Kirill Parasotchenko is a Senior Software Engineer with a passion for building high-load architectures that power highly performant and resilient distributed systems. Throughout his career, he has worked at some of the most prominent social media platforms, such as VK.com, and marketplaces like Ozon, both serving tens of millions of users.
He is now developing distributed backend services for Delivery Hero, one of the world’s leading food delivery platforms. In addition to securing roles at top international companies, his pursuit of engineering excellence played a key role in obtaining a UK Global Talent Visa and relocating to London.
Now, he is ready for the next chapter of his career in one of the world's major tech hubs. Learn how he achieved all this in his interview!
Kirill Parasotchenko: Speaking of the application approval, I found an email from Tech Nation while checking my inbox after work. Later, the same thing happened with the visa itself—I checked my email after finishing work and saw a message from the UK immigration service. In both cases, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and relief. I had invested a great deal of time, effort, and energy into securing this visa, so seeing it all come to fruition was incredibly rewarding and a truly unforgettable moment.
Kirill Parasotchenko: I considered both the UK and the US as potential destinations for relocation because they offer strong career growth opportunities and the advantage of an English-speaking environment. While the US has similar visas, such as EB-1 and O-1, they come with major challenges. EB-1 is highly competitive and difficult to obtain, while O-1 requires securing a job offer before getting the visa, which limits flexibility. The UK’s Global Talent Visa stood out because it doesn’t tie you to an employer and has more accessible requirements compared to O-1 and especially EB-1.
Kirill Parasotchenko: I was working as a Senior Software Engineer at Delivery Hero, an international food delivery company with an office in Berlin, where I focused on high-load backend systems and distributed architectures. Before that, I worked at OZON.ru, VK.com, and Veeam Software, gaining extensive experience in banking, fintech, and social media. I played a key role in optimizing backend performance, leading system migrations, and developing scalable solutions that handled millions of users and transactions.
Kirill Parasotchenko: Right from the start. I decided to seek help from an agency and didn’t work on my case alone.
Kirill Parasotchenko: I first learned about Immigram through an advertisement. Curious to know more, I explored their website and found their approach appealing. After an introductory call with Anastasia, I felt confident in their expertise and services. I didn’t search for other agencies because Immigram’s terms, support, and clear process met my expectations. Their experience with Global Talent Visa applications reassured me that I was making the right choice, so I decided to move forward with them.
Kirill Parasotchenko: The biggest challenge for me was meeting the publicity requirement, as I had very little media exposure before applying for the visa.
What also surprised me was how much emphasis was placed on proving my impact at large companies. As an individual contributor, this isn’t always easy to showcase. It’s usually more straightforward for Product Managers or Engineering Managers, who have clearer ways to demonstrate their influence on a company’s success.
Kirill Parasotchenko: Immigram offered a dedicated service to help build my public profile, which turned out to be really helpful.
At the start of the process, I often struggled with what to write about or what topics to speak on. What helped was keeping a record of all the unique problems I encountered at work, both in the present and the past. I would walk around with a notepad and jot down anything that came to mind.
At first, these might have seemed like minor issues, not enough for an article or a talk, but over time, new and more interesting ideas emerged. Sometimes, combining several small problems led to a meaningful and significant topic.
Kirill Parasotchenko: Now I have the right to work in the UK, which has opened up exciting career opportunities. Additionally, this visa serves as a migration route, providing a clear path to converting it into ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and eventually citizenship, which could be a valuable long-term opportunity.
Kirill Parasotchenko: For those at the beginning of their career with time to prepare, I recommend structuring their professional experience around large, impactful projects—ideally unique ones—where they take a leading role and have clear data on how their contributions made a difference. This will not only strengthen their visa case by demonstrating how their work benefited the company but also help build a stronger media presence, which is an important factor in the application process.
