‘No Worries About Layoffs’: Andrey Klyuev on How the Global Talent Visa Changed His Life

Can you tell us how the Global Talent visa has changed your life and career?

The Global Talent visa visa helped me stop worrying about job changes, layoffs, and other uncertainties. I was already in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa when I applied for the Global Talent visa, but it gave me much more confidence in our future in the UK with my wife.

At what point in your career did you decide to apply for the Global Talent visa?

I decided to apply for the Global Talent visa when I began actively pursuing a promotion from middle to senior engineer at a FAANG company. At that point, I was in my second year at the company and had accumulated a total of five years of experience as a software engineer. This period also coincided with widespread post-COVID layoffs across the tech sector, which made securing long-term career stability an even greater priority.

Which benefits of this visa pushed you to choose it?

The main benefits for me were the flexibility and independence from an employer. Additionally, the visa offers faster eligibility for ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain), which was also a significant factor.

How did you start working on the visa?

I actually started preparing even before beginning the job. The first step was convincing myself that my case was at least theoretically eligible for the Global Talent visa. After that, I spoke with acquaintances and colleagues who had already received the visa or were in the process of applying, which gradually helped me gain confidence in my own application.

Was it difficult to meet all the visa requirements? How did you handle tricky points?

The hardest parts for me were creating a public profile (expected) and getting a director’s recommendation (unexpected). I hadn’t focused on my public profile before, but starting an open-source project helped. Articles I published on Habr covered most other requirements. For the recommendation, I spent two months coordinating with the director, HR, and others to navigate the no-referral-letter policy. In the end, the Visa Letter rules were more flexible than I expected.

What are your professional plans now?

I plan to continue working and see where things go from there. At first, I considered changing companies, but the current tech market doesn’t make that easy.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get the Global Talent visa?

Just go for it. I spent more time doubting whether my case was strong enough than actually working on it, even though the whole process took nearly a year.