Update: The Home Office published its latest Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules which will take effect between April 2023 and June 2023. Read more about these changes here.
At the end of January, it was announced that Tech Nation, the government-founded body aimed at supporting the UK’s start-up and scale-up tech ecosystem, would close on 31 March after the government reallocated its funding to Barclays Eagle Labs.
The news has prompted uncertainty about the future of the various programmes run by Tech Nation that supported the development of success stories such as Monzo and Deliveroo and saw alumni of its accelerator scheme collectively raise more than £28 billion.
One such programme, which would represent a real blow to the UK tech sector if it were lost, is the Tech Nation visa scheme.
Tech Nation is the vetting body for the specialist digital technology visa, one of the more successful visa routes into the UK, that has supported international start-ups and scale-ups, as well as local businesses, to expand by attracting world-leading tech talent to live and work in the UK.
Since 2014, Tech Nation has processed 6,000 Global Talent Visa applications and endorsed a further 3,000.
The closure of Tech Nation potentially puts the future of this visa scheme in doubt, bringing considerable short- and long-term implications for UK technology businesses looking to attract the skilled workers they need to grow.
Despite its 31 March closure date, Tech Nation has yet to announce a cut-off date for receiving last- minute visa endorsement applications under the route. Those with current plans to use this route will therefore need to submit their applications as a matter or urgency, or face missing the deadline.
Although the Home Office has said it is working closely with Tech Nation to “ensure the continuity of the digitech strand of the Global Talent visa in the short term” and to “explore the long-term changes necessary in light of Tech Nation’s planned closure”, there are currently no official plans to appoint an alternative industry body or organisation to endorse tech visas under the Global Talent route.
Without an alternative body to champion the scheme, and the uncertainty that brings, it will be much more difficult to compete for international tech talent – which risks the UK losing out on the battle for skills and hampering tech businesses’ ability to scale.
With the UK tech ecosystem excelling at a greater pace than the rest of the UK economy, the importance of having viable and stable visa routes remains key to the sector’s success and continued growth.
The industry will be hoping that the end of Tech Nation does not mean the end of the tech visa. Get in touch with Jamie Kerr for further advice.
First published by Digit News here.
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