).
• Senior VP or PE Analysts who have to lead the investments in digital businesses.
• Experience in expansion and growth or marketing of a product-driven digital technology business.
• Experienced Product Manager or leading substantial VC Investment over GBP 25M
• Sales Leadership; Sector-Specific Experiences like payment infrastructure in Fintech or global expansion in educational technology etc
• Solution sales expertise resulting in growing B2B digital business

 
One condition of winning an ‘eligible award’ under this category is to bypass the process and apply for a visa directly.

Process –

The Global Talent pathway has a specified process which is entirely different from the UK points based immigration system. It can be broadly understood as – –

• The applicant has to get an endorsement to be able to apply for this visa. First, you have to demonstrate yourself as a leader or potential leader in digital technology to the UK immigration authorities. Then, they will send over your application to the Tech Nation, a body that will decide if you are eligible or not. Upon finding your eligibility, you will receive the endorsement.
• The visa can be applied for when you have applied for the endorsement or after receiving the confirmation.
• You can apply for the online visa mode. Ensure that you are at least 18 years of age and have the relevant documents like a valid passport, clean criminal background, and good health certificates.

 
Processing Time and Fees –
 

• You will receive a decision on your endorsement within 5 to 8 weeks. Applications that are considered ‘fast-track’ will receive the decision within three weeks.
• You will get a decision within a month if you are applying outside the UK, and it will take a maximum of 2 months if within the UK.
• The total fee is £608 (INR 61,753) to be paid in two parts (£456 for endorsement and £152 for visa).
• Applicants applying with an ‘eligible award’ are required to pay £608 in total at the time of visa application.
• For partners and children, the fee to be paid is £608 each.

 
Why Abhinav?

When the UK is at the forefront of taping global talent through its Global Talent Visa program, leading Indian professionals in the digital world have an excellent opportunity to settle in the UK. For the most trustworthy Global Talent Visa UK guidance, Abhinav emerges as the best choice. The reason being we possess unbeatable experience in the immigration industry with a dynamic and efficient team that has superior knowledge about the ever-changing range of visas for your success.

We can guide you through multiple visa opportunities that help you migrate to your dream destination. Call us on (+91) 8595338595 or send us your query, for a free-of-charge assessment, to [email protected].