- Prepare evidence and lettersTech Nation's suggested allowanceUp to 12 weeks
- Apply online to the Home OfficeEndorsement fee£561
- Tech Nation decidesUsual decision time5 to 8 weeks
- Apply for the visa£205 visa fee plus healthcare surchargeWithin 3 months
The rule
GTE 7.1(b) makes you prove one of two kinds of expertise
On top of being recognised in digital technology in the last 5 years, you must show one of two things. A technical applicant must show "proven technical expertise with the latest technologies in building, using, deploying or exploiting a technology stack and building technical infrastructure". A business applicant must show "proven commercial, investment or product expertise in building digital products or leading investments in significant digital product businesses". You pick one, and your whole evidence set should support it.
Read the official guidanceTechnical list
The technical skills Tech Nation lists
These are the published examples of technical skills, word for word. The list is not complete; it shows the typical applicants Tech Nation assesses. Note the word "experienced" on many entries: a junior developer does not match the list on job title alone.
- Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning experts (AI, NLP, ML); Cybersecurity experts
- CTO or VP engineering experience managing teams of in-house employees at a growing digital business
- DevOps / SysOps engineers; Hardware engineers; Operating systems engineers
- Experienced back end developers leading development of or contributing heavily to major new technologies or open source projects (for example, blockchain, Scala, Golang, Elasticsearch and so on)
- Experienced data scientists/data engineers; Experienced front-end developers; Experienced Mobile App developers
- Experienced UX/UI designers; Experienced video game developers; Principal software engineers/developers; Virtual and augmented reality developers
Business list
The business skills Tech Nation lists
These are the published examples of business skills. Almost every entry is tied to a digital business, and one rules out big-company experience for solution sales. Business skills apply to in-house work within product-led digital technology companies, not tech-enabled or service companies such as agencies, outsourcers and marketing firms.
- Experience as a commercial / business lead (P&L, growth, sales and distribution strategy) in a digital business; Experience as C Suite in a SMEs + (CEO, CMO, CIO) or head of operations for a digital business
- Experienced and senior VC or PE analysts with track records of leading investments in digital businesses; Experience of leading substantial VC investment over £25m GBP
- Experience of expanding or growing a significant product-led digital technology business; Experienced Product Manager
- Performance marketing experts, performed in house for digital businesses; SaaS or enterprise sales leadership for digital services
- Sector-specific experience for example, payment infrastructure in FinTech / international expansion in EdTech and so on
- Solution sales experts; Solution sales skills performed for a growing B2B digital business (i.e. not big-company experience)
1Is your work in digital technology, and not at a consultancy or outsourcer? Technical roles at other employers, such as banks, count; business roles need a product-led company.
2Has your work been recognised beyond your own employer in the last 5 years?
3Can you show at least 2 of: innovation, recognition beyond your job, significant contribution to a product-led company, or academic contribution?
4Do you know 3 established digital technology experts who have known your work for at least 12 months?
Answer the 4 questions to see where you stand.
A quick self-check, not an assessment. It does not predict any outcome.
Not suitable
Three specialisms are not considered suitable, whichever profile you choose
The excluded firms are general consultancies, outsourcing and technology consultancy groups focused on process or service delivery or solutions and systems architecture. A product-led digital technology company is one whose primary revenue source is its own digital product, service, platform or hardware. Watch one trap: DevOps and SysOps engineers are on the technical list, but systems admin is on the unsuitable list.
- Corporate roles or experience of managing large corporate teams
- Junior investors / analysts: these need an investment track record made at a senior level and are not suitable for Exceptional Promise
- Service Delivery, Process Delivery, Outsourcing, Consultancy (technical or management), ERP Consultancy, Systems Admin and all related fields
The test
Do you write code or manage developers?
Tech Nation classes you as technical if your occupation requires you to write code or manage developers. Any other occupation within a product-led digital technology company makes you a business applicant. Your employer matters as much as your role.
- Technical applicant at a non-technical organisation, such as a developer at a retailer: eligible
- Business applicant at a technical organisation, such as a product manager at a software company: eligible
- Business applicant at a non-technical organisation: generally not eligible
- Optional criteria 1 and 3 both name a product-led digital technology company, so work elsewhere limits which criteria you can use
Technical evidence
Technical evidence shows your own code and your own design decisions
Technical applicants are expected to show personal work, not the team's. For example, a fictional principal engineer at a payments software company could submit architecture diagrams marking the parts she designed, a GitHub account showing continuing contributions, and a letter from her employer written by someone other than her three recommenders. Tech Nation also lists open source projects acknowledged by peers as advancing the field, and leading the development of high-impact digital products.
- Product designs or architecture diagrams showing your contribution, no more than three A4 pages
- A GitHub account with lines of code showing your continuing contribution
- Open source contributions must show a consistent and ongoing record, not a burst before applying
- Patents must be granted; patent applications are not enough
Want us to look at your own evidence against these rules?
Book a free 30-minute callBusiness evidence
Business evidence shows the revenue, customers or growth you personally produced
Business applicants prove commercial results inside a product-led digital technology company. For example, a fictional head of sales at a B2B HR software company could submit the sales pipeline he built and delivered, the growth and leads it generated, and a letter from his employer confirming his part. Salary alone is not enough; you must show impact beyond your day-to-day work.
- Evidence of sales pipeline built and delivered, growth generated, leads generated, or processes developed and implemented
- For the mandatory criterion: leading marketing or business development that enabled substantial revenue or customer growth
- Financial documents and proof of earnings where evidence relates to contracts, revenue or traction
- Currencies converted to GBP where possible, or a summary of conversion rates
Founders and executives
Founders and executives can be either profile
Being a founder or executive does not decide your profile on its own. The technical list includes CTO or VP engineering experience managing in-house teams, while the business list includes C Suite roles such as CEO, CMO and CIO at SMEs. A founder CTO who manages developers is technical; a founder CEO who does not write code or manage developers is business.
- Founding and leading a successful product-led digital technology company is listed as a business contribution
- Leading the development of high-impact digital products is listed as a technical contribution
- Founders or senior executives in the last 5 years must provide company evidence, such as signed audited accounts, or accounts covering more than 12 months
- Financial projections, business plans and articles of association are not accepted as evidence of innovation
Related guides
Keep reading
Guides applicants usually read next on this topic.
Tech Nation optional criteria examples: what counts for each of the four criteria
A criterion-by-criterion guide to the evidence that can work, and the evidence that does not, for the four Tech Nation optional criteria.
Read related guideWhat does Tech Nation look for in a Global Talent application?
Find out who Tech Nation covers, what the mandatory and optional criteria ask for, and how the 10 documents and 3 letters work.
Read related guideTech Nation recommendation letters: who can write them and what they must include
The rules for the 3 Tech Nation recommendation letters, from choosing authors to format, content and briefing.
Read related guideApplying from outside the UK. Assessors in the UK may not know your employer, so show what it sells: Tech Nation defines a product-led company as one whose primary revenue comes from its own digital product, service, platform or hardware, and asks for figures such as capital raised and revenues converted to GBP where possible.
Article FAQ
Questions to settle before you spend time or money.
Use these answers to check the practical risks, documents, and decisions connected to this topic.
Can I apply as both a technical and a business applicant?
No. GTE 7.1(b) asks you to show one of the two: technical expertise or business expertise.
Is a product manager technical or business?
Business. "Experienced Product Manager" is on the business skills list.
Are UX/UI designers covered by Tech Nation?
Yes. "Experienced UX/UI designers" is on the technical skills list.
I am a developer at a bank. Can I apply?
Yes. Technical applicants from non-technical organisations are eligible, but optional criteria 1 and 3 name a product-led digital technology company.
I work in sales at an IT services company. Do my business skills count?
Usually not. Business skills apply to in-house work within product-led digital technology companies, not outsourcers or service companies.
Are the skills lists complete?
No. The lists give an indication of typical applicants, and Tech Nation says there are no formal restrictions on role types.
Check your profile
Not sure if you are a technical or business applicant?
In a free 30-minute call we look at your role and your employer against the published Tech Nation lists and help you plan evidence for the profile that fits.
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