Please rate and review my application for 'exceptional talent'

Hello,

I hope you are doing well. I am planning to apply for the Global Talent Visa soon and would greatly appreciate your assistance in reviewing my case and guiding me on how to maximize my chances of approval.

I have nearly 8 years of experience in the tech industry working as a Data Sientist, primarily with product-based companies. I have also conducted research for my company. While the research itself is confidential, its outcomes are public, and I have supporting documentation to validate my contributions.

I am applying under OC3 and OC4 categories. Below is an overview of the evidence I have collected so far:

Letters of recommendation:
1. Principal Product Manager from Meta (current company)
2. Senior Engineering Manager from a previous company
3. Professor who supervised my company research (highly regarded with an impressive Google Scholar profile)

Mandatory evidence:
1. I contributed to stopping a cyber theft incident, which was publicly covered, including in TechCrunch. One recommendation letter details this as well. The outcome safeguarded the personal data of over 50 million users.
2. I contributed to a VR project at Meta that fixes user experince and help to increase users adoption to that project by 50%, with detailed evidence supported by a recommendation letter.
3. I have spoken at prestigious international conferences such as PyCon and the Google Developer Club.
4. My Meta offer letter and performance reviews demonstrate my progress and contributions during my time at the company.

OC4 evidence:
1. I received a scholarship from an EU body.
2. My master’s degree with honors and a related certification highlight specific requirements to achieve, focusing on research with startups. I also have an additional letter from my professor but am unsure whether to include it.
3. I conducted research for a company, which is not publicly available due to confidentiality. However, the case study and results are public. I am attaching an endorsement letter from a colleague with a high Google Scholar profile, in addition to my recommendation letters.

OC3 evidence:
1. I completed a project at Meta that resulted in user acquisition and retention. I have detailed evidence and a supporting letter from a senior colleague.
2. I supported the release of a major VR application at Meta, with additional backing from a Technical Program Manager’s letter and publicly available release notes.
3. Offer letters from previous companies and documentation of hackathon wins are included as additional evidence.

Could you please let me know if this evidence is sufficient to maximize my chances of approval? Should I structure the documents differently or include/exclude any items?

I am grateful for your time and assistance.

Best regards

Your help will be appreciated @Francisca_Chiedu, @pahuja, @alexnk @May @Maya @igortsk @Afolabi @Chaitanya_Bapat

MC
1 - Do you have evidence that shows your personal contribution? A mention in a reference letter won’t be enough by itself - you need to show what part of the project you did and how it was impactful
2 & 3 Sounds good

4 - recent applications rejections have mentioned salary as a weaker type of evidence. Can you swap this with something else?

OC4
1 - scholarships aren’t permitted as evidence Tech Nation Visa Guide - Tech Nation.

Please note that awards must be of merit and not solely monetary (e.g. grants, bursaries or scholarships).

2- Research done as part of an MSc thesis doesn’t count as valid evidence Tech Nation Visa Guide - Tech Nation

Research undertaken as part of an undergraduate or MSc thesis does not qualify for this criteria;

3 - OC4 is about academic research that’s published and reviewed. I’m not sure private research fits this description though it surely fits OC3 if you want to move it

OC3
1 - Does your evidence show your personal contribution to this project?
2 - Sound like repeat evidence from MC 2? This isn’t allowed
3 - OC3 is about workplace impact - offer letters don’t show this, and hackathon wins generally don’t translate to the business bottom line and usually don’t fit OC3 too

I think you mandatory criteria look ok, the media publication mentioning your name can be used to further validate the reference letter that mentions you led the project.

Also your OC4 evidence do not meet the criteria. You can try innovation OC1 if you have any innovative contributions.

For O3 ensure your employer reference show metrics of your contribution also add any architectural digram or project you developed. Employment contract is also fine for OC3 as long as it is not same evidence as MC.