UK Immigration Options for the Arts, Media & Entertainment Sector

The Global Talent visa was introduced for talented and potential leaders in the field of arts and culture.

Applications for a Global Talent visa involves two stages:

• Stage 1: application for endorsement made to Arts Council England.
• Stage 2: application for a Global Talent visa for entry clearance or leave to remain.

The route does not require a job offer and can lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

Applicants must apply for endorsement under the ‘Exceptional Talent’ or ‘Exceptional Promise’ route from Arts Council England. Whether an individual can apply under the ‘Exceptional Talent’, or ‘Exceptional Promise’ route will depend on their track record of working as a creative professional in their field in the last 5 years.

For both routes, applicants will need to be professionally engaged in ‘outstanding’ work which has appeared, or been published, performed, or exhibited internationally. Supporting documentation must also be provided as evidence of the applicant’s creative career and achievements.

Following a successful endorsement by Arts Council England, applicants will be able to make an application for a Global Talent visa.

When making their application, applicants can choose the validity period of their Global Talent visa, up to a maximum of 5 years.

Migrants endorsed under the ‘Exceptional Talent’ route may be eligible for settlement after spending a continuous period of 3 years in the UK. Those endorsed under the ‘Exceptional Promise’ route may be eligible for settlement after spending a continuous period of 5 years in the UK.

The Global Talent visa was introduced for talented and potential leaders in the field of film and television.

Applications for a Global Talent visa involves two stages:

• Stage 1: application for endorsement made to The Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) acting on behalf of Arts Council England.
• Stage 2: application for a Global Talent visa for entry clearance or leave to remain.

The route does not require a job offer and can lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

Applicants must apply for endorsement under the ‘Exceptional Talent’ or ‘Exceptional Promise’ route from PACT. Whether an individual can apply under the ‘Exceptional Talent’, or ‘Exceptional Promise’ route will depend on their track record of working as a creative professional in their field in the last 5 years.

For both routes, applicants will need to be professionally engaged in ‘outstanding’ work which has appeared, or been published, performed, or exhibited internationally. Supporting documentation must also be provided as evidence of the applicant’s creative career and achievements.

Following a successful endorsement by PACT, applicants will be able to make an application for a Global Talent visa.

When making their application, applicants can choose the validity period of their Global Talent visa, up to a maximum of 5 years.

Migrants endorsed under the ‘Exceptional Talent’ route may be eligible for settlement after spending a continuous period of 3 years in the UK. Those endorsed under the ‘Exceptional Promise’ route may be eligible for settlement after spending a continuous period of 5 years in the UK.

The Skilled Worker visa is for individuals with a qualifying skilled job offer from a UK employer with a Sponsor Licence.

The route can lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

To be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, applicants must hold an eligible job offer from a UK employer who is a Home Office-approved sponsor. Applicants must also satisfy the English language requirement and the applicant’s job offer must satisfy the stipulated skills and salary thresholds.

The job offered must be skilled to at least RQF Level 3 (A-levels) and the applicant must generally be offered a basic gross salary of at least £38,700 per annum or the market ‘going rate’ for the role, whichever is highest. In certain circumstances, applicants may still be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa despite being paid less.

The following non-exhaustive list provides an overview of creative jobs which are eligible for the Skilled Worker route:

• Artists, illustrators, portrait painters, sculptors.
• Authors, copywriters, editors (books), writers.
• Actors, entertainers, presenters (broadcasting), singers.
• Dancers, ballet dancers, choreographers, dance teachers.
• Musicians, composers, organists, pianists, violinists, songwriters.
• Arts officers, director, film editors, production assistants (broadcasting), studio managers, producers, television producers, theatrical agents.
• Photographers, audio visual technicians, cameramen, photographers, sound engineers, theatre technicians (entertainment), broadcasting equipment operators.

Skilled Worker applicants must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by their UK employer who holds a Sponsor Licence to submit a visa application under this route.

Skilled Worker migrants will generally only be able to work in the job they have been sponsored for. However, supplementary employment may also be undertaken in limited circumstances.

The length of a Skilled Worker visa will depend on the UK employer.

Migrants may be eligible for settlement after spending a continuous period of 5 years in the UK.

The Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa is for individuals who have been offered short-term work for up to 12 months within the UK’s creative sector.

Certain applicants who are coming to work in the UK for 3 months or less may be able to enter the UK without applying for a visa in advance under the Creative Worker visa concession (explained in the next section).

A creative worker is someone who can make a unique contribution to the UK labour market and who works in the creative industries and includes actors, dancers, musicians, film crew members etc.

The route does not lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

To be eligible for a Creative Worker visa, applicants must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by a Home Office-approved sponsor. The sponsor must hold a Temporary Work – Creative Worker sponsor licence.

Sponsors do not necessarily have to be the applicant’s direct employer and may be a national arts body, a production company, a media organisation, an events organiser etc.

Applicants must be paid the minimum salary set by Equity, PACT or BECTU, depending on the role which they will be performing. The minimum salary requirement does not apply to models, musicians, or circuses.

Creative Workers will generally only be able to work in the job they have been sponsored for. However, supplementary employment may also be undertaken in limited circumstances.

A Creative Worker visa will be valid for a maximum of 12 months, or the time stated on the applicant’s CoS plus up to 28 days, whichever is shorter.

Applicants can extend their visa – how long the visa can be extended for will depend on whether the applicant will be changing or staying with the same sponsor.

Nationals who do not normally need a visa to enter the UK as a visitor can enter the UK under the Creative Worker visa concession provided they:

• Are coming to work in the UK for 3 months or less; and
• Have a valid Temporary Work – Creative Worker Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

Applicants will have to meet the same requirements as those under the Temporary Work – Creative Worker route (explained in the section above).

At the border, applicants must see an immigration officer who will check that the eligibility requirements are met, and that the applicant’s CoS is valid. Applicants must therefore not use the ePassport gates if seeking to make use of the Creative Worker visa concession.

The route does not lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

Creative Workers will generally only be able to work in the job they have been sponsored for. However, supplementary employment may also be undertaken in limited circumstances.

The Standard Visitor route allows individuals to visit the UK for up to 6 months to carry out permitted activities.

Nationals of certain countries will be required to apply for a Standard Visitor before travelling to the UK whilst others will be able to visit the UK for up to 6 months without a visa. Both visa and non-visa nationals will be treated as ‘Standard Visitors’ and will be subject to the same requirements and limitations.

The route does not lead to settlement (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)) in the UK.

All visitors must be able to show that they:

• Will leave the UK at the end of the visit;
• Are able to support themselves and any dependants for the duration of the trip (or have funding from someone else);
• Are able to pay for their own return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else); and
• Will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home.

Visitors are allowed to engage in permitted activities, including certain business activities and certain permitted paid engagements (PPE).

Permitted business activities include, but are not limited to:

• Attending interviews, meetings, conference and seminars.
• Negotiating and signing deals and contracts.
• Attending trade fairs to promote your business (but you cannot sell things).
• Receiving work-related training if you are employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country.
• Delivering training or sharing knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas.

Permitted paid engagements can be carried out by individuals invited as a professional artist, entertainer or musician and can be paid to do any activity that relates directly to their profession. Creatives can therefore perform, talk about, present or launch their work to other professionals or the public, give lectures, join judging panels or debate panels, or take part in professional conferences.

However, to carry out PPE, individuals must be over 18, have a written invitation from a UK-based organisation/client for a pre-arranged event or other permitted engagement and must be able to show that they are an expert in their profession. Invitations can come from UK-based creative organisations (e.g. a gallery, university arts faculty or events venue), an agent or agency, or a broadcaster.

Individuals looking to engage in PPE will be allowed to stay in the UK for up to 6 months but must do the engagement in the first month. The engagement must be relevant to the individual’s expertise, qualifications and main job in their home country.