Brexit causes Tech-xit: UK companies need South Africans to fill vacancies
Computer-savvy SA workers could be the real beneficiaries of Brexit Britain
Whilst the UK’s Brexit status continues to have all the stability of a haywire nuclear reactor, it seems that this uncertainty could be of a huge benefit to South Africans… Well, tech-savvy ones, that is.
Immigration Advice Services (IAS) have revealed that UK technology companies are desperately seeking foreign workers on Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visas.
Find work in the UK as a South African
27% of Britain’s tech workforce is made up of foreign workers, but with the country deciding to leave the EU, migrants from within Europe are hastily choosing to avoid the UK as somewhere to come and make a living.
Like many other industries in the country, this sector is heavily reliant on skilled migrant workers. The UK government are looking to cut immigration to less than 100,000 people a year, but this threatens to leave their tech-sector with a huge brain drain.
Read: UK Home Office announce changes to family migration laws
IAS lawyers noted that developers for app-based technology are becoming increasingly sought-after on the British isles, as well as computer engineers. They gave an optimistic forecast for South Africans wanting to work in the UK:
“The unexpected increase for tech visas in the UK has shown many tech companies are looking to solidify their workers post-Brexit Britain.”
“Tech companies are looking to attract the best and the brightest from around the globe. This is evidenced by the dramatic increase in Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visas being approved, South Africans are on a level playing field with the rest of the world in regards to how companies consider their applicants.”
UK Visa for South Africans
Despite economic uncertainty, London is still being treated as a business behemoth, outperforming many of its European counterparts in financial terms (although, admittedly, Britain still remains in the EU whilst negotiations continue).
Yet, no matter how good your tech skills are, you will still be required to take an English test when applying for a Tier 1 visa.
Our advice is to make sure you know what a ‘cuppa’ is and remember that talking to strangers on public transport is a strictly forbidden under the law of social etiquette.