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One of the greatest challenges UK tech start-ups face when looking to scale-up is getting the right talent to help them achieve their commercial ambitions.
According to research published by the Silicon Valley Bank, 57&#x o;f tech start-ups cite access to talent as their most important public policy issue. A 2015 report by PwC stated that a whopping 78&#x o;f UK tech companies see a skills shortage in digital expertise as one of their main barriers to progress.
Theresa May's announcement last week that the UK is pulling out of the single market and clamping down hard on immigration from the EU, is going to make the situation even more difficult, if not impossible. Further impediments to being able to recruit top talent may see start-ups choosing to set up in Paris, Berlin, or even Eastern Europe, which has a rapidly growing tech sector.
The truth is Britain cannot supply enough of the skills needed by the burgeoning tech sector itself. Even if we focused all education efforts on developing great STEM and tech graduates, results would not be seen for years down the line, and businesses need people today. In fact, for many, yesterday.
According to EU Start-ups, the UK currently employs over a third of tech talent and London, where 40&#x o;f start-ups have at least one overseas founder, is the most common destination for EU tech jobseekers.
No entrepreneur ever achieved success without a positive attitude and fortunately there remains a great deal of government support for tech start-ups, not only in London but throughout the whole of the UK. After Brexit, regardless of its current stance on immigration, Theresa May and her Cabinet will have to offer some delectable benefits to employers to ensure they continue to grow, and more importantly, continue to stay in the UK.
Tech start-ups can recruit employees from outside the UK by taking advantage of the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa. One thousand of these visas are issued every year with 200 reserved for the tech industry. The visas are endorsed by Tech City UK, which was launched by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010.
One advantage of hiring someone who possesses a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa is that as an employer, you do not have to obtain a UK Sponsor Licence or complete a Resident Labour Market Test to recruit the visa holder. The visa lasts for five years, at the end of which, the holder can apply for Indefinite Leave to remain.
To successfully apply for one of the 200 visas available under the Tech Nation Visa Scheme, the applicant must be from outside the EEA.
The process is two-fold; the applicant must be endorsed by Tech City as an exceptional tech talent. Secondly, they must obtain entry clearance into the UK.
To be endorsed for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa in the tech sector, applicants must meet at least one of the following two mandatory criteria:
They must also meet two out of four of the following qualifying criteria
The applicant can apply under the exceptional promise category if they can prove they are on-track to achieve the required mandatory and qualifying criteria in the near future.
In 2015, the government recognised the importance recruiting top talent is to the tech industry. After obtaining direct feedback from the digital business community, it created the following fast-track criteria for applications under the Tech Nation Visa Scheme.
Under the fast-track route, Tech City UK can provide a decision on endorsement within 18 days.
If the applicant successfully achieves endorsement, the Home Office must consider whether there is any reason for the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa to be refused. There is no English language requirement or financial maintenance criteria relevant to the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa.
If the applicant is successful, they are free to accept a position in the UK or be self-employed.
The number of applications under the Tech Nation Visa Scheme has dramatically increased over the past 12 months. The top countries for tech visa applicants were the USA, India and Nigeria.
This route offers a genuine opportunity for tech start-ups to recruit talent from abroad, without the need to invest in a Sponsor Licence and its ever increasing compliance obligations.
The team at Reiss Edwards consists of some of London's leading immigration lawyers. If you require expert legal advice on obtaining a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa under the Tech Nation Visa Scheme, or recruiting someone who plans to apply for endorsement under the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa route, please call us on 020 3744 2797.
It's a shame that you dont have an 'Excellent' star rating on here, as my experience with Reiss Edwards is nothing short of an excellent rating. They handled my application for an Indefinite Leave to remain in April 2014 and did my husband's one very recently including my daughter. Every time i have approached them, they have continued to treat me with courtesy, respect and patience. Amar was indeed a very thorough and professional gentleman. He is very knowledgeable, corporative and engaging. He responded to my emails, calls and enquiries promptly. He was always reassuring. I could not have asked for a better Immigration service. I would recommend them over and over again for anyone looking for an immigration advice. They gave me a free immigration advice when i called them, and the quality of the advice was something other charge thousands for. If you need a particular, name, Amar would be it. He exemplifies, for me, the true, professional gentleman. He is a valuable asset to Reiss Edwards.
I am glad that i instructed Reiss Edwards on my visa matter. It started with a 20 minutes free immigration advice. I met with Amar to discuss my ILR refusal. He gave me a great deal of quality advice and decided to take on my messy case. I had doubts on the merits of my case by he was relatively convinced he could win it. That made me quite secure. To be honest, things did not start as quick as I would have wanted, but they kept on communicating the process and state of things to me.A big thank you to Verusha and Foram. They were also very helpful. Brilliant and informative. Their fee was fair and reasonable, especially if you compare them to other law firms and immigration law firms in London; some of whom even told me that i would not be able to get an indefinte leave to remain in this country. The process was long but was worth it. In the end, a big thank you to Reiss Edwards.
Investing over 2 million pounds is defintely not a routine decision. We had to make sure that the Tier 1 investor immigration lawyers that we'd be picking has to be one of the best within the Tier 1 investor category. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they were able to get us not only the Tier 1 investor visa but also suggested profitable investment portfolios in addition to what we already had in mind.
TI have just had British Citizenship application approved. Prior to making the application, i was not sure which law firm i should hire to facilitate the paperwork. After a few hours of research, i decided to go with Reiss Edwards and i must confess that i wasnt disappointed. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards handled my case well and they really knew what they were doing. They were fully aware of what documents I needed and it was easy for them to tell if my case was going to be easy or not. At the end of the day, I have not received my British citizenship within 3 months. If anyone is looking for a good immigration lawyer to handle thier case, contact Reiss Edwards.
Fantastic Solicitors!!!
My wife's spouse visa extension application was refused by the Home Office and they gave her 14 days to leave the country. We contacted Reiss Edwards and they said "OK don't worry we will sort this out". They put together the list of documents for me to obtain and they prepared a bundle which was as thick as the printer it came out from.We followed everything they asked us to do and in the end we won our appeal and got our spouse visa. We can't recommend them enough and we have promised ourselves never to make any more UK visa applications without them.
The team of lawyers at Reiss Edwards are very professional and friendly people. Their experience in and around UK immigration law is quite extensive; be sure that you application is in safe and competent hands. My immigration matter was an indefinite leave to remain application based on Tier 1 on a self-employment basis. The immigration lawyers at Reiss Edwards made sure that the application was perfect and ready to be accepted. I got a positive decision and I recommend them highly for anyone who needs a UK immigration help.
I contacted Reiss Edwards to help me with my wife's UK settlement visa. They acted with utmost professionalism throughout the entire application. I spoke with Joe Dinh, he is an immigration solicitor and he is one of the best solicitors out there. He ensured that there was little to no room for error. At some point I thought he was over cautious. He remained calmed and continued to assure us on our immigration matter. Most people in his position would have panicked but he was calmed and continued to assure us. We received out positive outcome very quickly.
I have been using Reiss Edwards for three years now for my family's immigration application. Both for my initial application and extension. They are really affordable. The team of solicitors at this firm are probably one of the most efficient and economical in terms of cost. They offered free advice over the phone and spent good time with us before inviting us for consultation.
Reiss Edwards is a top notch immigration service company. The way they handled our documentation and also the list of documents they sent was efficient and top quality. They helped us professionally throughout the process. We are very happy with the immigration advice we received from the team. We highly recommend them.
I used Reiss Edwards immigration lawyers to assist with my immigration matter and that of my family. It was an EX1 application. They dealt with the matter properly and even when complications were coming up from the Home Office, they helped resolve the issue properly. They are very professional and are very popular in London. I am happy to have worked with them.
This is the only firm that i spoke with that didn't ask for money before listening to me, will be using them again.
I used Reiss Edwards for my Tier 2 visa application and it was successful. The team was ever present and happy to answer my question. The caseworker that dealing with my case went on holiday yet by case did not suffer one bit. Another lawyer stepped and took over the case without any hassle.
My Tier 1 Investor Visa was dealt with quickly and without issue. Would recommend Reiss Edwards as an Immigration law firm in London. Thank you to the team.
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