How to get the UK Global Talent Visa in 2023?
Tags: career, relocation, uk, talent
Published: 2023-03-03 13:55:18

_Top 5 reasons for the failure of meeting the Mandatory Criterion. Mistakes and recommendations. A [quiz](https://techtalentsupport.com/elegibilitycheckdevs) to get an estimate of your chances of getting a UK Global Talent Visa._


**Preamble**

Rejection of a GTV application may have three scenarios:

• your achievements are insufficient to meet the visa criteria;

• the Tech Nation auditor who reviewed your case ignored some parts of the evidence submitted as it was presented in such a way that made it impossible to assess its value (such evidence can be clarified during the appeal);

• you meet the criteria but have been unable to correctly reflect this in your case, as the package of documents you submitted was compiled without understanding the essence of the criteria — the selected pieces of evidence do not highlight the candidate’s outstanding achievements in the best possible way, and vice versa, do not present the achievements that the candidate had mistakenly considered unworthy of mentioning.

The above implies that, even if the applicant is a suitable candidate for the Visa, obtaining endorsement critically depends on how the evidence is presented. This is not easy because even after studying the Tech Nation Visa Guide multiple times, it is hard to keep up with the sheer volume of information. The instructions in the guide are detailed but provide room for ambiguity.

**While preparing the documents, applicants face the following challenges:**

• they do not understand what types of evidence are appropriate for their case;

• they cannot determine what is essential for the case and what is not;

• they cannot systematize the available evidence;

• they do not understand that many specific topics need to be explained to a Tech Nation auditor like to a five-year-old child: what goes without saying for a candidate is not apparent to a Tech Nation auditor.

After analyzing more than 30 rejections based on the candidates’ failure to meet the Mandatory Criterion requirements, we identified the Top 5 reasons. Failure under this criterion means that the candidate has not been able to prove that they are a top nationally or internationally recognized tech talent.

<u>**Reason 1: The candidate has no public profile.**</u>

**Common mistakes:**

• Candidates submit evidence of an award received by the employer with no proof linking the candidate to this award;

• Candidates submit articles highlighting the profile of the employing company, but this is only suitable for founders and co-founders.

**What is required:**

The candidate must be a recognized expert in the field of tech independently from the employer. This can be confirmed by participation as a key speaker at conferences recognized at least at the country level; publications in renowned journals; awards for victories in competitions at the national level or higher; mentions of you as an expert in articles of high-profile publications.

<u>**Reason 2: Candidate’s work experience at company X cannot be submitted as evidence because the candidate was not a full-time employee.**</u>

**Common mistakes:**

Candidates, working as freelancers or under a service contract, do not qualify for the Visa.

**What is required:**

The candidate, in most cases, must be a staff member and must be able to submit proof of full-time employment.

<u>**Reason 3: The Letters of Endorsement merely describe the candidate’s work experience at a company without demonstrating why the candidate is a leading talent at the forefront of digital technology.**</u>

**Common mistakes:**

Letters of Recommendation only elaborate on the job responsibilities of the candidate.

**What is required:**

The letters must highlight the candidate’s most significant achievements and also demonstrate that the candidate went beyond their job responsibilities, exceeded management expectations, and applied their unique expertise to solve problems.

<u>**Reason 4: Letter Endorsers are not leading tech talents.**</u>

**Common mistakes:**

• the letter signer does not have a public profile;

• the letter signer does not hold/has never held a high position at tech companies;

• the letter signer meets all the requirements, but the signer’s credentials submitted are incomplete or misleading;

**What is required:**

The candidate must go for endorsers who have earned a name for themselves in the digital field. It also must be ensured that “the formidability” of the endorser is highlighted in the letter or additional document with credentials.

<u>**Reason 5: The candidate’s salary level is insufficient to confirm the status of leading talent.**</u>

**Common mistakes:**

The remuneration presented in your case is not significantly above average in the country of residence.

**What is required:**

The salary level must be at least 2–3 times higher than the average remuneration for the candidate’s profession in their home country. If your remuneration is not exceptional it makes sense to avoid showing it in your case and think about other pieces of evidence that could portray you as a talent.

**Conclusion**

Having overcome the impostor syndrome, a candidate can apply for a Visa, get endorsed, and move to the UK to live there and be free to choose any company to work for. If you make up your mind to apply for the Visa — you must not waste your time and begin preparing for the application submission long beforehand: establish connections with reputable endorsers, launch an open source project on GitHub, strengthen your Stackoverflow profile, etc. Even if you do not meet all the criteria at the moment, you can develop a strategic plan to obtain a strong profile in six months or a year.

[Take the quiz](https://techtalentsupport.com/elegibilitycheckdevs) we have designed specifically for professionals with technical background and get an estimate of your chances of getting a UK Global Talent Visa.