Exceptional Promise application for Game Dev- Request for Review

Stage 1
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Hi All, Hope you are doing fine.

I am a Game Programmer with 2 years of experience. I am working in the UK, but I thiink it is safer to transfer to the Talent Visa. I would really appreciate your feedback and suggestions on my profile, which I plan to use for my Exceptional Talent application.

Here is my profile:

  1. Academic Background: Best high school in China, good uni but drop out to study computer science (QS top 10) and pursue opportunity of working abroad in game industry. Master offer holder at a top 5 CS uni. Interned at lab, worked on 2 publications but doesn’t have my name on author list (worked on programming, data analysis, arranging experiment part.)

  2. **Professional Background: 7 working experiences in total. But only a 2-year-junior. Interned at multiple positions. Now working at a Mid-sized? AAA studio as game programmer. Can provide certificates **

  3. ** UK Chinese in Game Founder and Administrator. A non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Chinese-speaking professionals and enthusiasts to achieve their full potential(like accessing more opportunities and advance their careers) in the gaming industry . Now 400+ members, can provide photos of activity.**

  4. Math/CS prize winner. Attended multiple game jams as well. Top 10% of 300+ global entries in Tencent game competition. IXN Hackathon. Tranzfuzer showcased. Can provide certificates

  5. Write blogs on Linkedin. Open-source programmes. Lifelong learner, also make game videos etc.

  6. Working on multiple side projects, like board game, visual novel, AI Pet…

Here are the list of my materials, 10 evidences
Letters of Recommendation:

  1. Letters of Recommendation

Studio head of my current employer probably

Ex-boss at one place i interned at.

Some dude that benefits from my community - they attend the events I host

  1. Mandatory Evidence:

Evidence 1 - A file that basically introduce myself, like what i described earlier in my profile

Evidence 2 - A portfolio on my intern projects, side projects, game jams, github projects etc.

  1. Optional Evidences

Evidence 3 - Certificate of Internship @ the lab of a Top CS Uni where i took part in the research projects

Evidence 4 - Certificate of Internship @ a game company I interned at

Evidence 5 - Certificate of Student Training in Gameplay Programmer Program @ a well-know game company

Evidence 6 - Awards for taking part in Tranzfuser, (the brought to you by UK Games Talent and Finance CIC. It aims to provide an annual shot of top talent into the UK development ecosystem with a particular focus on enhancing creative portfolios with an externally validated project. )

Evidence 7,8 - Certificate of Coursera, evidence for continuous learning

Evidence 9 - Offer Letter from a US top CS Uni, proven academic achievement and I rejected it to work in UK

Evidence 10 - Certificate of participation of a game jam

Finally , my last question:

  • Do I provide the evidence of the research i‘ve done (but does not have my name on it)? Probably with links to publication and basically explaining what I’ve done in the Project. what is it about - This can replace one of the coursera certificate I guess?

  • What do you think should be changed for my evidence(s) based on my profile?

  • I will contact the HR of my current company of course, but what if they say no?

  • Do you think I have a chance? I guess the greatest strength of mine is the founder of CiG community. I only have photos tho, dont know how to demonstrate better to them…

MANY THANKS!!!

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Hi @cynderen none of your evidences listed meet the guidelines. Highly recommend you to thoroughly understand the official guidelines here or get in touch with an expert like myself, @Raphael, @Akash_Joshi , @Francisca_Chiedu to understand the requirements

2 Likes
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Hi Pahuja
Thank you for your reply!
I kind of get what you mean, but could you elaborate a little more please?
So for the mandatory evidence section, I could focus on " led the growth of a non-profit organisation" “nationally or internationally recognised prizes” "Published material "

And for the optional ones, instead of only putting certificate, I could also describe more on the product I worked? Like how many copies it sold, my role, etc.?

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More specifically:

Intro file is invalid
Portfolio of internship projects is not part of guidelines. MC requires to show industry recognition of your work.
Certificates of internships are invalid evidence.
Upskilling certificates are invalid evidence.
Participation certificates are invalid evidence.
Offer letter is invalid evidence.

None of these evidences are accepted as valid evidences that meet the guidelines of GTV. Please review the guidelines in-depth to get an understanding of each criteria’s meaning and the acceptable evidences.

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Thank again Pahuja, I will re-evaluate the guideline and potentially start a new thread.

Have a good rest of your day!

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Hi @cynderen, as @pahuja mentioned, it’s important to understand the Tech Nation requirements in the guidance, which is the first source of truth, so you can present your evidence properly and convincingly. My free pro tips and guide may also be helpful - you can find them here: https://tech-pal.co.uk/

All the best.
.

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You need to read tech nation requirements and also go through the forum for list of evidence submitted by successful applicants and read rejected applications too.

1 Like
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Exceptional Promise application for Game Programmer - Request for Review - Stage 1 - UK Tech Nation Visa Forum

Good evening guys, sorry for the inconvenience, I’ve updated the stuff in the new thread here, after diving more into the guides.

What do you think of it?

Thanks soooo much again

:heart:

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Your community work stands out as your strongest asset. Leading a 400+ member Chinese in Gaming community shows real initiative. However, most of your current evidence won’t meet Tech Nation’s requirements.

Certificates of internship, coursera courses, participation awards, and offer letters are not valid evidence. Assessors specifically reject these. Your portfolio needs to demonstrate industry recognition, not just showcase your work. Each evidence document must show third-party validation from external sources, not colleagues or employers.

For Mandatory Criteria, focus on your community’s growth and any recognition it received. Include external media coverage or testimonials from members at other organizations. For Optional Criteria, if your game shipped commercially, document its success metrics and your specific contribution. The Tranzfuser program could work if you can show objective results beyond participation.

Start by studying successful applications in the forum. I’ve seen junior developers get endorsed by showing measurable impact through open-source contributions and structured mentorship programs. Your foundation is solid - you just need to reframe your achievements to show external recognition and sector-wide impact rather than personal accomplishments.

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Here are the list of my materials, 10 evidences
Letters of Recommendation:

  1. Letters of Recommendation

Studio head of my current employer probably

Ex-boss at one place i interned at.

Some dude that benefits from my community - they attend the events I host

  1. Personal Statement: A file that basically introduces myself, summarizes what i described earlier in my profile

  2. Mandatory Evidence:

Evidence 1 - “You led the growth of a non-profit organisation… with a specific focus on the digital technology sector.”

  • M1.1 Community Impact Report: A 1-page PDF with member growth chart (0 → 400+), annual event calendar, and key impact metrics (82.1% help rate, 28.6% career advancement rate) .
  • M1.2 Event Proofs: Posters, high-resolution photos (offline networking, online lecture screenshots), and attendance statistics for 3-4 representative events.
  • M1.3 Third-Party Authority Letter of Recommendation: From a UK gaming industry authority (e.g., university course lead, senior executive at a known company, TIGA/UKIE member). The letter must concretely describe UKCiG’s value, your leadership role, and the community’s contribution to the UK industry.
  • M1.4 Community Member Testimonials: Thank-you letters from 1-2 members who gained substantial help (e.g., found a job, received a promotion) through UKCiG, serving as case studies for the data in M1.1.

Evidence 2 - “You led the growth of a product-led digital technology company, product or team inside a digital technology company…”

  • M2.1 Employer Letter of Recommendation (from Technical Director): The letter must detail a specific product feature, tool, or system you led or were instrumental in developing (e.g., the AI system, animation infrastructure). It should quantify the impact of your work (e.g., “improved team efficiency by X%”, “enabled the delivery of feature Y which was critical for milestone Z”, “directly contributed to the project’s technical success”).
  • M2.2 Technical Artefacts as Proof: Screenshots of the tool/UI you built (e.g., IMGui debugger), architectural diagrams highlighting your contributions , or links to internal documentation you authored. These serve as the “lines of code” evidence.
  • M2.3 Product/Project Context: A brief description or public link (e.g., official game announcement, trailer) for the project you contributed to, establishing its significance.

Evidence 3 - “You have received nationally or internationally recognised prizes or awards for excellence specifically in the digital technology sector,”

  • M3.1 Official Award Certificates.
  • M3.2 Overviews of each competition. (game jam, hackathon, etc.)
  • M3.3 Projects Showcase: A 1-page summary with visuals, detailing your technical role and the project’s creative highlights.

Evidence 4 - “Published material in professional or major trade publications or major media about the applicant related to the applicant’s work in the digital technology sector. You must include the title, date and evidence that you are the author of such published material and any necessary translation.”

  • M4.1 Links to the articles.
  • M4.2 Explanation of what I contributes and why i dont have my names on**.
  • M4.3 Recommendation by the professors who are aware of my work (if applicable)**.
  • M4.4 Offer letters to showcase academic achievement
  1. Optional Evidences

Evidence 5 - “they have made significant technical, commercial or entrepreneurial contributions to the field as a founder or employee of a product-led digital technology company”

O4.1,2,3,4: Example Contribution to [Mobile Game Project] at [Previous Company]

  • Project Website and introduction
  • Company Website and introduction
  • Role: Game Programmer Intern
  • Contribution: Developed the core match-3 puzzle logic and integrated the SDK for in-app purchases.
  • Impact: Delivered a stable, bug-free core gameplay loop that allowed the project to proceed to closed beta testing on schedule. The SDK integration ensured future monetization capability.
  • Refer letter potentially

Evidence 6 - “a proof of recognition for work beyond the applicant’s occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field”

  • O6.1 Reiteration of Evidence M1 (UKCiG), with explicit emphasis that all work was voluntary and unpaid .
  • O6.2 Mentorship Record: Documentation showing your structured mentorship activities for community members (e.g., meeting schedules, summaries of guidance provided).

Evidence 7 - "innovation as a founder of a product led digital technology company or as an employee working on a new digital field or concept"

  • O7.1 Personal Project Portfolio: Showcase of 1-2 most polished side projects (not published tho) . Include project brief, design documents, and link to playable prototype/video.
  • O7.2 Innovation Statement: Explanation of the project’s unique innovation in gameplay, narrative, or technology (e.g., AI-driven systems).
  • O7.3 Future Venture Statement: A paragraph outlining how these projects are the foundation for your long-term goal of establishing an independent studio in the UK to incubate original IP, demonstrating commercial ambition.

Evidence 8 - “a proof of recognition for work beyond the applicant’s occupation that contributes to the advancement of the field”

  • O8.1 Links to blogs, learning projects, notes on Github. Each with a description
  • O8.2 Some game reviews I wrote?
    (Is it really worth it? I have only single digit followers on Github, and several hundreds - 1k followers on Linkedin, etc.)

Evidence 9 - “innovation as a founder of a product led digital technology company or as an employee working on a new digital field or concept”

  • O9.1 Experience of worked at a famous lab on AR/VR
  • O9.2 Certificate, link
  • O9.3 Describe what i’ve done
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Thanks Akash! Would go for a search in the forum. My new evidences are like this. What do you think?