Review Request Exceptional Talent (Technical Applicant)

Stage 1
1

Hi,

I’m preparing my application for the UK Global Talent visa (Exceptional Talent route) and would appreciate feedback on my draft case and evidence list.

Background:

  • 5+ years in digital technology, progressing from Software Engineer to VP, Technology.
  • Experience across Fintech, HR Tech, and B2B SaaS.
  • Roles:
    • Company A (HR/Payroll startup) – 3 yrs 10 mos, grew through engineering ranks.
    • Company B (developer community startup and unicorn) – 9 mos.
    • Company C (Fintech startup) – 1.7+ yrs as VP, leading technology.

Recommendation Letters (3):

  1. Co-founder/CEO, Company A.
  2. CEO of Email Marketing SaaS startup (ex-Engineering Manager at Company A).
  3. Co-founder/CEO of Africa’s largest Merchant of Record fintech (partner/customer of Company C).

Mandatory Criteria:

  • Led development and growth of Company C’s embedded finance and treasury suite (processed $3 billion and counting; clients include PAPPS, Afrexim Bank, Crown Agents Bank, D-Local, Flutterwave, Dangote, etc).
    • Evidence 1: Code clippings, contribution graphs, screenshots.
    • Evidence 2: LOR from Co-founder 1 of Company C, validating transaction volumes.
  • Open-source contributions.
    • Evidence 3: Document contains:
      • 9 high-impact PRs screenshot, I was also a maintainer.
      • Contributor of the month (July 2023) came with a 20-minute feature on the startup’s YouTube channel.
      • Project repo with 4.2k stars, 50k+ Docker pulls, startup was acquired in 2025.
  • Media coverage.
    • Evidence 4: Company C cover featured in Forbes Africa (September 2025), got me interviews in major tech/news outlets. (This is very recent, just 2 weeks old.)

Optional Criteria 2:

  • Talks or conference speaking that have had a significant viewership (Google Devfest).
    • Evidence 5: Selected from 60+ applicants to deliver the opening keynote to 850 physical and 1,200 virtual attendees. Documentation includes event pictures, flyers, invites, and a presentation link.
    • Evidence 6: Letter of Recommendation from a GDG Organiser confirming the event statistics.
  • Your GitHub profile demonstrating active participation in a collaborative project, & Your Stack Overflow profile showing significant contribution to discussions around code.
    • Evidence 7: Documentation includes clippings showing consistent GitHub activity since 2020 and a StackOverflow profile with responses and upvotes. (I think this is a minor contribution.)

Optional Criteria 3:

  • Having worked as a key engineer in the core product of a start-up, showing evidence of how you have contributed to its success.
    • Evidence 8: Built a RegTech tool for Company C (architecture docs, UI screenshots, KYB/KYC flows, EDD flows, and transaction monitoring - stopped $3M in fraud funds flow).
    • Evidence 9: Letter of Recommendation from the second Co-founder of Company C, validating the RegTech contribution and the result of the application in the industry.

I would appreciate your thoughts on whether this aligns strongly with the Exceptional Talent route, and any weak areas in my evidence set I need to strengthen.

Thank you!

@Akash_Joshi @Raphael @pahuja @Francisca_Chiedu

1 Like
2

Hi @K_Ojo, I trust you’re doing well.

I must say, you have a solid tech background, and with over 5 years of experience in product-led companies, it’s safe to say you’re eligible for the TN application. However, getting an endorsement is more than just one’s background.

ROL
When selecting recommenders, you’ll want to check their LinkedIn profiles to ensure that beyond their titles, they are truly recognized individuals in the tech sector, with career trajectories that reflect this.

MC
Lines of code from public repositories, contribution graphs, screenshots, etc., along with reference letters, are not usually strong enough on their own based on recent rejections I’ve seen.These can work if they complement one or two strong MCs that clearly show recognition for leading development and growth.

Also note that reference letters are mainly intended to confirm that the evidence you provide is true. On their own, they do not count as strong evidence.

Additionally, audited company accounts are typically used to validate transaction volumes and not letters.

Is this the same company project that has a repository with 4.2k stars, 50k+ Docker pulls, and was acquired in 2025? Or is it a community or open-source project? - Company products don’t usually have this kind of metrics, except they are developers tools, frameworks or IDEs and what have we. If its for company B and not from a company’s profile. This can be strong for you.

Regarding Company C’s feature in Forbes Africa - was your name mentioned? If not, then you are not personally recognized and cannot claim credit.

As for the interview - was it about the product? Which media outlet published it? It needs to be a credible one. Also, what exactly did you say in the interview? If it was more of an advertorial or focused only on the product, it may not be considered recognition.

OC 2
Selected from 60+ applicants…
Does the invitation explicitly state that you were invited as a keynote speaker?
Is the presentation link a video of you speaking on the main stage?
Event pictures and flyers alone don’t carry much weight.

Your GitHub profile showing active participation since 2020 is a good one, but again it depends on the level of contributions and the relevance of the projects. Have you contributed to significant open-source projects on GitHub?

Overall, these are good pieces of evidence. But when preparing a TN application, it’s important to evaluate them against the most current standards, informed by both accepted and rejected applications.

The standard has really evolved.

All the best.

3

Looking at your application, you have strong technical experience but several areas need significant strengthening based on current rejection patterns I’ve seen. Your mandatory criteria evidence appears weak - recommendation letters alone won’t suffice, and Tech Nation now requires third-party external validation that goes beyond colleague endorsements. The $3 billion transaction volume claim needs audited financial documentation, not just reference letters, and Forbes coverage only counts if you’re personally named and quoted.

Your open-source contribution is promising if the 4.2k star repository is genuinely yours and not company property. However, screenshot evidence won’t pass - you need commit histories, maintainer documentation, and proof of ongoing community impact. For your keynote speaking, provide the actual video link, official event documentation showing audience numbers, and verification that you were selected as opening speaker rather than just another presenter.

The RegTech tool evidence needs substantial strengthening with architecture diagrams, personal code contributions, and measurable business impact metrics. Screenshots alone will be rejected. Your GitHub and Stack Overflow profiles need to show consistent multi-year contributions to significant projects, not just recent activity that looks application-motivated.

Most critically, ensure your recommendation letters avoid any template language and come from truly external industry experts, not just colleagues or clients. Recent applications fail when letters appear coordinated or use similar phrasing. Consider postponing your application to gather stronger third-party validation and more robust individual contribution evidence.

Your background has potential, but the current evidence package would likely face rejection under Tech Nation’s heightened 2025 standards. Focus on building undeniable external recognition before applying.

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