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Skip to content Candidates for the UK Creative Worker visa can stay in the country for a maximum of twelve months if they have received offers of temporary employment in the creative industries.
If you require assistance with your visa, dial 02033844389 to reach us. In addition, you can fill out the form online here.
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A “UK Temporary Work – Creative Worker” visa is required for foreign nationals who have received employment offers in the creative industries in the United Kingdom. If they meet the standards, they will be allowed to work in the UK for their sponsor once approved. The sponsor could be a manager, an agency, a producer, a promoter or media company, a production company, or someone who plans events.
A creative worker is an international visitor to the UK who can make a unique addition to the country’s rich cultural life. For example, they could be an entertainer, singer, dancer, or actor, and their entourage includes any technical and support staff. Anyone involved in the fashion industry in the United Kingdom, whether as a model or not, can apply through the Creative Worker route.
With the Creative Worker visa UK, an overseas citizen who is supported can work for a UK sponsor. Some other things, like studying, will be allowed, though, and you might need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme license for that.
In addition to the job they are being sponsored to do in the UK, people with visas can work up to 20 hours a week at a second job in the same industry. This second job must be at the same level as their main job or on the Skilled Worker shortage position list. On the other hand, they won’t be able to get state funds or start their own business.
You must show UK Visas and Immigration that the following is true in order to get a Creative Worker visa:
To get a Creative Worker visa, you may need to meet different exact standards, which will depend on your situation. You might want to get professional help from a visa lawyer.
Call our London immigration lawyers, at 02033844389 or fill out the form to talk to one of our immigration solicitors about your Creative Visit visa UK application.
Before you can get a Creative Worker Visa, you need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a sponsor accepted by the Home Office for the job you want to do in the UK. This person must have a current Temporary Work – Creative Worker sponsor licence in order to be your sponsor.
In the creative field, your sponsor will work. To name just a few examples, there is the National Arts Council, event planners, producers, venues, agents, promoters, production companies, and media organisations. Potentially, your sponsor is your boss.
Your sponsor will prove that when they give you a Certificate of Sponsorship:
Creative industry sponsors can give sponsorship badges to individual creative workers. For a performer and their crew, they can also give out group certificates of support. People whose jobs are directly connected to the work of an entertainer, cultural artist, or theatre production can be part of an entourage. Additionally, people who are part of a group must have proven technical or specialised skills.
The person applying must show that they have saved enough money to live on their own when they get to the UK. In other words, they need to have at least £1,270 in their bank account and have had that money for at least 28 days in a row. The 28th day must have been within 31 days of the date they applied.
When someone applies, they generally have to show proof that they have enough money, unless they are from the UK and have been there with a valid visa for at least 12 months. On the other hand, their sponsor can write on the sponsorship certificate that they will pay at least £1,270 to keep and house the applicant for up to the first month of their job in the UK if they need to.
Creative workers must also say what costs the sponsor paid and whether the sponsor will ask for a refund under new rules that went into effect in May 2025.
There is no English proficiency requirement for applicants for a Creative Visit Visa. However, having a limited command of English can cause many problems whilst preparing and making an application and applying the correct rules and considerations.
Applicants for the Creative Visit Visa are exempt from fulfilling an English language requirement. This streamlines the application process, offering flexibility to individuals seeking temporary stays in the UK for creative endeavors without the necessity of meeting specific language proficiency criteria.
Our team is bilingual and can provide you with advice and guidance in languages other than English upon request.
For the Creative Worker visa, you need the following:
Note: You also need to show a verified translation of any papers that aren’t written in English or Welsh.
The list of documents you need to submit will be given to you when you apply online, but based on your situation, you may be asked to send in more.
To apply for a Creative Worker visa UK, the person must fill out an online form and include the unique reference number from their sponsorship certificate. This certificate is only good for 3 months from the date it was given to the person.
Applicants will need to show proof of who they are and a number of supporting papers after submitting their online application. If someone wants to do this, it will depend on where they are from and what kind of visa they have. They might be able to use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to prove who they are, or they might have to go to a meeting in person to give their biometric information.
When someone starts the visa application process, they will be told if they need to make a meeting. The applicant must make an appointment at an overseas visa application centre if they are applying from a location other than the UK. If they are applying from inside the UK, the meeting will take place at a service point for the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services.
However, you usually can’t switch to the Creative Worker route from within the UK. A valid CoS on the Creative Worker route must have been assigned before an individual entered the UK, and they must have been in the UK engaging in allowed creative sector activities. This is the sole situation in which this requirement does not apply.
If someone wants to apply for a Creative Worker visa from inside or outside the UK, they will have to pay the same fee of £298. The same fee is charged to people who depend on the main applicant or prime visa holder.
People who want to use the NHS in the UK will have to pay an extra fee, and so will their partner, children, and any other family members.
A person can apply for a Creative Worker visa up to three months before they start working in the UK. Their sponsorship certificate will include this date.
A person applying for a visa will usually hear back within 3 weeks if they applied from outside the UK and 8 weeks if they applied from within the UK. This is after they have submitted their application, shown proof of who they are, and given the necessary documents, either through an app or by going to an appointment. If the applicant is needed to attend an appointment, they may be eligible to pay for a faster decision, however, this will be determined by whether they are in or out of the UK when they complete their application.
One great thing about the Creative Worker route is that qualified family members or dependents of an eligible worker can go with them or join to follow them. So, the main applicant’s husband, partner, or children under 18 can apply at any time, even if it’s not at the same time. Their visa will expire at the same time, though. However, dependents must apply independently and meet the eligibility requirements as a child, husband, or partner who depends on the person. These requirements include having to be in a relationship and having enough money.
For an eligible worker’s spouse or civil partner, they must show proof of a legal marriage or civil partnership in the UK. For an unmarried partner, they must show proof of living together in a way that is similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years before they apply.
Anyone coming to the UK with a partner or children will also need to show proof that they can pay their own expenses.
The next steps you take will depend a lot on why your application for a Creative Worker visa was turned down. If the refusal was caused by an error in the application content, you may be allowed to resubmit a corrected application. You have the option to challenge the decision through channels such as administrative review if you think it was founded on caseworker error.
It is suggested that you get help with your choices and specific situations.
A revision to the rules in May 2025 states that all linked applications will also be denied if the lead entertainer’s application under a group Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is declined.
On the temporary Creative Worker visa route, an overseas national can first be granted permission for up to 12 months and then petition to extend their stay for up to two years if they continue to work with the same sponsor. They still have to meet the standards, though, and they have to be in the UK when they apply. Also, they have to apply before their current visa expires.
People who want to apply must make a new application if they want to change their UK sponsor. But changing sponsors doesn’t affect how long a person from another country can stay in the UK through this route. The applicant can continue their visa for up to 12 months, or for as long as it takes to stay longer, whichever is shorter: the time on their certificate of sponsorship in addition to 14 days or the time required to extend their stay.
Friends, family, and children of the candidate will need to apply for an extension of their visas separately if they also want to stay longer. They may apply at the same time as the main visa holder or at any time before their own visa runs out.
Also, it’s important to note that foreigners who come to the UK with a Creative Worker visa will not be able to stay longer than three months.
There is no way to settle down with the Creative Worker visa because it is only valid for a short time. You can stay on this road for up to 24 months at a time. However, a person from outside of the country might be able to switch to a different immigration route that will let them ask for indefinite leave to remain. For instance, the Skilled Worker visa could be part of this.
For short-term projects, guest appearances, or artistic collaborations in the UK creative industries, the creative Worker visa concession makes it easier to get into the country.
With this exception, you can work up to 20 hours a week for your sponsor in the capacity shown on your Certificate of Sponsorship, work part-time in the same industry and at the same level as your primary job, or attend school. Along with that, you can work up to 20 hours a week at a job on the Skilled Worker Immigration Salary List. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get public funds or start your own business in the UK.
Along with you, your partner and children may also come if they don’t usually need a visa to visit the UK.
If your job is for three months or less, you don’t need to apply for a full Creative Worker visa as long as you have a valid Temporary Work – Creative Worker Certificate of Sponsorship from your UK sponsor. You also don’t need a tourist visa (so-called “non-visa nationals”).
You must still meet the standards for the Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa as well.
If your country is part of the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) plan, you will need to apply for an ETA before you go to the UK on the Creative Worker visa concession. This will let you enter and stay for up to three months.
You shouldn’t use the automatic ePassport gates when you get to the UK. Instead, you should go through the regular immigration check. The immigration worker will then check to see if your Certificate of Sponsorship is real and make sure you have enough money to live on. The officer will stamp your passport if they are satisfied that all prerequisites are met. To be able to work, you will need the customs officer’s stamp on your passport.
Our team of UK immigration solicitors has helped creative workers and their support staff from a wide range of fields. You may rely on our solicitors to assist you in meeting both your start date and the career advancement requirements of your immigration plans.
When it comes to understanding and satisfying our clients’ needs, we take great satisfaction in being both approachable and proactive. Our team is very focused on giving artists, dancers, musicians, entertainers, and models clear and trustworthy immigration help as part of a friendly and professional service.
