In order to qualify for a Global Talent Visa in the Arts and Culture field, you will need to show that:

• You are aged 18 or over;
• You have been issued with an endorsement letter by the Arts Council England or have been awarded a prize listed in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes;
• Your application does not fall under the general grounds for refusal; and/or
• You have provided if needed, a valid TB certificate.

In addition to the above, you may be required to prove other additional requirements.

Field of Expertise

Dance

Dancers, choreographers, teachers, producers, directors, or curators may submit an application.

Ballet, contemporary dance, aerial dance, street dance, folk, traditional and culturally specific dance, social dance (Ceilidhs, barn dance, tea dance, line dancing, salsa, jive, Lindy Hop, ballroom), jazz and tap, and entertainment dance (dance styles associated with the mainstream entertainment industry such as musicals, jazz and tap dancing, and dance spectaculars) are all areas in which practitioners can be included.

Literature 

Writers and literature practitioners working in print, digital, or live poetry; print, digital, or live prose fiction (including novels, novellas, and short fiction, or graphic novels); writing and illustration for children and young adults; graphic novels and comics; independent publishing; live literature and storytelling; translation (of poetry and prose); literature festivals and programming; writer development may apply for endorsement.

Nonfiction authors who apply an inventive and creative technique that exhibits a high level of literary merit (for instance, by experimenting imaginatively with form or genre) are eligible for consideration. However, journalists, general arts writers, academic writers about the arts, and lifestyle magazine writers are ineligible to apply.

Music 

Musicians, vocalists, songwriters, composers, producers, engineers, conductors, musical directors and repetiteurs may apply for endorsement.

Practitioners can be working in areas such as classical and orchestral music, baroque, chamber and early music, brass or silver bands, marching or concert bands, opera, contemporary music (such as pop, rock, indie and alternative, metal and punk, soul, country, funk, hip-hop, R&B, grime, urban, blues, electronic, experimental, and singer-songwriters), folk, traditional and culturally specific music, jazz, choral or gospel, youth music, grassroots music, and music.

Composers who make music for live performances or recordings may apply through the Arts and Culture route, whereas composers who create music for cinema and television must apply through the Film and Television route.

Theatre 

Actors and theatre practitioners working in musical theatre; physical theatre and mime; plays or narrative drama (excluding film and television); experimental theatre; comedy; variety and cabaret; pantomime; circus; puppetry and visual theatre; audience development; youth theatre; and new writing are eligible to apply.

People working in production, directing, writing, dramaturgy, design (e.g., lighting, set, or costume design), or stage management are eligible to apply.

Film and television actors can apply through the Film and Television route rather than the Arts and Culture route.

Visual Arts 

Applications can be accepted from artists, arts practitioners or designer/makers working in areas such as drawing, painting or printmaking; sculpture and installations; artist-led animation (excluding work primarily intended for film or television, commercial games or mass-market media distribution); illustration (such as concept art, comic art, picture books, zines and other narrative or sequential illustration, but not including areas such as technical, scientific, medical or fashion design and illustration); live and performance art; mixed media art, digital or computer-generated art; ceramics, pottery or crafts (such as woodworking or turning, silversmiths or metal work, jewellery, glass work or textiles); photography (excluding documentary photography such as fashion, music or journalistic); artists film and moving image (excluding for film or television); sound art (including site specific installations or sound installations, ‘audioscapes’, sound walks and sound mapping and performance art, or noise or sonic art). 

Curators, producers, and directors are also eligible to submit applications for endorsement.

Combined Arts

Arts Council England will accept applications from those whose work involves one or more of the supported areas of art practice (dance, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts), including interdisciplinary arts practice, multidisciplinary art practice, participatory and celebratory work, festivals, and carnival arts.

Arts Council England will also consider applications working in commissioning, programming or curation, production, directing or developing work, touring networks, and community involvement.

Museums and Galleries 

Arts Council England can consider applications from artists, arts practitioners, and curators who deliver arts-focused activity in museum or gallery settings. (Arts Council England defines “arts-focused activity” as activity related to their supported art forms – Dance, Literature, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, or Combined Arts). 

Arts Council England cannot endorse applicants whose area of practice involves museum-focused activity such as preserving, conserving, or archiving collections, archaeology and social history, anthropology and world cultures, natural history, military history, science, industry, and technology or research.

Evidence to show for endorsement by the Arts Council England

To be eligible for an 'Arts and Culture' endorsement from the Arts Council England, you must demonstrate that you are a professional engaged in the creation of internationally performed, presented, distributed, or exhibited work of exceptional quality. Additionally, you must demonstrate that you have been regularly engaged as a professional practitioner in your field within the past five years and be able to demonstrate a substantial track record in more than one country (if applying on the basis of Exceptional Talent) or a developing track record in one or more countries (if applying on the basis of Exceptional Promise).

If you are seeking to evidence exceptional talent in the field of Arts and Culture, you will need to provide at least two of the following:

• Media Recognition (evidence from at least two countries containing two or more examples of significant media recognition for your work as an individual or as a named member of a group);
• Awards (evidence of winning, or significantly contributing to winning, an international award for excellence); or
• Performance, publications, or exhibitions (evidence from at least two countries containing proof of appearances, performances, publications, or exhibitions considered internationally significant in your field, or evidence of extensive international distribution and audiences for your work as an individual or as a named member of a group).

Reference letters

The applicant also must include three reference letters in support of the endorsement application for “Arts and Culture’. Two of these must be from a well-established arts and culture organization or by an individual acknowledged as an expert in their field.

At least one should come from a UK organization or company working in your field of expertise. The other two letters can come from either the UK or abroad. One letter may come from an individual rather than an organization provided that person is an eminent individual, with recognized expertise in your field. If a person is writing on behalf of an organization, they should hold a current senior position with that organization. 

In general, someone who knows the applicant well and is familiar with their work will write a stronger reference letter; however, it is possible to include a reference from someone who only knows an applicant by reputation, provided they have followed an applicant’s career closely enough to comment on the achievements and how the applicant will contribute to arts and culture in the United Kingdom.

Prestigious Prize fast-track endorsement

If the applicant has won a qualifying prestigious award, as set out in Appendix immigration rules, the applicant will be able to fast-track the endorsement application by being able to proceed with a single visa application. 

Condition of Stay on a Global Talent visa

On a Global Talent Visa, you can:

• Stay for up to five years within the UK;
• Choose to be an employee, self-employed, or a director of a company;
• Change or stop doing your job without telling the Home Office;
• Bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’; and
• You can travel abroad and return to the UK.

If you want to stay longer in the UK on a Global Talent visa, you can renew your visa however many times you choose, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria for extending your stay. You can also apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

If my Arts and culture endorsement is refused, what should I do?

If an endorsement application is refused, there is a right to challenge the decision through an endorsement review process. The prospects of doing this successfully will really depend on the reasons for the refusal and the credentials of the individual. 

Depending on the reasons for refusal, it may be worthwhile to reapply in certain situations, for example, after earning further experience or new references.

Preparation is integral to success. Our UK immigration team will guide you through the complex immigration rules and requirements. For expert advice and assistance with a global talent applicant, please leave a message.