The United Kingdom’s program for displaced talent
In July 2021, the UK Government launched the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot, designed in collaboration with Talent Beyond Boundaries. The pilot aims to identify and address the administrative and legal barriers that refugees and other forcibly displaced job seekers face when seeking to move internationally as skilled workers. Over the next 1-2 years, it will enable approximately 100+ primary applicants and their families to move to the UK for work in a variety of critical fields including IT, construction and engineering.
Key facilitation measures:
- Free priority processing (visa’s received within 5 working days)
- Dedicated desk at Home Office to provide case management support and help overcoming administrative hurdles, such as flexibility with document requirements and issuing travel documents to candidates without passports
- For candidates arriving under DT4E, IOM provides pre-departure training sessions to employers and post-arrival sessions to candidates.
| UK Displaced Talent Mobility | UK Healthcare Pilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Visa/permit instrument | Skilled Worker Visa | Skilled Worker Visa, using the Health and Care Worker Stream. |
| Length of stay | Up to 5 years temporary residence, then Indefinite Leave to Remain (that is, permanent residence) after 5 years in the UK. | |
| No. visas available under program | 50-100 places by end of 2024. | Uncapped. |
| Most common recruiting industries | Legal, technology, construction. | Healthcare (mainly nursing). |
| Visa processing times | 1-5 days. | 1-5 days. |
| About the applicant | ||
| Who can apply? | Screening by TBB against TBB eligibility criteria. | |
| Location of applicant | Anywhere. | |
| What family members can be included | Spouse or de facto partner and any dependent children under 18. In some cases, for practical reasons, the primary applicant may elect to relocate first in order to start work, then make arrangements for their family to join them (separate visa application later on). This is common for nurses and is commonly referred to as “staggered migration.” | |
| Language requirement | Minimum 4.0 IELTS. | Minimum 4.0 IELTS to enter as a Healthcare Assistant. IELTS 7.0 is required for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. |
| How language can be tested | Approved test with a secure English language test (SELT). NB: There is a current review of the SELT. | Approved test with a secure English language test (SELT). NB: There is a current review of the SELT. For healthcare, the most common test is the OET. |
| Proof of education / qualification | Applicants are not required to provide a skills assessment or show work experience. The sponsor business is responsible for determining whether the skilled displaced person has the skills and qualifications to work in an eligible occupation code. | For entry, the sponsoring employer is responsible for determining that the displaced person has the skills and qualifications to work as Healthcare Assistant. Additional requirements need to be met to be registered as a nurse. See licensing section. |
| Skills/credential assessment with a professional body | N/A | The focus of the healthcare programme has been on nurses, and has led to the development of the Displaced Professionals Policy from the Nursing and Midwifery Council. NB: registration is on arrival, but entry is using the unregistered Healthcare Assistant Route. |
| Proof of minimum work experience | N/A | |
| Licensing requirements (eg. for healthcare roles) | If the job offer requires a license to practice, the applicant must have that license in order to be eligible. Can work in unlicenced profession until a license is obtained. Nursing and Midwifery Council has special policy to support applicants forcibly displaced persons applying. | |
| Age requirement | 18+ for primary applicant. | |
| Health | N/A | |
| Character and security | Criminal record certificate is required but can be waived if candidate faces a barrier in safely obtaining a police certificate. | |
| Travel document requirement | Candidates who do not have a travel document can obtain a UK travel document for entry. This is a one time entry permit with the visa affixed. On arrival in the UK, candidates can apply for a renewable UK Certificate of Travel. | |
| Biometrics | Biometrics required at the time of visa lodgement at Visa Application Centre in country of residence. | |
| About the employer | ||
| How can employers access the scheme? | Employer must be referred by TBB. | |
| What businesses are able to sponsor? | Businesses who are licensed sponsors. | |
| About the job | ||
| Eligible occupations | Eligible occupations | Eligible occupations |
| Labour Market Testing | No. | |
| Work hours | Not defined; other than must meet salary requirement. | |
| Contract length | N/A | |
| Salary minimum | At least £26,200 per year (or £10.75 per hour). NB this is increasing to £38,700 a year in Spring 2024. | At least £20,960 per year. |
| Obligations on the business | Sponsorship obligations | |
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