Law firm Ward Hadaway has teamed up with Tech North to help identify the best international talent capable of boosting the regional sector.
The Top 100 UK law firm, which has offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, is working with Tech North on its Tech Nation Visa Scheme.
Tech North, which champions the digital sector in the North of England, has the ability to endorse applications for the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa – up to 200 exceptionally talented tech industry staff from outside the European Economic Area every year.
Official legal partner Ward Hadaway are immigration experts and will provide legal support for companies across the North who are looking to employ a rising star in the tech industry and those individuals thinking of applying for a visa to work in the UK tech industry.
Richard Gregory, recently appointed head of Tech North, said: “Technology is a global sector and the competition for talent is often fierce.
“As such, it is important for companies who work within it in the UK to have the ability to bring in exceptional individuals from outside the country to keep them at the cutting edge.
“The experience and know-how of Ward Hadaway in the field of immigration law will be of great benefit to companies in the North who are considering hiring people from outside the UK as part of their growth plans.”
Gregory has already hit the road in his new role, outlining a three-point plan for boosting the tech scene in the North of England.
The firm will be on hand at Tech North events across the region to promote the scheme and to give employers more information about how it works and guide their prospective employee/investors through the visa application process.
It will also keep Tech North and its members up to date with changes in immigration law as and when they happen.
Flora Mewies, a solicitor in the employment team at Ward Hadaway, said: “The UK is one of the world’s leading lights in the technology and digital sectors with the North of England in particular a real hotbed of innovation.
“Whilst everyone is keen to ensure talented home-grown people get their opportunity to shine, it is a fact that to remain in the vanguard of the industry, tech companies here will need to bring in expertise from outside the UK from time to time.
“The Tech Nation Visa Scheme aims to help them do exactly that, ensuring that the economy in the North of England benefits from exceptionally talented individuals from overseas whilst keeping in line with Government immigration targets and policy.
“As such, we are delighted to be involved in the scheme, to be working with Tech North and tech companies across the North on ensuring the region benefits from a world of expertise.”
Gregory, meanwhile, says Tech North’s relationship with parent organisation Tech City UK is “good”.