10 ms·

New UK startup visa route announced by the Home Secretary

83 points by nns 8y ago

pjc50 8y ago
No details, and the proposed start date is after the proposed Brexit day: "The expanded route will launch in Spring 2019, further details will be announced in due course."
chatmasta 8y ago
Anyone looking to move to the UK, I highly recommend the Exceptional Talent visa. It’s a true hidden gem: tier 1, valid 5 years, no work restrictions, no investment required. There are only 200 slots available per year for digital technology, but the dirty secret is the 70% acceptance rate. I successfully applied through this process last year and am now living in the UK. The whole process cost about $3k and a month of paperwork, but it was totally worth it. If anyone has questions about it feel free to email me at the address in my profile.
- retrac98 8y ago
  What's good/bad about living in the UK, from your perspective?
  - xchaotic 8y ago
    it's not too hard to see the cons - poor, rainy weather, which can be depressing in itself. Old, mouldy houses with poor thermal insulation and generally high cost of living. Traffic in towns and cities. Uptight, insular, class based society that is not exactly welcoming to foreigners. Now if you swap UK with London, a lot of these cons go out of the window as your neighbour is probably also a migrant. You still get very high cost of living, very bad car traffic, but relatively decent public transport. Wages, given the cost of rent are not that impressive and the weather in London is a bit better than the rest of the UK, but could be better, of course.
    - sandworm101 8y ago
      And, London = pollution. Things like weather and even an insular society can be circumvented or avoided. Nobody can escape unhealthy air. London isn't unique in this regard, but pollution is a factor when picking any of the larger European cities.
    - joering2 8y ago
      Entire UK has very limited freedom and they do not stop to finding new ways to it even more. Guns are totally banned, only criminals have them. You also cannot and should not defend yourself because you can go to jail for hurting your oppressor. There is blanket ban on carrying knifes, and recently they pass a law that buying knives you need to show ID. Next on the list if you buy baseball bats or corkscrew, you also will need to have ID. Most cities require you to show ID to use internet. Don't have to mention biggest number of surveillance cameras per square inch and per capita. You really don't want to live or rise your children in such oppressionist country, trust me. Source: few friends living in UK for way too long.
      - coffeedoughnuts 8y ago
        > Most cities require you to show ID to use internet. Complete nonsense; aside from cities in the UK not having any powers to control a thing like that (they are no way near as devolved as big cities in the US, for example) there is no legal obligation to provide ID to access the internet. I think you might be referring to a recent proposal to legislate online activity through access cards; but that was a proposal that has no backing at the moment. Source: I'm writing this from an internet connection for which I have not shown any ID or registered in any way, and I live in a major UK city
        simonbyrne 8y ago
        You technically don't even need to have your licence on you when driving (though you can be required to show it within 7 days).
      - detritus 8y ago
  - chatmasta 8y ago
    First, my (relatively privileged) perspective: - American citizen (double taxes, etc) - Self-employed software consultant working remotely for US clients - Not living in London - Live in a small town near Cambridge, where I commute via train to work in a coworking office A lot of the "good parts" are not specific to the UK, but to the lifestyle of a software consultant. So I'll leave those out. Also, it's worth noting that I've traveled and lived in many countries and cities. I've lived 3+ months in SF, NYC, Taipei, Seattle, Houston, and the UK. I've lived 1+ month in Budapest, Belgrade, Zagreb, and probably some others I'm forgetting. In the end, every place is really the same. Yes there are subtle differences, but you're still the same person with (hopefully) the same routine, etc. Especially when the language is the same, there are little to no major differences. Still, there are some subtleties so I will try to flesh some of those out. ----- THE GOOD PARTS of living in the UK: ----- - My girlfriend lives here (obviously the #1 benefit!) - The GBP/USD exchange rate has been trashed the last two years. Since I work primarily with US clients and receive payments in USD, this is good for me when transferring. Although it's been climbing back up. - I'm not surrounded by US politics everywhere I go, although it's still hard to avoid. - My US rates give me a lot of relative spending power in the UK (but also see cons) - UK.gov is actually a surprisingly helpful resource and really smoothens interactions with the government. Local government websites are another story. - English breakfasts - Banking is simpler than in the US, but regulations can be a pain, and often times it seems like something is "for your security" but it's just poorly thought out and implemented. - The trains are great, but also pretty expensive. - Cheap and fast mobile data plans. Reliable broadband. ----- THE BAD PARTS of living in the UK: ----- - The weather, except for 3-4 months in the summer. At least winters are mild, though. - Missing my friends, family etc. Missing New York. - Terrible, terrible wages in tech, typically half of US salaries even after adjustments. This isn't too much of a problem for me since I'm self-employed, but it does effectively take the option of employment off the table. Note that as a founder, this could be a benefit. - Council taxes, TV licensing, needing a license for tons of things, and generally over-bureaucratic systems in banking and government that cause more problems than they attempt to solve. Sometimes it feels like you need a full background check just to walk down the street. The amount of private data I had to give to landlords is astounding. - Massive surveillance, both online and offline, and especially on the motor ways. Few protections on freedom of speech. - Groceries and restaurants are typically more expensive than in the US. In general the cost of living is higher, but this is somewhat offset by my living in a small town. - No Chipotle. :( - Classism, racism and sexism amongst the ruling/elite class. This doesn't affect me directly but I've seen it second-hand for sure. - Very poor, uneducated population with astoundingly high rates of addiction to gambling, cigarettes and alcohol. [EDIT: Ok, this point is a bit unfair and hypocritical of me to paint with such a broad stroke. This criticism certainly does not apply to the entire population. However, where I live, in a rural area dominated by the horse racing industry, it definitely holds true. And I say this as someone who is friends with many people who fit this description. If I were a UK politician, I would eliminate gambling, raise the drinking and smoking age to 21 and require students to stay in school until age 18. This would solve a lot of problems IMO.] - Extremely narrow, dangerous roads. - Double taxation (this is a US issue and really not that big a deal, just more paperwork) - Antiquated drug laws akin to 1980-2000 in the USA.
- pjc50 8y ago
  Critera for this appear to be: https://35z8e83m1ih83drye280o9d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TechNationVisa-Guidelines-APRIL2017-V6.pdf https://35z8e83m1ih83drye280o9d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... Or: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673759/T1__ET__Guidance_01_2018__12.01_.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/... (Ah, the byzantine system: page 7 has three options, "Inside the UK", "Outside the UK", and "Croatia")
- walshemj 8y ago
  Not many people are going to fit those criteria. Its like BT's former performance management system to get a cat 1 (top level) you had similar criteria.
  - chatmasta 8y ago
    The secret to application processes like this is that criteria are more guidelines than requirements. There is a 70% acceptance rate because of a dearth of applicants, probably because people read the criteria and think they don’t qualify. I would imagine that many people on HN can frame their experience to fit the criteria, as I was able to do. Also, if I were looking for full time employment and had the choice between UK and US, I would not come to the UK. I imagine this drives away a lot of non-self-employed or non-entrepreneurial applicants (though the visa isn’t really targeting them anyway, since at that point your employer should just sponsor you).
    - walshemj 8y ago
      In the current UK climate where British citizens are being deported (Windrush Scandal) I can see the home office seeing strictly enforcing the rules to the letter as an easy win.
- nathan_f77 8y ago
  Wow, thanks for your comment! I can't believe I've never heard of this visa before. I've been researching different investor and freelancer visas for the last few years. I've never seen a 5 year visa with almost no restrictions, and where you can bring your family. That's really awesome! I wouldn't move to the UK for a job, but it could be a great place to live as a freelancer.
  - madeofpalk 8y ago
    What freelancer visa options are available? I’m over in the U.K. at the moment on a Tier 5 and and I looked at staying longer as a freelancer/contractor, my impression was the closest option I had was the investor visas.
    - chatmasta 8y ago
      Exceptional talent would cover freelancer if you frame it properly to emphasize the more entrepreneurial aspects of the business. For example, instead of calling yourself a freelancer, call yourself a director of a software consultancy. There is a UK “freelance visa” IIRC but it has a £60k capital requirement which can be furnished either by yourself or by investors.
    - nathan_f77 8y ago
      Germany has a freelancer visa that is pretty straightforward (albeit lots of paperwork.) Berlin is the easiest place to get that visa, but it can be done in other cities. I've also heard about Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Bulgaria, and Poland. You can also get a work permit in Thailand via Iglu [1]. They take 30% of the income that you bring into Thailand, with a minimum of $2,500 per month. [1] https://iglu.net/ https://iglu.net/
      - madeofpalk 8y ago
        Appreciated, but I’m in the UK now, so really I’m only interested I’m options that let me stay in the UK.
    - postsantum 8y ago
- ummonk 8y ago
  >There are only 200 slots available per year for digital technology, but the dirty secret is the 70% acceptance rate. Something tells me that this year the acceptance rate is going to be much lower...
  - chatmasta 8y ago
    That’s why I never wrote this comment on similar topics while I was applying... Also I think they doubled it to 400 this year.
- vram22 8y ago
  >the Exceptional Talent visa. It’s a true hidden gem: tier 1, valid 5 years, no work restrictions Is this a successor to, and similar to, the HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme) that the UK had some years ago?
mtgx 8y ago
Meanwhile, the UK also wants to ID people before they are allowed to use the internet: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/digital-ids-to-end-online-mob-rule-and-anonymity-qq8lnwrcn https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/digital-ids-to-end-o...
- Milner08 8y ago
  Dont conflict one ministers opinion with the whole of the UK. Its not even something that is being debated, it would never get anywhere near a law (Even though I am sure Ms May would love it to).
foobarbazetc 8y ago
I’d launch my startup in the UK after Brexit because...?
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  Your market is only the UK and you don't want to import any materials, and the UK has all the talent you want, and you're wealthy enough that increased cost of living isn't going to be a huge negative. Otherwise I'd steer well clear.
  - TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
    A lot of talent is leaving the UK. Some of it is moving to Europe. We have government ministers privately talking about “a meltdown” and Tory donors shorting the economy. Too many people under 30 are poor and heavily in debt. Business confidence is low and investment is disappearing. It feels as if Brexit is the UK’s closing down sale. The question is whether the meltdown will be an extended depression, or a Zimbabwe-style total collapse. I don’t think the former is unrealistic, and latter hardly seems impossible.
startupdiscuss 8y ago
A real startup visa gives you a pathway to permanent residence. No one wants to start a company and worry that they will have to leave everything there after 3 years if something does or does not happen.
xchaotic 8y ago
As a EU Citizen, whose grandfather fought for the freedoms in WWII alongside British pilots, those freedoms, including Schengen area freedom of movement that UK never bother to adopt, are being thrown away and they dare ask people to apply for a visa now? Good luck with that.
- alva 8y ago
  > Good luck with that. Since the Brexit vote net-migration for the UK is over half a million people, your native Poland is still suffering huge negative net-migration. "Despite Brexit" the UK attracts top talent from across the EU due to well paid jobs, culture and a business friendly environment. Look at immigrant attitude surveys across the EU to see how much they value the UK compared to many EU countries. Italy, Poland, Hungary, Austria etc are hardly trending in the direction you may desire. > whose grandfather fought for the freedoms in WWII alongside British pilots The British have a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the Polish pilots and honour them annually.
  - ben_w 8y ago
    > The British have a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the Polish pilots and honour them annually. Not seen much sign of the Poles being acknowledged as Polish when being honoured as Spitfire pilots — heck, I didn’t even know many of the pilots were Polish until recently, and I’ve been living in the UK for my whole life… well, except for six months or so of post-Brexit looking for somewhere else before coming back because of family medical issues.
  - tormeh 8y ago
    There's net migration into Poland. Lots of poles are leaving for Western Europe, but even more Romanians etc. are going to Poland. Poland has been booming for quite some time. It's four times richer than it was before it joined the EU if memory serves. That image of Poland as an unattractive place everyone wants to get away from is not really true anymore.
    - alva 8y ago
petercooper 8y ago
What's the latest for the US? Did any of the ideas of making the US more accessible for foreign tech entrepreneurs I've seen in recent years come to pass?
- kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
  You can buy a green card for $500K. Sort of a better deal since it eliminates the uncertainty of visa renewal.
reqres 8y ago
This is welcome move by the new Home Secretary, but the thing that terrifies me the most is the end of free movement when we leave the EU. As the director of a software development business, I have to contend with a very tight market for good developers. After brexit takes place, any EU citizen I wish to employ will have to go through the Tier 2 visa route. There are 3 major issues with this. 1. It's capped at 20k people per year. 2. We do not have the deep pockets and the legal/HR team to navigate the home office to procure such a visa 3. It does not provide sufficient guarantees for bringing and settling down a family On top of that, we also have to contend with many structural issues that makes the UK (London in particular) a less appealing place to attract talent: - High cost and low quality of living in London - Poor transport infrastructure (it's cheaper to eurostar London-Amsterdam than train London-Manchester) - UK politicians and media do not stand up for the benefits of immigration and is willing to allow blanket demonisation of immigrants to go unanswered - All the negative externalities associated with an overcrowded city (overcrowded public transport, knife crime, NOX pollution in excess of legally permissible levels)
- easytiger 8y ago
  > After brexit takes place, any EU citizen I wish to employ will have to go through the Tier 2 visa route. How do you know that?
  - pjc50 8y ago
    Nobody knows for sure yet, and we might still get the EEA with free movement; but anti-immigration hostility was a big driver for the Brexit vote so some sections of the Tory party may not agree to this.
  - jackweirdy 8y ago
    Politically, the Prime Minister is standing firmly behind the "End Freedom of Movement" crowd. There's been no discussion of any alternative immigration process besides the existing visa process. It's obviously not a certainty that that will be the case, but so far most signs point to it.
davidhyde 8y ago
I used to live with someone who started a fashion B2B in London. To get her visa she had to sell her £250,000 (equivalent) flat in Korea to use as capital for the business. One thing the article does not mention is how much capital you need to invest in the UK to get this visa. It is a lot higher than you think. Anyway, her company had been up and running for 3 years and doing well when her visa renewal came up. The crazy thing was that a renewal required a new capital cash injection into the business. Now, who keeps spare capital lying around when you want to make your business a success? You usually put everything you have into the business. She had to hire a good lawyer and produce kilograms of documentation in extreme detail to get her renewal. Very stressful for her and detracted from her business. I think it's reasonable to expect to hand over company accounts, bank statements and such to prove that it is a proper business but they go way too far. It is far too arduous and stressful. The stress is the main part. You never know if your paperwork is going to land on a grumpy persons Monday morning desk.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  It would appear that for Australia you currently require at least AU$1.5 million (US$1.1mm) for an investment visa, and there's no other type of business startup visa you can get. On the other hand, New Zealand has a entrepreneur visa that only requires NZ$100,000 (US$70k) of capital, as well as the Global Impact Visa through the Edmund Hillary Fellowship [1], which requires no capital at all beyond living costs for 1 year. [1] https://www.ehf.org/givs https://www.ehf.org/givs
  - ivm 8y ago
    It's only €4,500 in the Netherlands for the US citizens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT
Oras 8y ago
If it is the same old entrepreneur visa, then one of the requirements is having £200K in the bank which means its not for early startups rather for well established or well-funded ones.
- s_dev 8y ago
  or more accurately serial founders with a history of success and not for newcomers to the startup scene.
CM30 8y ago
It's an interesting idea, but I think the main issue is whether a startup could get funded in the UK (or to be honest, most of Europe) the same way they can in Silicon Valley. For example, the amount of money you can raise is often a lot less after here, with rounds being on the low side compared to the millions possible in the US. That means companies needing a decent amount of funding probably shouldn't be looking for investment in the UK, and should probably reconsider anyone in Europe in general. They're also most hesitant to fund 'consumer' focused businesses over here compared to the US too. I remember asking where you could get investment for something like Facebook or Uber in the UK (after seeing that most entrepreneurs applying and accepted were running b2b companies), and basically being told that Techstars was probably the only viable option there. Seems like US accelerators and VCs are more likely to fund consumer focused businesses dependent on numbers and ad revenue compared to those in the UK, who prefer more of the Atlassian/Moz type approach (selling services to small companies). But yeah, it's nice the route has been announced, just feels like we need more viable ways to raise money as well.

83 points by nns 8y ago

No details, and the proposed start date is after the proposed Brexit day: "The expanded route will launch in Spring 2019, further details will be announced in due course."

chatmasta 8y ago

Anyone looking to move to the UK, I highly recommend the Exceptional Talent visa. It’s a true hidden gem: tier 1, valid 5 years, no work restrictions, no investment required. There are only 200 slots available per year for digital technology, but the dirty secret is the 70% acceptance rate. I successfully applied through this process last year and am now living in the UK. The whole process cost about $3k and a month of paperwork, but it was totally worth it. If anyone has questions about it feel free to email me at the address in my profile.

retrac98 8y ago
What's good/bad about living in the UK, from your perspective?
- xchaotic 8y ago
  it's not too hard to see the cons - poor, rainy weather, which can be depressing in itself. Old, mouldy houses with poor thermal insulation and generally high cost of living. Traffic in towns and cities. Uptight, insular, class based society that is not exactly welcoming to foreigners. Now if you swap UK with London, a lot of these cons go out of the window as your neighbour is probably also a migrant. You still get very high cost of living, very bad car traffic, but relatively decent public transport. Wages, given the cost of rent are not that impressive and the weather in London is a bit better than the rest of the UK, but could be better, of course.
  - sandworm101 8y ago
    And, London = pollution. Things like weather and even an insular society can be circumvented or avoided. Nobody can escape unhealthy air. London isn't unique in this regard, but pollution is a factor when picking any of the larger European cities.
  - joering2 8y ago
    Entire UK has very limited freedom and they do not stop to finding new ways to it even more. Guns are totally banned, only criminals have them. You also cannot and should not defend yourself because you can go to jail for hurting your oppressor. There is blanket ban on carrying knifes, and recently they pass a law that buying knives you need to show ID. Next on the list if you buy baseball bats or corkscrew, you also will need to have ID. Most cities require you to show ID to use internet. Don't have to mention biggest number of surveillance cameras per square inch and per capita. You really don't want to live or rise your children in such oppressionist country, trust me. Source: few friends living in UK for way too long.
    - coffeedoughnuts 8y ago
      > Most cities require you to show ID to use internet. Complete nonsense; aside from cities in the UK not having any powers to control a thing like that (they are no way near as devolved as big cities in the US, for example) there is no legal obligation to provide ID to access the internet. I think you might be referring to a recent proposal to legislate online activity through access cards; but that was a proposal that has no backing at the moment. Source: I'm writing this from an internet connection for which I have not shown any ID or registered in any way, and I live in a major UK city
      - simonbyrne 8y ago
        You technically don't even need to have your licence on you when driving (though you can be required to show it within 7 days).
    - detritus 8y ago
- chatmasta 8y ago
  First, my (relatively privileged) perspective: - American citizen (double taxes, etc) - Self-employed software consultant working remotely for US clients - Not living in London - Live in a small town near Cambridge, where I commute via train to work in a coworking office A lot of the "good parts" are not specific to the UK, but to the lifestyle of a software consultant. So I'll leave those out. Also, it's worth noting that I've traveled and lived in many countries and cities. I've lived 3+ months in SF, NYC, Taipei, Seattle, Houston, and the UK. I've lived 1+ month in Budapest, Belgrade, Zagreb, and probably some others I'm forgetting. In the end, every place is really the same. Yes there are subtle differences, but you're still the same person with (hopefully) the same routine, etc. Especially when the language is the same, there are little to no major differences. Still, there are some subtleties so I will try to flesh some of those out. ----- THE GOOD PARTS of living in the UK: ----- - My girlfriend lives here (obviously the #1 benefit!) - The GBP/USD exchange rate has been trashed the last two years. Since I work primarily with US clients and receive payments in USD, this is good for me when transferring. Although it's been climbing back up. - I'm not surrounded by US politics everywhere I go, although it's still hard to avoid. - My US rates give me a lot of relative spending power in the UK (but also see cons) - UK.gov is actually a surprisingly helpful resource and really smoothens interactions with the government. Local government websites are another story. - English breakfasts - Banking is simpler than in the US, but regulations can be a pain, and often times it seems like something is "for your security" but it's just poorly thought out and implemented. - The trains are great, but also pretty expensive. - Cheap and fast mobile data plans. Reliable broadband. ----- THE BAD PARTS of living in the UK: ----- - The weather, except for 3-4 months in the summer. At least winters are mild, though. - Missing my friends, family etc. Missing New York. - Terrible, terrible wages in tech, typically half of US salaries even after adjustments. This isn't too much of a problem for me since I'm self-employed, but it does effectively take the option of employment off the table. Note that as a founder, this could be a benefit. - Council taxes, TV licensing, needing a license for tons of things, and generally over-bureaucratic systems in banking and government that cause more problems than they attempt to solve. Sometimes it feels like you need a full background check just to walk down the street. The amount of private data I had to give to landlords is astounding. - Massive surveillance, both online and offline, and especially on the motor ways. Few protections on freedom of speech. - Groceries and restaurants are typically more expensive than in the US. In general the cost of living is higher, but this is somewhat offset by my living in a small town. - No Chipotle. :( - Classism, racism and sexism amongst the ruling/elite class. This doesn't affect me directly but I've seen it second-hand for sure. - Very poor, uneducated population with astoundingly high rates of addiction to gambling, cigarettes and alcohol. [EDIT: Ok, this point is a bit unfair and hypocritical of me to paint with such a broad stroke. This criticism certainly does not apply to the entire population. However, where I live, in a rural area dominated by the horse racing industry, it definitely holds true. And I say this as someone who is friends with many people who fit this description. If I were a UK politician, I would eliminate gambling, raise the drinking and smoking age to 21 and require students to stay in school until age 18. This would solve a lot of problems IMO.] - Extremely narrow, dangerous roads. - Double taxation (this is a US issue and really not that big a deal, just more paperwork) - Antiquated drug laws akin to 1980-2000 in the USA.
pjc50 8y ago
Critera for this appear to be: https://35z8e83m1ih83drye280o9d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TechNationVisa-Guidelines-APRIL2017-V6.pdf https://35z8e83m1ih83drye280o9d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... Or: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/673759/T1__ET__Guidance_01_2018__12.01_.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/... (Ah, the byzantine system: page 7 has three options, "Inside the UK", "Outside the UK", and "Croatia")
walshemj 8y ago
Not many people are going to fit those criteria. Its like BT's former performance management system to get a cat 1 (top level) you had similar criteria.
- chatmasta 8y ago
  The secret to application processes like this is that criteria are more guidelines than requirements. There is a 70% acceptance rate because of a dearth of applicants, probably because people read the criteria and think they don’t qualify. I would imagine that many people on HN can frame their experience to fit the criteria, as I was able to do. Also, if I were looking for full time employment and had the choice between UK and US, I would not come to the UK. I imagine this drives away a lot of non-self-employed or non-entrepreneurial applicants (though the visa isn’t really targeting them anyway, since at that point your employer should just sponsor you).
  - walshemj 8y ago
    In the current UK climate where British citizens are being deported (Windrush Scandal) I can see the home office seeing strictly enforcing the rules to the letter as an easy win.
nathan_f77 8y ago
Wow, thanks for your comment! I can't believe I've never heard of this visa before. I've been researching different investor and freelancer visas for the last few years. I've never seen a 5 year visa with almost no restrictions, and where you can bring your family. That's really awesome! I wouldn't move to the UK for a job, but it could be a great place to live as a freelancer.
- madeofpalk 8y ago
  What freelancer visa options are available? I’m over in the U.K. at the moment on a Tier 5 and and I looked at staying longer as a freelancer/contractor, my impression was the closest option I had was the investor visas.
  - chatmasta 8y ago
    Exceptional talent would cover freelancer if you frame it properly to emphasize the more entrepreneurial aspects of the business. For example, instead of calling yourself a freelancer, call yourself a director of a software consultancy. There is a UK “freelance visa” IIRC but it has a £60k capital requirement which can be furnished either by yourself or by investors.
  - nathan_f77 8y ago
    Germany has a freelancer visa that is pretty straightforward (albeit lots of paperwork.) Berlin is the easiest place to get that visa, but it can be done in other cities. I've also heard about Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Bulgaria, and Poland. You can also get a work permit in Thailand via Iglu [1]. They take 30% of the income that you bring into Thailand, with a minimum of $2,500 per month. [1] https://iglu.net/ https://iglu.net/
    - madeofpalk 8y ago
      Appreciated, but I’m in the UK now, so really I’m only interested I’m options that let me stay in the UK.
  - postsantum 8y ago
ummonk 8y ago
>There are only 200 slots available per year for digital technology, but the dirty secret is the 70% acceptance rate. Something tells me that this year the acceptance rate is going to be much lower...
- chatmasta 8y ago
  That’s why I never wrote this comment on similar topics while I was applying... Also I think they doubled it to 400 this year.
vram22 8y ago
>the Exceptional Talent visa. It’s a true hidden gem: tier 1, valid 5 years, no work restrictions Is this a successor to, and similar to, the HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme) that the UK had some years ago?

mtgx 8y ago

Meanwhile, the UK also wants to ID people before they are allowed to use the internet: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/digital-ids-to-end-online-mob-rule-and-anonymity-qq8lnwrcn https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/digital-ids-to-end-o...

Milner08 8y ago
Dont conflict one ministers opinion with the whole of the UK. Its not even something that is being debated, it would never get anywhere near a law (Even though I am sure Ms May would love it to).

foobarbazetc 8y ago

I’d launch my startup in the UK after Brexit because...?

pbhjpbhj 8y ago
Your market is only the UK and you don't want to import any materials, and the UK has all the talent you want, and you're wealthy enough that increased cost of living isn't going to be a huge negative. Otherwise I'd steer well clear.
- TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
  A lot of talent is leaving the UK. Some of it is moving to Europe. We have government ministers privately talking about “a meltdown” and Tory donors shorting the economy. Too many people under 30 are poor and heavily in debt. Business confidence is low and investment is disappearing. It feels as if Brexit is the UK’s closing down sale. The question is whether the meltdown will be an extended depression, or a Zimbabwe-style total collapse. I don’t think the former is unrealistic, and latter hardly seems impossible.

startupdiscuss 8y ago

A real startup visa gives you a pathway to permanent residence. No one wants to start a company and worry that they will have to leave everything there after 3 years if something does or does not happen.

xchaotic 8y ago

As a EU Citizen, whose grandfather fought for the freedoms in WWII alongside British pilots, those freedoms, including Schengen area freedom of movement that UK never bother to adopt, are being thrown away and they dare ask people to apply for a visa now? Good luck with that.

alva 8y ago
> Good luck with that. Since the Brexit vote net-migration for the UK is over half a million people, your native Poland is still suffering huge negative net-migration. "Despite Brexit" the UK attracts top talent from across the EU due to well paid jobs, culture and a business friendly environment. Look at immigrant attitude surveys across the EU to see how much they value the UK compared to many EU countries. Italy, Poland, Hungary, Austria etc are hardly trending in the direction you may desire. > whose grandfather fought for the freedoms in WWII alongside British pilots The British have a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the Polish pilots and honour them annually.
- ben_w 8y ago
  > The British have a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the Polish pilots and honour them annually. Not seen much sign of the Poles being acknowledged as Polish when being honoured as Spitfire pilots — heck, I didn’t even know many of the pilots were Polish until recently, and I’ve been living in the UK for my whole life… well, except for six months or so of post-Brexit looking for somewhere else before coming back because of family medical issues.
- tormeh 8y ago
  There's net migration into Poland. Lots of poles are leaving for Western Europe, but even more Romanians etc. are going to Poland. Poland has been booming for quite some time. It's four times richer than it was before it joined the EU if memory serves. That image of Poland as an unattractive place everyone wants to get away from is not really true anymore.
  - alva 8y ago

petercooper 8y ago

What's the latest for the US? Did any of the ideas of making the US more accessible for foreign tech entrepreneurs I've seen in recent years come to pass?

kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
You can buy a green card for $500K. Sort of a better deal since it eliminates the uncertainty of visa renewal.

reqres 8y ago

This is welcome move by the new Home Secretary, but the thing that terrifies me the most is the end of free movement when we leave the EU. As the director of a software development business, I have to contend with a very tight market for good developers. After brexit takes place, any EU citizen I wish to employ will have to go through the Tier 2 visa route. There are 3 major issues with this. 1. It's capped at 20k people per year. 2. We do not have the deep pockets and the legal/HR team to navigate the home office to procure such a visa 3. It does not provide sufficient guarantees for bringing and settling down a family On top of that, we also have to contend with many structural issues that makes the UK (London in particular) a less appealing place to attract talent: - High cost and low quality of living in London - Poor transport infrastructure (it's cheaper to eurostar London-Amsterdam than train London-Manchester) - UK politicians and media do not stand up for the benefits of immigration and is willing to allow blanket demonisation of immigrants to go unanswered - All the negative externalities associated with an overcrowded city (overcrowded public transport, knife crime, NOX pollution in excess of legally permissible levels)

easytiger 8y ago
> After brexit takes place, any EU citizen I wish to employ will have to go through the Tier 2 visa route. How do you know that?
- pjc50 8y ago
  Nobody knows for sure yet, and we might still get the EEA with free movement; but anti-immigration hostility was a big driver for the Brexit vote so some sections of the Tory party may not agree to this.
- jackweirdy 8y ago
  Politically, the Prime Minister is standing firmly behind the "End Freedom of Movement" crowd. There's been no discussion of any alternative immigration process besides the existing visa process. It's obviously not a certainty that that will be the case, but so far most signs point to it.

davidhyde 8y ago

I used to live with someone who started a fashion B2B in London. To get her visa she had to sell her £250,000 (equivalent) flat in Korea to use as capital for the business. One thing the article does not mention is how much capital you need to invest in the UK to get this visa. It is a lot higher than you think. Anyway, her company had been up and running for 3 years and doing well when her visa renewal came up. The crazy thing was that a renewal required a new capital cash injection into the business. Now, who keeps spare capital lying around when you want to make your business a success? You usually put everything you have into the business. She had to hire a good lawyer and produce kilograms of documentation in extreme detail to get her renewal. Very stressful for her and detracted from her business. I think it's reasonable to expect to hand over company accounts, bank statements and such to prove that it is a proper business but they go way too far. It is far too arduous and stressful. The stress is the main part. You never know if your paperwork is going to land on a grumpy persons Monday morning desk.

toomanybeersies 8y ago
It would appear that for Australia you currently require at least AU$1.5 million (US$1.1mm) for an investment visa, and there's no other type of business startup visa you can get. On the other hand, New Zealand has a entrepreneur visa that only requires NZ$100,000 (US$70k) of capital, as well as the Global Impact Visa through the Edmund Hillary Fellowship [1], which requires no capital at all beyond living costs for 1 year. [1] https://www.ehf.org/givs https://www.ehf.org/givs
- ivm 8y ago
  It's only €4,500 in the Netherlands for the US citizens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAFT

Oras 8y ago

If it is the same old entrepreneur visa, then one of the requirements is having £200K in the bank which means its not for early startups rather for well established or well-funded ones.

s_dev 8y ago
or more accurately serial founders with a history of success and not for newcomers to the startup scene.

CM30 8y ago

It's an interesting idea, but I think the main issue is whether a startup could get funded in the UK (or to be honest, most of Europe) the same way they can in Silicon Valley. For example, the amount of money you can raise is often a lot less after here, with rounds being on the low side compared to the millions possible in the US. That means companies needing a decent amount of funding probably shouldn't be looking for investment in the UK, and should probably reconsider anyone in Europe in general. They're also most hesitant to fund 'consumer' focused businesses over here compared to the US too. I remember asking where you could get investment for something like Facebook or Uber in the UK (after seeing that most entrepreneurs applying and accepted were running b2b companies), and basically being told that Techstars was probably the only viable option there. Seems like US accelerators and VCs are more likely to fund consumer focused businesses dependent on numbers and ad revenue compared to those in the UK, who prefer more of the Atlassian/Moz type approach (selling services to small companies). But yeah, it's nice the route has been announced, just feels like we need more viable ways to raise money as well.