Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot

Guide to the Displaced Talent Mobility Scheme

​The UK’s displaced talent program first became available in July of 2021 as an effort to help refugees from Jordan or Lebanon to come and work in the UK. Set from the start to be a highly limited program, this initiative aimed to facilitate the immigration of up to 100 skilled individuals throughout its runtime. The program concluded at the start of November 2024.

Carefully designed to facilitate displaced people’s migration, the skilled refugees program sought to create a mutually beneficial relationship that would also benefit the UK’s economy. As such, the criteria for eligible individuals covered skillsets that would make them viable in positions that were on the UK’s shortage occupations list.

While this program was only set to run for a limited time, it was positioned as an addition to existing re-settlement schemes, offering additional opportunities to individuals in need, who were able to relocate to the UK with limited legal restrictions and without needing to take on asylum seeker status due to their employment.

Status of the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot in 2025

The Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot is no longer available to apply for in 2025 after having ended late the previous year. It showcased the benefits of fostering a supportive approach to labour mobility and has been considered a pioneering movement, responding not only to the UK’s economic interest but also to significant humanitarian needs with positive action.

Nevertheless, there is no current information as to any future resurgence of similar programmes. In the meantime, individuals who wish to immigrate to the UK based on professional skill or refugee conditions will need to seek out one of the existing alternative visa pathways. 

While these can sometimes come with more limitations than the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot did, they are still viable options. Our team of specialised immigration lawyers at IAS can help you explore the best pathway towards UK immigration based on your circumstances. You can call us today at +44 (0)333 414 9244 for immediate advice.

Who Was Eligible for the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot Scheme?

During its runtime, the talent relocation project offered UK visas to refugees, stateless individuals, or other asylum seekers from Lebanon or Jordan, who were considered highly skilled and eligible to fill positions on the UK’s occupation shortage lists.

To qualify, individuals would need to have been offered a viable job for an eligible position and been issued a certificate of sponsorship. 

In general, the application to be considered under this scheme was open to all displaced people from the eligible areas, but workers with the best-matched skillsets were prioritised.

What Did the Displaced Talent Mobility Scheme Allow?

The skilled refugees program offered an opportunity for important positions in the UK to be filled by individuals who not only possessed the most suitable skillsets but also experienced a humanitarian need for relocation.

As part of this, viable positions that might be filled under this scheme included a variety of sectors, including trade, sales and marketing professionals, logistics, finance sectors, engineering and technology sectors, and educational positions such as teaching. The scheme also allowed hiring within the healthcare sector and within the food supply and service industries.

How Did the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot Scheme Work?

The liaison process between talent and employers in sectors recruiting displaced talent was handled by Talents Beyond Boundaries (TBB). Displaced persons who wished to participate could apply and their skills would be evaluated. As a next step, employers that had registered interest and identified a suitable position in their company that could be filled via this program, TBB would match displaced people to this position before giving employers access to connect with the most suitable workers. 

If an employer decided to proceed with the hiring process, the worker was able to access priority for their skilled worker visa application.

How long can you stay in the UK?

Similar to the UK’s Skilled Worker Visa, the programme allows successful applicants to come to the UK for up to five years.

Following this, if the applicant is eligible, they may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (settled status).

Individuals are permitted to apply with their dependent spouse and children, if they meet eligibility criteria.

The displaced worker will also have the opportunity to change job if they wish, providing that the employer also holds a sponsor licence.

This ensures that individuals can work knowing that losing their job will not result in being returned to their home countries where they may be at risk of danger.

What Was the Application Process?

During its runtime, displaced workers were able to apply for this scheme via the Talent Beyond Boundaries online registration portal. During this process, the applicant’s personal information, location and residential history, nationality and other relevant details were required.

Beyond personal details, applicants had to specify the sector that was best aligned with their skillset and provide relevant information on their training or education within this field, including past work experience or possible employment references.

Applicants would also be expected to detail their current understanding of the English language, as this is a relevant aspect of UK immigration, especially within a professional framework.

How Did Employers Participate in the Displaced Talent Scheme?

The displaced talent visa offered a beneficial incentive to employers who could register to participate in this program if they were accredited sponsors in suitable sectors in the UK. As part of this, employers would be able to access international skilled workers who would be suitable while benefiting from a simplified process as candidates were shortlisted and assessed by Talent Beyond Boundaries.

This means that employers were able to minimise their time investment into the hiring process without sacrificing the quality of their chosen talent matches. It ensured a fair and good fit for both the workers and employers and created a more balanced environment through which to navigate the sometimes complex processes to hire and sponsor displaced talent.

As participating employers, the core responsibilities of hiring international talent under the Displaced Mobility Pilot included the standard reporting and management duties of acting as a sponsor for talent. Employers would need to obtain their sponsor license and maintain the appropriate conditions to qualify.

Beyond supporting employers throughout the hiring process via the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot, the Talent Beyond Boundaries teams also offered continued support to employers and workers once their employment had started, aiming to facilitate the successful integration of the new worker and providing additional support where needed. This added a sense of stability for both the employees and the employers which contributed to a beneficial dynamic.

Notable Milestones of the Mobility Pilot

The displaced talent program created an overall beneficial opportunity for displaced workers who were able to relocate under this scheme, fostering a stable environment and security not only through offering access to the UK but also by combining this with employment. This led to notable improvements in individuals’ overall well-being and created a sustainable foundation from which to integrate into the community.

As part of its effort to drive interest in hiring displaced workers, the displaced talent initiative successfully drove involvement among up to 92 private sector employers, who reported positive outcomes as the skills of the displaced workers were well matched to fill gaps in important positions.

The program also had an overall beneficial economic impact for the UK, as it helped fill positions that were subject to a shortage of available talent and simultaneously generated significant contributions to tax and national insurance payments.

Nevertheless, while the program reached most of its projected milestones in terms of gathering interest from workers, it fell short in its projected numbers of how many displaced people relocated successfully by the time of its conclusion as uptake from employers expressing interest was more limited, partially due to the economic and political environment. As such, the program successfully supported the placement of roughly 180 displaced workers from varying qualifying backgrounds, falling short of its predicted goal of 200. 

What Happens Now That the Pilot Has Ended?

While UK immigration via this now-concluded Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot is no longer available, there are still a number of work-based visa routes that you might be able to benefit from.

Depending on your job, experience, and other personal circumstances, the availability of UK work-visas may vary, but there are a few options for you to explore.

First, and most closely related to the displaced worker visa is the Skilled Worker Visa, which offers a path towards immigration for workers with particular skill sets or experience to come and work for a UK business. This, too, is a sponsored immigration path that will require you to accept a viable job opportunity from an employer who is able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for you. While the recruiting process won’t be streamlined via the help of TBB, this is one of the most desirable work-based immigration routes as it offers a path towards long-term residence.

Of course, there are also pathways to enter the UK based on humanitarian needs or refugee status, but you should consider that there could be more limitations to this route. If you are unsure what options might be available based on your circumstances you can contact our team of immigration lawyers at IAS. You can call us today at +44 (0)333 414 9244 and we will be happy to help you explore your UK immigration options.