UK visa reforms are great for SA technology professionals

[Hanno Labuschagne]

UK visa reforms are great for SA technology professionals

Many skilled South African professionals continue to look overseas for job prospects, attracted by increased security and more developed job markets.

The United Kingdom is a top destination for South African emigrants, and there is a great demand in the country for skilled technology and finance workers.

Following Brexit-induced immigration changes, the UK is now implementing radical visa reforms that will make it easier for qualified and promising professionals from other countries to immigrate.

 

[system32]

UK has set their requirements quite high. If you qualify for UK you easily qualify for Australia, NZ, Canada, US, EU, etc.

So why would anyone select UK?

 

[Neuk_]

So why would anyone select UK?

MyBB has planted @Sinbad as our man on the inside.

 

[system32]

MyBB has planted @Sinbad as our man on the inside.

@Sinbad has UK heritage.
New rules are for aliens

 

[Rocket-Boy]

UK would be last on my list, I would most likely rather stay in SA.

 

[Hamster]

So why would anyone select UK?

1) Some already have a passport/easy way out of SA and 2) English

Those are the only reasons people go there.

 

[RaptorSA]

I'm already working for a UK client so I'm in a position where it probably won't be too much effort to get in...
thing is, each time I think about moving to that place I kots in my mouth.

Future me might hate me for not taking the plunge ... but uuugh....

 

[Neuk_]

@Sinbad has UK heritage.
New rules are for aliens

As do I, hence I sent him over on a recon mission.

 

[HavocXphere]

So why would anyone select UK?

1) Some already have a passport/easy way out of SA and 2) English

Those are the only reasons people go there.

You forgot one - salaries & career. There are only so many finance hubs in the world. London makes more sense than any other city imo. (Unless you're willing to do NY with their crazy american work/life - personally...fk that)

Probably wouldn't do London if in tech though

 

[AdrianH]

UK would be last on my list, I would most likely rather stay in SA.

The ANC thanks you for your continued tax contributions. BMW and Merc are releasing new models soon, that tax will come in handy

 

[AdrianH]

I'm already working for a UK client so I'm in a position where it probably won't be too much effort to get in...
thing is, each time I think about moving to that place I kots in my mouth.

Why do you get knots?

 

[Hamster]

You forgot one - salaries & career. There are only so many finance hubs in the world. London makes more sense than any other city imo. (Unless you're willing to do NY with their crazy american work/life - personally...fk that)

Probably wouldn't do London if in tech though

I suppose if you are career driven you'd put up with a lot of crap. Personally I'd take a pay cut and be poor somewhere else.

 

[cguy]

UK has set their requirements quite high. If you qualify for UK you easily qualify for Australia, NZ, Canada, US, EU, etc.

So why would anyone select UK?

For London specifically, the London experience (it’s not ranked #1 here for no reason).

https://www.afar.com/magazine/best-cities-in-the-world

Finance hub, tech hub, culture hub. English speaking, with easy access to the rest of Europe. Not really that surprising.

Outside of London, there are also amazing places to live, from Norwich, to Edinburgh to Glasgow, etc., with different trade-offs between cosmopolitan, quaint and gritty, depending on your fancy.

 

[HavocXphere]

Personally I'd take a pay cut and be poor somewhere else.

Been there, done that. Wouldn't recommend. You still end up working the hours, just with less comp

Other thing that's interesting about UK is personal tax system. Even without fancy tricks there are good structuring options available

But yes the weather blows

 

[cguy]

I suppose if you are career driven you'd put up with a lot of crap. Personally I'd take a pay cut and be poor somewhere else.

Living in London/NY hardly requires putting up with crap if you are well paid. As for the WLB - this is pretty firm dependent. I’ve certainly never experienced or heard of anything remotely like the Goldman Sachs associates who only go home to change clothes rumors.

 

[grok]

Like any of you wouldn't give a left nut to sit in London instead of the people's republic of Azania right now..

I've worked in the UK thrice & would leave in a heartbeat, there's a lot going for the UK besides strength of pound & lack of ANC values eg. closeness to Europe for travel & friends and did I mention not being a white person in New Dawn South Africa.

 

[krycor]

For London specifically, the London experience (it’s not ranked #1 here for no reason).

https://www.afar.com/magazine/best-cities-in-the-world

Finance hub, tech hub, culture hub. English speaking, with easy access to the rest of Europe. Not really that surprising.

Outside of London, there are also amazing places to live, from Norwich, to Edinburgh to Glasgow, etc., with different trade-offs between cosmopolitan, quaint and gritty, depending on your fancy.

Use to be.. might not be going forward. Brexit pain hasn’t even begun yet.. just minor stuff and combo with pandemic and corp taxes going up for by a large 7% in the coming years (like SA did the whole forward outlook.. meh) that alone will make many rethink location if they servicing EU

 

[system32]

For London specifically, the London experience (it’s not ranked #1 here for no reason).

https://www.afar.com/magazine/best-cities-in-the-world

Finance hub, tech hub, culture hub. English speaking, with easy access to the rest of Europe. Not really that surprising.

Outside of London, there are also amazing places to live, from Norwich, to Edinburgh to Glasgow, etc., with different trade-offs between cosmopolitan, quaint and gritty, depending on your fancy.

Plenty of cities in Australia, USA, Canada, NZ that are English speaking, are finance enuf, have better tech, better standard of living, better weather and have lower barrier to entry.

The new sky high requirements for UK will send people to other countries.

 

[cguy]

Plenty of cities in Australia, USA, Canada, NZ that are English speaking, are finance enuf, have better tech, better standard of living, better weather and have lower barrier to entry.

The new sky high requirements for UK will send people to other countries.

Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with Sydney, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Auckland as choices.

As to why someone would choose London over these, with the exception of New York, the others don’t really compete at the culture level (and even then, London wins). None of them are near Europe. Also, with the exception of the US cities, the pay isn’t likely going to be competitive either.

As to your point on the barrier to entry, if you make the UK bar, why should it matter whether other places have lower bars? If anything it hints at them being less desirable.

The new UK visa policies are also pretty interesting - allowing one to arrive without an offer/sponsorship is great.

 

[RandomGeek]

I'm not absolutely convinced about UK and the London in particular. It is super expensive having offices there, and anecdotally companies are actively looking at outsourcing roles currently based in London, to e.g. remote working structures in the UK or saving even more money by going overseas. Brexit is just going to speed up this process is my view