Want to work in tech in the UK as an immigrant? Here is how.

I love talking about immigration because I hate how opaque it is.

Considering I am merely an informed immigrant and not a professional adviser, I amassed a frankly ridiculous amount of information on the UK immigration routes over the years. As a non-EEA citizen I held 4 different types of UK visas in the last decade - with their names at the time; Tier 5 General, Tier 4 Student, Tier 2 Skilled Worker, and Tier 1 Exceptional Talent. I received my Indefinite Leave to Remain last year and applied for my double-citizenship last week, fingers crossed.

I would like to think I contributed to making the UK visa routes a little bit better, thanks to the co-design and lobbying work of Gerard Grech and co at Tech Nation in which I am involved. The UK government is slowly but surely waking up to the fact that attracting and retaining talent is a competitive process, particularly after Brexit (sigh).

I speak to a lot of immigrants/-to-be so I know the value of sharing what we know on these life-altering decisions and costly processes. So, to have it all in one place, I wrote this shortish guide on the UK immigration routes, particularly for people looking to work in tech - although some of those routes apply to other industries as well. I had pulled together the information below as part of a small initiative to help Ukranian nationals make an informed decision on whether the UK offers them what they need, and at what cost -both in pounds, but also in years- at the start of the war. There are specific UK routes for them now.?

This is a signposting exercise. I tried to make the explanations as simple and jargon-free as possible, they are designed to be self-containing. Obviously your mileage may vary, this would not substitute legal advice, do your own research, I cannot and will not answer your questions re your specific circumstances but do check out Immigration Boards forums, etc etc.

Also, to be fair to the impressive work of the GOV.UK Team, the UK does a good job of being clear and detailed on what they expect so please take the time to read the official guidance if you are interested in a particular route. Most of the answers will be there.

So, you want to come to the UK and work in tech

Global Talent visa - This is a visa for any individual who would benefit (from) the UK in any of the three following categories: academia or research, arts and culture, and digital technology. For all categories you can find the information here . The way it works is that there are different endorsing bodies for each category, the individual first puts in an application for an endorsement from them, where they look at their suitability, background, work, or future potential to help the UK become better in their category. If that endorsement is granted, the individual then applies to the Home Office (UK’s internal affairs ministry that grants visas). The endorsement is more crucial, Home Office application is highly likely to succeed as long as all documents are there.

Tech Nation Global Talent visa is the one that is aimed at the digital technology category (disclaimer: I am an alumna and ambassador for this one). Tech Nation is a semi-government backed technology support agency in the UK and they are the endorsing body, they have a detailed guide on what they look for when people apply for endorsement ie the key document with which to familiarise yourself.

Tech Nation gives endorsements to either promising applicants who are earlier in their career but because of their education or skill set or background could contribute significantly to the UK tech ecosystem, or the applicants who have an established career and track record. The only practical difference this makes is if you are endorsed under the promising route, you need to wait 5 years before you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement). Otherwise it is 3. Tech Nation decides which category is appropriate for the applicant, so even if you apply under Exceptional Talent but Tech Nation thinks you actually qualify for Exceptional Promise, they would grant you the Exceptional Promise endorsement instead of rejecting the application.

The visa is aimed at people who (will) work in tech - this could be in the business side (for example, you can be a marketing professional that works in tech) or technical side (for example, a software engineer). While putting together an application, it is important to show how your talents would contribute to the UK ecosystem - this can be by building a tech company or working for tech companies and/or mentoring startups or even looking to invest in startups. There is no one formula that works for everyone and Tech Nation keeps an open mind so do not be shy to put forward your case, as long as you can afford the ￡456 endorsement application fee. We have a forum where the alumni try to answer applicant questions here .?

Example document list from when I applied within the UK in 2018 when it was called Exceptional Talent visa, the guidance has changed, though, so this list is only for illustrative purposes.

- Recommendation letter from my CEO at the time (I was the COO)

- Recommendation letter from a well known UK tech organisation

- My UK employment contract at the time

- Examples around my profile and contribution to the UK tech scene (talks, panels, etc)

- Letter from an international partner company

- Letter from a similar/competing company

- Letter from a well known UK university where I guest lecture

- Letter from a consultant for my company

- Letter from a client of my company

- A soft job offer from a potential future employer, based in the UK

Or you want to start an innovative business in the UK

Startup visa - This visa is for entrepreneurs looking to start an innovative business in the UK. The way it works is that there is a list of endorsing bodies for each category, experts in their respective fields (like venture capital, startup incubation or acceleration, consultancy, or universities). The individual first puts an application for an endorsement from them, where they evaluate the business idea. If that endorsement is granted, the individual then applies to the Home Office (UK’s internal affairs ministry that grants visas). The endorsement is more crucial, Home Office application is highly likely to succeed as long as all documents are there. This endorsement application is usually free, although each endorsing body will only look at specific types of applicants (disclaimer: my old fund Bethnal Green Ventures is an endorsing body for this visa).

There is a limit of 2 years of leave to remain (ie permission to stay and work in the UK) for this visa. If you would like to stay longer and/or settle, you will need to switch to the Innovator visa, which you can do if you raise at least ￡50K of investment. All details here .?

Innovator visa - This visa is for entrepreneurs looking to start an innovative business in the UK that already have at least ￡50K in investment funds. The way it works is that there is a list of endorsing bodies for each category, experts in their respective fields (like venture capital, startup incubation or acceleration, consultancy, or universities). The individual first puts an application for an endorsement from them, where they evaluate the business idea. If that endorsement is granted, the individual then applies to the Home Office (UK’s internal affairs ministry that grants visas). The endorsement is more crucial, Home Office application is highly likely to succeed as long as all documents are there. This endorsement application is usually free, although each endorsing body will only look at specific types of applicants (disclaimer: my old fund Bethnal Green Ventures is an endorsing body for this visa).

You can apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement) after 3 years on this visa. All details here .

Or you got a job offer from a UK employer (UK employers - pay attention to these two)

Skilled Worker visa - This visa is for any worker that will be employed by a UK company. It requires the potential employer to have a sponsorship license. Individuals are unable to apply for this visa unless they have a sponsoring employer and a job offer from them. The annual salary needs to be minimum ￡25,600 or more than a determined “going rate” for that position. You need to have at least ￡1270 in your personal account for a month before the application or your sponsor (ie prospective employer) needs to guarantee they will cover your expenses for your first month in the UK. Leave to remain (ie your permission to stay and work in the UK) is tied to your employment, so if you wanted to change jobs you would have to find a new sponsoring employer before doing so. If you lose your job, you might need to leave the country.

On this visa route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement) after 5 years of being a UK employee. All details here . I recommend taking a look at Nation Better , an immigration services provider, founded by the brilliant Larisa Budaeva (disclaimer: my old fund Bethnal Green Ventures is an investor in Nation Better).

Scale-up Worker visa - This is a visa for any worker that will be employed by a UK company that qualifies as a scale-up (in the eyes of the Home Office) for at least 6 months. It requires the potential employer to have a sponsorship license. Individuals are unable to apply for this visa unless they have a sponsoring employer and a job offer from them. The annual salary needs to be minimum ￡33,000 or more than a determined “going rate” for that position. You need to have at least ￡1270 in your personal account for a month before the application unless exempt or your sponsor (ie prospective employer) needs to guarantee they will cover your expenses for your first month in the UK. Leave to remain (ie your permission to stay and work in the UK) is not tied to your employment, and you can change jobs after having stayed in the position for 6 months. You get this visa for two years initially but are able to extend by paying the associated fees.

On this visa route, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement) after 5 years of being a UK employee. All details here .?

tldr; or all on one page

Here is the pdf version of the comparison table above.

I am less familiar with the four routes below and they do not let you apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain - they are worth mentioning, though.

You want to expand your existing business to the UK

UK Expansion Worker visa (Global Business Mobility) - This visa is for establishing the UK branch of an existing business, I am sure Department for Business and Trade loves it. All details here . Your company needs to sponsor you and you can only stay on this visa for one plus one years, though, and would not be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to remain (ie permanent residency/settlement). It costs ￡259 plus ￡624 for each year you will be staying and you need to have at least ￡1270 in your personal account for a month before the application unless you are exempt. It takes 3 to 8 weeks to get a decision if the company already has sponsorship license, if not that process takes up to 11 weeks in addition.

Or you got a certain type of contract from a certain type of UK employer

Service Supplier visa (Global Business Mobility) - You can apply for this visa if you will be providing services to a UK business as an employee for an overseas company or a self-employed professional based overseas. There are some strings, all details here . You need to be sponsored by the UK business. You can bring dependants (ie spouse and children) by paying the associated fees. This route does not allow you to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement). It costs ￡259 plus ￡624 for each year you will be staying. You need to have at least ￡1270 in your personal account for a month before the application or your sponsor (ie the UK employer contracting you or your company) needs to guarantee they will cover your expenses for your first month in the UK. It takes 3 to 8 weeks to get a decision if the company already has sponsorship license, if not that process takes up to 11 weeks in addition.

Or you went to a fancy school (in the eyes of the Home Office)

High Potential Individual visa - This is for the alumni of certain universities that have graduated in the last 5 years, the list of universities changes according to your graduation year and received criticism for how narrow it is. All details here . You can get it for two years then extend it for another year, unless you change to another visa you cannot apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ie permanent residency/settlement). It costs ￡210-252 plus ￡715 plus ￡624 for each year you will be staying and you need to have at least ￡1270 in your personal account for a month before the application unless you are exempt. It takes 3 to 8 weeks to get a decision.

Or you are an EU citizen that has worked in the UK but was/is a resident elsewhere

Frontier Worker permit - This one is a permit, not a visa, and free. As ever with strings, all details here . Personally, I would just live in Italy if I were you.

Some final things to note

You can check if you need a UK visa here .

The fees are correct at the time of publication but could well change without notice, I do not plan to update the article so please check. The “plus ￡624 per year per person” is the healthcare surcharge ie the money any immigrant needs to pay since healthcare is free for UK residents.

There is usually a knowledge of English requirement, I assume applicants have working level English.

To apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR, ie permanent residency/settlement) you might need to reach certain earning requirements, alongside passing the Life in the UK test, and (re)proving your level of English.

You are able to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen a year after obtaining your Indefinite Leave to Remain provided you reach the requirements.

And that is it. Hope it will be useful in deciding whether the UK is the right choice for you, I like it here. Best of luck.