Hello, I applied for the tech nation exceptional talent category on the 4th of September , 2023 and 2 days ago I got an email that I would not be getting the endorsement. Here’s the feedback below:
A few statements in there are incorrect. I earn way more than the average salary for my role. I am already in the UK on a skilled worker visa. I was not a freelancer or contractor but I was working as a full-time employee for the companies i provided pieces of evidence for remotely from Nigeria and due to tax laws and other things, the contract was set up like a contractor.
Need some help drafting an appeal and would appreciate any additions, comments or suggestions. Thank you all 
There is no way to give concrete feedback on your appeal without seeing your initial application, though. As a rule of thumb, the task is for you to convince the assessment team that whatever you say, “contractor or employee,” is true. If you are attaching any document showing your contribution to a product, then you have to state its eventual impact, either on the users or the company’s revenue. Do not go in there expecting them to know just because you said so. For example, you have to do a comparison of your compensation with similar roles in your country of hire using rating platforms like Glassdoor. Also, the threshold for exceptional talent is quite high and you might want to get your recommendation letters from a more diverse set of industry experts. If this was not done in your initial application, then you might have to prepare for another application. However, if you believe you have done this, then you just need to point it out. PS: Your LinkedIn or other public profile must say the same thing as you claim.
Thank you @sodiqotijani for your response.
Here’s a list of evidence/documents shared for my application.
- Updated CV
- Personal Statement
3 Letters of recommendation
- Letter from the CEO of a top blockchain company.
- Letter from former Chief of Staff of a global e-commerce company.
- Letter from the CTO of a top martech company
Evidence list
MC
- Letter of reference from Co-founder of startup in the middle-east
- Employment contract from current employer in the UK
- Salary slips + stock options
OC 1
- Letter of reference from ex-Technical lead of current employer in the UK
- Employment contract from previous employer (e-commerce)
- Salary slips from previous employer (e-commerce)
OC3
- Letter of reference from engineering manager from a previous employer
- Letters of promotions and appraisals from previous employers
- Architectural diagrams showing my contribution to different companies
- Employment contract from previous employer (blockchain)
LIke I said earlier, without the actual evidence, i am not sure anyone can speak to the merits or otherwise of your pieces of evidence for appeal purposes. From the list of Evidences, I can majorly see reference letters and compensation information across all 3 criteria aside from the diagrams. No media recognition/ Articles, no speaking engagements, open source contribution or mentorship. For your MC criteria for the Talent Track i do not personally think employement contract and 1 reference letter will suffice except those 2 are expnentially good. Good luck on your appeal
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Appreciate your input @sodiqotijani . Thank you
Based on your listed evidence, you have provided mostly references. Refer letters a lone are not sufficient. There are no evidence showing your sectoral contribution, national or industry recognition, thought leadership or awards. For instance evidence 2 and 3 of the mandatory criteria is pretty much the same they are both about your earnings. Same feedback for OC1. For OC3 it is similar pattern or evidence the only difference is the architecture diagram which still didn’t show your impact.
Take your time to read the guide and previous successful evidence on this forum, you will see you didn’t meet the bar for exceptional promise.
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thank you for you response @Francisca_Chiedu
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