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Welcome, EU applicants
A Guide to the Tech Nation Visa
What is the Tech Nation Visa?
The Tech Nation Global Talent Visa is a highly-flexible route for talented individuals working in tech. From January 2021, EU nationals wanting to work in the UK will require a visa. If you work in digital technology and have achievements which demonstrate your leadership or potential in the sector, the Tech Nation Visa may be for you! Tech Nation is the official organisation as recognised by the UK government for the endorsement of digital technology applications for the Global Talent Visa.
Some unique features the Tech Nation Visa offers
The Tech Nation Visa is granted for up to 5 years.
It’s not tied to a specific job, company or location.
The Tech Nation Visa can lead to permanent residence in UK.
Your family may join you, subject to requirements.
Who is the Tech Nation Visa for?
People of any nationality can apply for the Tech Nation Visa. Applicants’ eligibility is individually assessed by an independent board of experts and based on their unique background, skills and achievements. Shortly summarised, the Tech Nation Visa is suitable for…
Individuals who can demonstrate exceptional talent in their area of expertise within the tech sector.
People who are employees, employers and for founders wanting to come to the UK.
For experts with business backgrounds, as well as technical backgrounds.
It covers all sub-sectors of tech (i.e. fintech, AI, cyber, gaming etc.)
What is classed as Exceptional Talent?
This phrase can be quite daunting, and sometimes the most amazing people do not identify as “exceptionally talented”. To assess if your skills and experience would make you eligible for the Tech Nation Visa, look no further than our Visa Alumni.
These are people who have been endorsed and moved to the UK to build their careers. This group of people come from a variety of different backgrounds, and you can read some of their stories here.
They have also created a Visa Alumni Forum, where applicants can ask questions and get guidance.
Other tools for determining your eligibility
* Please note: Tech Nation cannot advise on eligibility or likelihood of endorsement. Please refer to the guidance.
Our Eligibility Quiz
Our Eligibility Quiz only takes a couple of minutes and is a great place to start! Start the Quiz >
Applicant Suitability
We recommend you read our entire Visa Guide before starting an application, but this chapter contains more information on typical applicants and definitions of what is classed as “digital technology”. Read more here >
Eligibility Criteria
Our Guide also features the full list of eligibility criteria. Carefully studying these is often the first step to determining your eligibility. Start reading >
Legal Help
Our Legal Partners, Kingsley Napley, can give you more information and application guidance, and we can refer you. Start a referral >
Choosing the right route
The Tech Nation Global Talent Visa has two different routes:
What does this mean?
The main difference between the Talent and Promise route is the candidate’s experience or time in their field. Both routes require that you’ve had an outstanding career, but people applying for the ‘Exceptional promise’ route are likely to be earlier in their career, usually with less than 5 years of experience.
However, whether applying under the Talent or Promise category, you must be able to prove this through your skills and achievements.
** For more information around Costs and Processing Times see our Main Visa Page or Global Talent site.
Why choose the UK?
We could talk forever about how the UK is a great place to work in tech or grow a tech business, how we have a mix of vibrant cities and nostalgic countryside and how we’re expecting our tech sector really boom in the next 5 years, but we will let the numbers and pictures do the talking instead…
The UK offers a competitive salary for tech workers
The annual median salary for tech workers is around 9k higher than for other sectors.
*Source: Tech Nation Jobs and Skills Report
The UK needs more talented Software Developers
In 2019 “software developer” was one of the top 5 sought after roles across UK cities
*Source: Tech Nation Jobs and Skills Report
… but also talented people with non-technical skills!
Product managers, Business developers and Senior execs – we’re looking at you!
*Source: Tech Nation Jobs and Skills Report
Tech exports are projected to grow by 35% (by 2025)
This means an additional £8.15bn worth of tech exports for the UK by the year 2025
What else can we offer?
Based on answers from our Visa Alumni, we’ve collected what they like the most about the UK – and added a few bonus pictures to show you this breezy island on it’s best behaviour!
*Terms and Conditions apply in regards to the weather…
Durdle Door, one of the many areas of outstanding beauty in the UK
Our Alumni Love: History. Historic cities and villages are plentiful in the UK and perfect for a day trip. This photo is of The Shambles in York.
Then there’s Manchester, Europe’s fastest growing city.
Our Alumni Love: London. This diverse city offers plenty of things to do and see.
Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland.
Our Alumni Love: Networking. The UK has plenty of meetups and groups to join and a vibrant social scene.
Our Alumni Love: Pubs… but then, who doesn’t?
Our Alumni Love: The ease of travel. You can easily get around the UK by train.
Our Alumni Love: The NHS (National Health Service)
Snowdonia in Wales
How do I apply?
Before starting your application we recommend you read our entire Visa Guide, paying special attention to the Eligibility Criteria and the Documentation & Evidence chapters. We also recommend you study the official guidance from the Home Office closely. When you feel ready to start your application, here are the steps:
Step 1: Apply for Endorsement
First, you need to ‘Apply for Endorsement’ on the Gov.uk site for Global Talent. You will need to pay an application fee for this part of the application.
Step 2: Tech Nation Application
After this, you need to complete the Tech Nation form as part of your Application for Endorsement. This is where you will submit your evidence so Tech Nation can determine whether you qualify for the Eligibility Criteria.
Step 3: Endorsement Result
You will hear directly from the Home Office whether you have been successfully ‘endorsed’ by Tech Nation, this can take up to 8 weeks. If you have been endorsed, proceed to Step 4. If not, you can apply again for endorsement at any time and as many times as you like.
Step 4: Apply for Global Talent Visa
If you were successfully endorsed, you can now apply for your Global Talent Visa! This usually takes about 3 weeks.
Where to next?
This is a quick summary of the Tech Nation Visa, but there’s so much more for you to discover! Check out these useful resources with more information, more guidance and more help to determine if the Tech Nation Visa is right for you.
