I got one of these visas ("Exceptional Talent") in 2019, also via TechNation, before they were updated and renamed to "Global Talent". The main difference seems

I got one of these visas ("Exceptional Talent") in 2019, also via TechNation, before they were updated and renamed to "Global Talent". The main difference seems to be that now three letters of recommendation are required rather than two. For the most part, my application relied on my co-authorship on academic publications, patents, conference speaking, and press coverage of my work. A lot of people seem to DIY these things, but I hired an immigration law firm to guide me through the process. The most helpful thing about that was that they were able to make a lot of decisions for me with regards to what to submit. The "not reliant on an employer" part was extremely important to me - letting anyone have the kind of leverage over me that sponsoring a visa provides was not acceptable. One thing that really surprised me was that my lack of a post-secondary degree was a complete non-issue.