Mandatory Criteria 1: You need evidence of speaking at high-profile digital technology sector events or specialist events in your field, supported by reference letters from industry experts or news clippings (including event size/attendance estimates).
My Case:Women Empowerment Event
I participated in a workshop at a university aimed at empowering women to join the digital technology field, organized by a student community dedicated to raising awareness about digital technology among students. Over 50 female students attended, and I received an appreciation shield from the head of the department at the end of the workshop. I have photos of me speaking at the event and receiving the shield. Additionally, the student community shared pictures of my workshop and the award on their Facebook page. I also have a recommendation letter from the event management leader, an experienced IT professional with renowned publications, who has known me for over 12 months and is aware of my contributions to the field. Unfortunately, I don’t have any email communication screenshots.
Mandatory Criteria 2: You command a high salary or other remuneration for your services, as evidenced by commercial or employment contracts with salary information including any bonus and equity options and history of earnings.
My Case:Working for a Hosting Company
I have helped a hosting company build their online presence by designing UI/UX and building their website, including the entire backend to manage their operations. Currently, I’m assisting them in creating UI/UX & Website designs for their customers who are interested in their website design services. I am receiving a competitive salary above the industry average and providing remote services at the moment.
I have a letter of recommendation from the director of the company, confirming my contributions to its foundation, which have significantly impacted customer conversions and increased company revenue. I’m also still involved in managing their customer projects.
I have evidence of my work, including Figma files that contain all the design works, the live developed system based on my design, website analytics, and company data showing the number of clients using their services and the revenue generated so far.
Is this evidence sufficient for MC’s?
Can I use these evidence for Optional Criteria’s as well if I select them for MC’s?
… @Francisca_Chiedu @pahuja @Maya
Usually leading digital tech events with an attendee size > 100 are considered significant by TN esp in OC2. What were the likes, comments (engagement numbers) on the social media channels? If not significant, TN flags it.
You can’t duplicate evidence in different criteria. All evidence needs to be unique. If this speaking event if your only speaking session then I would recommend you use it in MC. Since in OC2, they also look for a track record of outside job engagements and not a one-off event.
Thank you @pahuja for your kind response. I wanted to clarify that the event was an onsite workshop organized by a student-based society focused on improving technology skills among students. I was the only speaker, and while I have a video of the session that was shared on the society’s Facebook page, the engagement numbers are not that much, as their page has just recently reached 6k likes. The event took place in February 2020.
Additionally, I conducted an awareness workshop at my college in January 2020, where I was the only speaker and over 150 students participated. I have pictures from that event and received an appreciation letter from the college director, though he does not have an IT background as he is a professor in a different field. I also shared this on my company’s Facebook page at that time.
So what you think of it? What you say about the date as I have short time to prepare my evidences otherwise it will go over the date of 5 years defined by the TN.
And please share your thoughts about Mandatory Criteria 2 ?
As @pahuja mentioned , you cant use same evidence twice. if you provide it for mandatory, then you have to get other evidences provided for the other criteria.
number of evidences for each criteria is preferred to be not less than 3 as the salary evidence not usually a strong one. Can you provide additional criteria for your mandatory?
Thanks Maya for your response, yes I have other evidences as well. But I am just wandering at the moment that these two are good to choose for mandatory ?
Please be aware that a high salary alone is generally not considered strong evidence for the Global Talent Visa. I would recommend using it as a supporting piece of evidence once you’ve gathered all your Mandatory Criteria (MC) documentation.
For the women’s empowerment event, I suggest using it as an Optional Criterion (OC) to demonstrate recognition of contributions outside of your main occupation.
Lastly, keep in mind that the same evidence cannot be used for both Mandatory and Optional Criteria. If you’ve already used a particular piece of evidence for an MC, it’s best not to reuse it for an OC.