More technology visas granted after fears of worker shortage – Telegraph.co.uk

The Government will grant more visas to technology workers in a major boost to the industrys attempts to secure access to overseas talent after the Brexit vote.

Tech City UK, the government organisation that processes applications for the special visa, has been granted the right to endorse 250 immigration visas this year, 50 more than it had originally been allocated.

The move comes after surging demand for the visas following the EU referendum and amid concerns in the technology industry that Britains exit from Europe will make it harder to hire talented foreign workers.

The Tech Nation visa was introduced in 2014 as a way to address a shortage of skilled coders among the UKs fast-growing technology company start-ups.

However, the original requirements were seen as onerous, and originally it only saw a trickle of applications. In late 2015 the rules were relaxed, leading to a leap in applications which has increased again since the referendum last year.

In the current fiscal year, which runs to April 6, the Home Office has granted more than 170 tech visas, so was likely to hit the previous ceiling of 200 in the coming weeks.

Gerard Grech, Tech City UKs chief executive, said raising the number to 250 showed that the Government had responded to the technology sectors call for greater access to foreign talent.

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More technology visas granted after fears of worker shortage - Telegraph.co.uk