Having started his career as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company at 19, Dima became the youngest Vice President at Sbermarket by 23, leading the company’s AI and internal efficiency division and growing a team of 150 people. By 29, he had made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and, as he admits, it felt like nearly all career doors in Russia were open to him. That success pushed him to seek a fresh start in Europe — a chance to test himself in a new environment.
Dima discovered that the Global Talent Visa was the most convenient and flexible route to move to the UK, and he chose it without hesitation. Now, over three years after relocating, he reflects on the journey and shares how the move has transformed his life.
It changed drastically. Moving abroad completely changes your life — this was my first time relocating from Russia to live elsewhere, and it marked the beginning of my international career. And things went really well — I was lucky to land a great senior leadership role, which is extremely rare to find.
The Global Talent visa made things so much easier. A lot of companies were asking about my right to work, and having the visa removed that barrier completely. From what I hear, getting sponsorship through a Skilled Worker visa is even harder now. So yeah, having the visa — along with a great job offer — really changed the course of my life.
I had a pretty fast-paced career. At my last job, we built a startup almost from scratch and grew it to a multi-billion-dollar business, which we eventually sold successfully to Sber. I held the position of CDO there, and my team grew from zero to around 150 people.
Overall, I had a strong career in Russia and felt I could aim for almost any leadership role there. But I was curious to explore new opportunities and re-establish myself in Europe, where the talent market and competition are completely different. I wanted to challenge myself in that new environment.
I simply wanted to move to the UK. I knew the Global Talent visa offered a faster path to residency, but since I was relocating with my family, the timeline for ILR and citizenship would be the same for all of us—around 5–6 years.
Still, what really attracted me was the sense of freedom and empowerment it gives. I’m not tied to a specific employer, which means I’m not at risk of being forced to leave the country if, for example, a contract ends and I don’t immediately find another company willing to sponsor me. That kind of independence gives you much more stability and control over your life and career.
Because I had no idea how the process worked. I knew it was quite bureaucratic and wasn’t sure what documents were needed or how to structure them properly. I wanted someone who had been through this dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, and knew exactly what a strong application should look like.
My case was relatively strong — I had all the required publications, speaking engagements, a solid career, industry recognition, and great references. But I wanted a professional to take over the process and make sure everything was done correctly, without missing anything.
Someone recommended Immigram to me, to be honest. We had a call, and they asked me to fill out a questionnaire about my background and achievements — which I did. I remember completing a large Notion document, and then the team went off and came back with everything ready: the CV, reference letters, and the rest.
Not really — I just filled out a lot of forms and questionnaires. I once sat down and wrote a huge amount about myself — starting with school competitions and diplomas, and going all the way to recent conferences and journal publications. I gave them a massive amount of information, and then they took over. They later returned with the complete set of documents. So nothing really surprised me — everything was very smooth and well-organized. My case manager, Misha, did an excellent job, and I’m still very grateful to him.
Just go for it — don’t overthink it, and don’t second-guess your own talent. I’m sure a lot of people are hesitant to apply because they think they’re not good enough. But I truly believe that even an average-looking career can be presented in a way that speaks well to a case officer. So it’s absolutely worth trying.
I think most of us tend to underestimate ourselves. I really want more people to apply boldly — I’ve seen candidates with very questionable career tracks get the visa, and at the same time, I’ve seen amazing professionals miss out. Most often, it’s because they tried to prepare everything on their own and didn’t know some of the small but important details.
