Alexander Zimin, a software engineer with a passion for organizing community meetups, has spent the past three years living in London after obtaining the UK Global Talent Visa. During this time, he has become a serial entrepreneur, launching several successful business ventures and enjoying an unprecedented level of freedom and fulfillment. In this interview, he shares his professional journey, the perks of life in the UK, and how networking at conferences and meetups played a key role in advancing his career and securing the visa.
My professional journey began in the later years of high school and the early years of university, when I started taking on freelance work and small contract projects. In 2015, I landed a remote role with a Berlin-based startup and worked with them for a while.
Alongside that, I was actively involved in the tech community—speaking at conferences and helping to organize meetups. In 2017, I helped organize a meetup in collaboration with Badoo, where I met their engineering team. They invited me to interview, and after successfully completing the process, I relocated to the UK and spent a year working there. I really grew to like England.
After Badoo, I realized I wasn’t interested in working for large companies—I’ve always preferred the energy and flexibility of startups. Since securing a job with a UK-based company was challenging both legally and financially, I left England, though I kept the idea of returning one day in mind.
I spent a lot of time traveling, freelancing, and taking on senior roles at early-stage startups. I even started my own business. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been focused on my own projects and ventures, which have been growing quite successfully. One of my startups, OpenChat, reached $1 million ARR.
First — public speaking at meetups and conferences. It was only thanks to them that I met many people and was able to work on a large number of projects. They also helped me get a talent visa.
The second factor — the decision to go into business, risking my stability. The experience and freedom I get from entrepreneurship are unlike anything else. I was lucky, and now I can earn passive income from the business, even without doing anything.
Third — working at Badoo. I moved to another country, saw London, met great people, and learned how large-scale projects with millions of users are built. And that, of course, really inspired me.
First, I realized the Global Talent Visa was a great option because you can get it without moving to the UK right away. It’s valid for five years, but you don’t have to relocate immediately. That sounded perfect to me—a way to secure the opportunity and move later.
The more I looked into it, the more I saw how good it really is. For example, with the O-1 visa in the US, my spouse wouldn’t be allowed to work. But with the UK Global Talent Visa, my wife would have full rights. It’s a very flexible option: you can live in the UK or not, work or not, and your spouse has full rights too.
I chose the UK because I had already lived here before, and it’s an English-speaking country. The tech market is very strong, there are lots of entrepreneurs, and generally more money in the industry compared to the rest of Europe.
London is the most multicultural city I’ve ever known. Moving here doesn’t feel like stepping into a completely foreign culture. And since 2022, a lot of amazing Russian professionals have also relocated here.
I personally love the UK for its architecture and music. That’s more of a personal thing, but honestly, I still find myself constantly enjoying the architecture—it never gets old.
For me, not really. But I know many of my friends ran into challenges because they didn’t have a strong public profile—no speaking engagements, no published articles, maybe no open source contributions, and so on.
I understand that people who want to apply can start writing articles or collaborate with someone who can help them publish content, and then it usually works out. But for many, it’s a surprise.
In my case, my profile was already strong enough to get the Global Talent Visa without any extra investment or preparation.
Aside from longer processing times, I didn’t face any real difficulties during the application. I started the process gradually, but in 2022, the number of applicants increased significantly, which caused some delays.
One interesting detail: all of my recommenders were contacted by the embassy and asked if they knew where I had worked over the past two years. But in the end, it didn’t affect my application in any way.
I’ve lived here for three years. At times I was traveling, but for the most part, I stayed in London and hardly left the city. If I stay for another two years, I’ll be eligible for citizenship. I’m incredibly grateful to the UK for the experience overall.
The UK is a very comfortable place to be, although it’s definitely not cheap. I think many people have to seriously ask themselves how ready they are to invest both time and money to live here at the same standard they might enjoy in places like Bali, Moscow, or even Portugal.
I’d say—if it seems even remotely interesting to you, go for it. If every country had a visa like this, I’d probably apply for five more, just to have the option. It’s a really good visa.
So my advice is: get it first, and then decide how much you actually need it. If you’re on the fence about applying, it’s better to apply.
In the end, if you’re granted five years, that gives you plenty of time to figure out whether you want to move or not. It’s a great strategic move. Plus, you’ll have the ability to open bank accounts and access other local services.
