Tech Nation scheme and Global Talent Visa
Tech Nation is launching a scheme matching immigrant founders and the leading players in the UK tech ecosystem and are looking for VCs who can dedicate some of their time to the Open Office Hours initiative throughout May and June. VCs will be matched with founders taking part, in line with their expertise, focus and experiences. Further details can be found here. Tech Nation have also published important updates on the Global Talent Visa which dispels misinformation circulating online, and are prioritising applications from any nationality currently in Ukraine (or Ukrainians in neighbouring countries), as well as Russians and Belarusians employed by UK companies and affected by the SWIFT sanctions.
Supporting refugees to access jobs in the UK
BVCA Director General, Michael Moore, has written to the Home Office to offer support of the BVCA, its members and portfolio companies in helping refugees to access jobs in the UK. We hope that our network of GPs, LPs, professional advisers, and portfolio companies will provide refugees with opportunities to access jobs, in any part of the UK they choose to settle in. We have also reached out to a consortium of businesses who are looking to centralise a place for refugees to find jobs. If your firm has any refugee supporting initiatives, we would be keen to hear about them and share them with other members.
One way to support Ukrainian refugees into work in the UK is via support for RefuAid, a leading charity getting refugees and asylum seekers into work in the UK commensurate to their skills and experience.
RefuAid support for the three main barriers facing refugees trying to restart their lives in the UK:
- English language tuition. RefuAid has partnered with 90 private for-profit English language schools in the UK who provide RefuAid students with free tuition for as long as they require on structured courses between 16-32 hours a week. RefuAid pay for travel, course materials and up to 2 exam attempts as well as wraparound casework for the student.
- Finance and requalification. RefuAid provides character-based, interest-free loans of up to £10,000 for internationally trained refugees to pay for UK accreditation and re-qualification, allowing people to return to employment in their prior professional field.
- Specialist employment advice and placements. The RefuAid placement programme works directly with employers to place RefuAid clients who are employment-ready into their first full-time job in the UK.
What they need: RefuAid has spent time with Ukrainian refugees in Poland to understand their needs when they arrive in the UK. They have scaled up their language course provision to meet these needs and are looking for companies to sponsor 1-50 placements at a cost of £2.5k each. This will pay for the travel, course materials, 2 exam attempts and wraparound casework for students. They are also looking for companies to offer placements or full-time work to refugees who have completed their scheme.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Mia Forti.
Tax and NIC treatment of employees relocating
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) recently published guidance on HMRC’s modifications to tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) rules for displaced employees. It provides updates on tax residency, employees coming to work in the UK from Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine, and employees working in those countries temporarily returning to work in the UK. Read the guidance here.