More people are applying for UK tech visas post-Brexit

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Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK.
Tech City UK

A visa that allows overseas tech workers to move to the UK has
gained in popularity since the EU referendum, The Telegraph reports.

The tech immigration visa, which is specifically for non-EU tech
workers and managed by government quango Tech City UK, was
announced in 2013 in a bid to attract more of
the world's best engineers and coders to move the UK.

It got off to a slow start with just seven people applying for the 200 available
spots in the first year, but things seem to be changing.

More than 200 people have reportedly applied for the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa for Digital
Technology since April, up from 20 during the same period in
the year before.

A record number of people applied in November and Tech City UK is
now expecting all 200 visas to be given out in the year leading
up to April 2017. Tech City UK says the visa is most popular
with tech workers in the USA, India, and Nigeria.

Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK, told The Telegraph he now
wants to increase the cap on the number of visas that the UK
gives out to overseas tech workers.

"It’s an encouraging set of results," said Grech. "It’s one of
those situations where we’re in ongoing conversations with the
government, and we’re keeping an eye on it. We’ll have more
conversations when we get closer to the limit. They know that
tech talent is a growing part of the economy. They also
understand that tech talent is a scarce resource."

While the figures are promising, they come as thousands of
European tech workers remain uncertain about their future in the
UK post-Brexit. Indeed, if a "hard-Brexit" does happen then many
of these workers may have to return home or apply for new work
permits.

Tech City UK, which was backed with £4.2 million of taxpayer
money for 2015/2016, relaxed the visa rules last November,
allowing groups of tech workers to apply together. The move was
hailed by "revolutionary" by immigration campaigner Josephine
Goube.

Hiring talent is a big issue for UK tech companies

Immigration is a big issue for UK startups, with many of them
struggling to find candidates in the UK or Europe with the
skills they require. PwC's 2015 Global Digital IQ Survey found 78%
of UK companies consider a skills shortage in digital expertise
as one of their main barriers to progress.

The "Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa" was introduced by
the Home Office in June 2011 as a means of fast-tracking the
1,000 skilled workers from outside Europe into the UK. In order
to bring in these talented workers, the Home Office tasks a
number of institutions — including Arts Council England, British
Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society —
with finding and endorsing exceptional talent outside Europe.

As part of an effort to get more internationally recognised
technical people to come to the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron
announced in December 2013 that the government was going to allow
Tech City UK to endorse 200 out of the 1,000 Tier
1 visa slots.

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