‘Fast Route to UK Passport’: Tech Founder Aleksei Ustimenko on Why He Chose the Global Talent Visa to Move to London

How has your career and life changed since receiving the Global Talent visa?

Since receiving the Global Talent visa, I made the move to London, which has significantly expanded my opportunities. For the first couple of years, I worked at ShareChat, India’s largest homegrown social media platform, which offers a multilingual experience in 15 Indian languages. During my time there, I founded and led the Decision Science department. About a year ago, I decided to take the plunge and founded my own startup, Simulacra AI, which specializes in AI-driven quantum chemistry simulations. We’ve already raised a pre-seed round, and life has definitely taken a positive turn.

How did your career progress by the time you considered the Global Talent visa?

By the time I considered applying for the Global Talent visa, my career was progressing quite well. I had spent about six years at Yandex, specifically within Yandex.Research, where I had the chance to publish extensively in A-tier conferences such as ICML and ICLR. I also filed numerous patents and contributed significantly to the development of CatBoost, especially in areas related to uncertainty estimation and ranking features.

What attracted you to this visa, and why did you ultimately choose it?

The Global Talent visa was an attractive option due to my strong background, making it relatively easier for me to qualify. Additionally, the visa offers a much quicker route to obtaining a passport compared to other processes like the U.S. EB-1 visa, which made it a practical choice for me.

Why did you decide to seek help with your application?

To be honest, I’m not the most organized person, and gathering all the necessary documents and going through the criteria felt like a nightmare, especially since I was also balancing work and settling in Istanbul at the time.

How did your collaboration with Immigram start? Can you describe the first steps of working with them?

I submitted my application, and literally the very next day, we got started. It was a seamless transition into the process.

How did the process of preparing your case go? Was there anything that surprised you?

The process went smoothly for me since my publication history, patents, and public speaking already fulfilled the core criteria — which I know can often be tricky for others. I also made sure to provide very detailed descriptions of my projects, which I think helped streamline the process. The only surprise was when Tech Nation granted me a promise rather than the talent visa itself, which, considering my background, was unexpected.

What advice would you give to professionals who want to get the UK Global Talent visa?

It’s easier to obtain than you might think, so don’t be intimidated by the process.