update: Watch the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/xXEP3zmFmP8?si=KsFZUqbWsqCZwH2o
If you want to relocate to the UK, this blog is for you. In this blog, I will share information about the Global Talent Visa (GTV).
I am a GTV holder and did this without the help of any lawyers or agencies. In this blog, I will share my experience with you.
In this blog, we will go through:
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- Different visa types for job
- GTV vs skilled worker visa
- Who is eligible for GTV
- Process of GTV
- Resources
Different visa types for job
There are 2 types of visa when you want to relocate to the UK for job:
- Skilled worker visa
- Global Talent visa
What is GTV?
Global talent visa, is a visa anyone who is a potential leader in the below domains can apply:
- arts, and culture
- Research, and academic
- Digital technology
In GTV, you have promises, and exceptions. We will talk about the difference in the next section.
GTV vs Skilled worker visa
| Skilled worker Visa | GTV (talent) | Global Talent Visa (Promise) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) | 5 years | 3 years (including the time you have spent on skilled worker) | 5 years (including the time you have spent on skilled worker) |
| How long can you stay in the UK without a job? | 60 days | No need to have a job | No need to have a job |
| Changing employers | Employer needs to support Skilled worker visa | You have the right to work for anyone | You have the right to work for anyone |
| Self-employment | No | Yes | yes |
| Restrictions on Job type | You can only work for one employer and with some caveats do 20 hours of something else | Do whatever you want, no sports | Do whatever you want, no sports |
More details here: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent
Who is eligible for GTV
Anyone can apply within the UK, outside UK, or even if you are on any existing UK visa. I was on a skilled worker visa when I applied for the GTV. Important: Product-based experience is preferred over service-based companies.
Process of GTV
At a high level, it is 2 step process. At step 1, you will spend most of your time collecting, preparing, and waiting.
You need to prepare your proofs to show the tech nation that you are worthy or leader in your field. For that you need:
- Mandatory skills
- Optional skills
- Statement of purpose
In total you have to submit 10 documents. You don’t need to add all 10 but 3 in mandatory, and 3-4 in optional are a good count.
Also, I would advise reading the tech nation website in detail, and this forum to know about the guidelines. You should follow the guidelines otherwise your application will get rejected. Example:
The Letter of recommendations, or proofs should not exceed more than 6 pages. No external links should be in the document. Eg: if you have YT video, or conference pictures then take the screenshot and add in the document itself.
Difference between Talent vs Promise?
If you have more than five years of experience in the digital technology field, you can apply for the talent category. The perception is that the bar for talent may be higher but it is hard to prove. The endorsement committee (Tech Nation) routinely hands out visas in the promise category when someone applies for talent and vice versa. No reason to sweat this.
Endorsements
You need to show proof of your work contribution of the last 5 years. These contributions should focus on the inside and outside your company. Eg: Best employee award might not be a right proof as you need to add details – why you got it, what impact you created for the company’s business. You need to show the numbers, add impact etc.
So, more the global and larger impact is better.
Think of it as using your past five years of experience at work and outside of it and extracting 10 documents out of it.
- I used my meetup and conference activities for 6+ pieces of evidence.
- I used a salary comparison for another piece of evidence (glassdoor to compare the salary)
- I used the impact of my work as written about on the internet as other pieces of evidence. For Tesco, and Oracle. Most of my work was covered in the news, and YT channel of Oracle.
- I used community organizing as another piece of evidence.
- I used references from people who I have worked with talking about my work and its impact as other pieces of evidence.
- Opensource work also get consider.
Format could be on letterhead or just a word doc. I used docsign to
send the letters to my seniors. I downloaded these docs and then uploaded themunited kin on the portal. Please do not send docsign link to tech nation.
I had no doc on letterhead but it is important to have the following details: Full name, email, mobile number, designation, company, LinkedIn profile.
Resources, and cost
Check about the fees here: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent
Spend some time here: https://discourse.tnvisaforum.org/
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