GIST Initiative: Nation.better
Nation.better, the UK’s first technology platform that streamlines and simplifies immigration processes through cutting-edge technologies, while significantly reducing immigration advisory cost, and providing clear guidance and compliance services to individuals and businesses. They are developing a B2B Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution for UK organisations who employ migrants, significantly disrupting existing traditional manual, expensive and highly administrative processes.
Entering the ‘immigration system’ as an employer is an overwhelming experience:
- the application process is full of complexity and lack of transparency. Employers must read the endless Home Office guides and regulations to understand the requirements;
- hiring overseas talent is a relatively expensive thing to do, especially for small businesses – having to pay in government fees approximately £4,200 to sponsor one employee for 3 years;
- typically, small organisations don’t have in-house skills, so must rely on specialised immigration service providers to successfully go through the process. Their service charges sometimes exceed the fees payable to the Home Office two or threefold;
As a result, employing international talent is considered as an expensive, inefficient and administrative heavy process, but it shouldn’t be!
Instead of using expensive solicitors, Nation.better automates much of the application process allowing them to provide a high-quality service at an affordable, fixed rate. Users access a digital dashboard which connects the employer, the migrant worker and ‘one-click-away’ immigration support. This approach brings confidence, transparency, better communication and accountability into play while boosting chances of approval by the Home Office.
At the heart of it, the technology is being designed and built to promote diversity, equality and inclusion for all of the UK, enabling everyone to receive access to the same information and support for their immigration process.
“We aim to overhaul the pain associated with the UK immigration process! As an immigrant myself, I had firsthand experience of what a headache it is to navigate the complexity and bureaucracy of it.” said Larisa Budaeva, founder of Nation.better. “Fundamentally, we believe that Nation.better is a game-changer for the immigration services industry, we are not only significantly disrupting existing traditional and costly services through innovation and technology, but we also have a strong focus on education and empowerment of migrant workers, so they have a flexibility and choice in their employment and life in the UK, and employers to sustainably recruit and onboard the best talent from abroad.”
Nation.better has been built by a talented and highly cross-disciplinary team of immigrants to the UK, who themselves experienced the complexities and frustration of the UK immigration process, and are highly motivated to create a solution that democratises immigration services across the UK and beyond.
They are funded by Bethnal Green Ventures (social impact VC fund) and several UK and US social impact angel investors. The company was awarded an ‘Innovate UK’ grant for further development of its B2B end-to-end Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution to become a one-digital-place for all immigration needs.
GIST Ltd 