Permitted Paid Engagements
Entertainers such as musicians, dancers or artists intending to visit the UK for a ‘paid engagement’ are considered ‘Permitted Paid Engagement Visitors‘ for UK visa and immigration purposes. Since 31 January 2024, the eligibility criteria for permitted paid engagement visitors have been the same as for Standard Visitors.
This means that entertainers intending to perform, present, lecture, judge, visit conferences or undertake other short-term paid or unpaid activities in the UK may be able to do so as a visitor. As with other visitor visas, nationals of certain countries (such as Japan, the USA or EU/EEA Member States) may be exempt from needing to apply for a visitor visa before they travel to the UK.
The engagement you are planning to do must be within one month of your arrival in the UK, but your visitor status will allow you to remain in the UK for up to six months total. However, you will not be allowed to undertake any paid engagements after the first month.
The application fee for a Standard Visitor Visa is £115.
Creative Worker Visa (Temporary Work)
While entering the UK as a permitted paid engagement visitor may be suitable for one-off or short-term gigs, longer-term projects or work lasting longer than one month may require a Creative Worker Visa.
Applicants for a Creative Worker Visa must have been offered work within the creative industries (e.g. as an actor, musician, dancer or crew member) by an employer in the UK who is a licensed sponsor.
If the work you are intending to do will last less than three months, Creative Worker Visa concession arrangements may permit you to enter the UK to work in the entertainment industry without securing a visa in advance. In order to do this, you must have a certificate of sponsorship from your employer and not normally need a visitor visa to travel to the UK. You will need to get a stamp from an immigration official when you arrive at the UK border in order to work, so do not use the automated passport gates.
The application fee for a Creative Worker Visa is £298. Applicants will also have to pay a healthcare surcharge, usually around £1035 for each year of their intended stay in the UK.
Global Talent Visa
If you are already a leader or potential leader in your field within the entertainment industry, you may be eligible to apply for a Global Talent Visa, which will allow you to work in the UK for up to five years. This visa can be extended as often as needed, providing you still meet the eligibility requirements.
In order to apply for a Global Talent Visa, you will have to demonstrate your status within your particular industry, either through having received a major internationally-recognised award in your field or by applying for an endorsement. Endorsement applications will be reviewed by an appropriate industry body in the UK who will determine if you can be considered a leader or potential leader.
The application fee for a Global Talent Visa is £716, plus a healthcare surcharge of around £1035 for each year that the visa will be valid.
Skilled Worker Visas
In certain circumstances, a Skilled Worker Visa may be the most appropriate route for someone who has secured a job offer in the creative industries. For example, you may want to consider applying for this visa if the role you are intending to take up does not qualify for a Creative Worker Visa, or if you anticipate that the work will last for longer than 12 months.
As Skilled Worker Visas last for up to five years and can act as a pathway to settlement in the UK, the eligibility requirements are more restrictive than the shorter, more focused Creative Worker Visa. You must have received a job offer from an approved employer for a role which is on the UK’s shortage occupations list and expect to be paid a salary that is at least the expected minimum level for that or similar roles.
The application fee for a Skilled Worker Visa can be between £719 and £1639, depending on the applicant’s circumstances, whether they apply from inside or outside the UK, and the type of job they intend to take up in the UK. There is an additional healthcare surcharge of around £1035 per year that the visa will be valid (with limited exemptions).
Creative Visitors (Amateur Entertainers)
If you are an amateur performer, support or technical worker, you will typically be permitted to undertake events or tours in the UK as a standard visitor provided that the work you will be doing is unpaid. Visitor visas last for a maximum of six months and can not be renewed or extended from within the UK.
Nationals of some countries will benefit from visa waiver arrangements and not be required to secure a Visitor Visa before travelling to the UK.
