Creative Worker Visa

The UK offers several Creative Worker visas for overseas workers. These visa routes aim to bring employees on a short-term or long-term basis to their UK branches. The aim of these visa routes is to simplify the process of hiring talent from outside the UK.
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How to Get a Creative Worker Visa?

The Creative Worker Visa allows you to undertake a temporary job in a creative industry in the UK. This is a temporary work visa with a maximum duration of 2 years. The actual duration may be shorter, depending on the ending date of your intended job.

You must satisfy strict requirements to be eligible for this visa. The most notable among these is the nature of your intended job. The job for which you are seeking this visa must qualify as creative work under the Home Office rules

You are also required to meet other criteria about your annual salary in the UK and financial resources. You can apply for dependents to join you on this visa.

Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s law firm, you can consult the best immigration solicitor in London. Our Creative Worker Visa solicitors can offer you tailored advice specifically on this visa category. You can consult our Creative Worker Visa solicitors to comprehend the full scope of requirements for the visa.

General Requirements

Here is a look at some of the key requirements for the Creative Worker Visa:

  • Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). You must have a valid CoS from a licensed sponsor in the UK. This sponsor must have authorisation from the Home Office to issue a CoS for a temporary creative worker in one of the eligible creative industries.
  • Financial Means. You must have sufficient financial resources to support yourself once you are in the UK. You are specifically required to show the availability of at least £1,270. These funds are meant to support you once you come to the UK. You can seek an exemption from this requirement if you’ve been in the UK for at least 12 months. You are also exempt if your UK employer agrees to support you for your first month in the UK.
  • Annual Salary. The annual salary you are offered for your intended job in the UK must meet minimum threshold requirements. You must be offered the minimum threshold salary for your particular role as set by BECTU, PACT, or Equity.
  • Unique Market Contribution. A key requirement for the visa is that you must show you can make a unique contribution to the relevant labour market in the UK. You can use any stand-out achievements or skills in your field to satisfy this requirement.

You will also need to fulfil other requirements to be eligible for the visa. For instance, the Home Office will ask you to confirm whether or not you have any previous breaches of immigration laws on your record.

Your intended role must also qualify you as a creative worker. The Home Office defines a creative worker as someone who works in one of the creative industries. As per this definition, you qualify as a creative worker if you are a writer, musician, dancer, actor, photographer, director, producer, artist, presenter, translator, or any other creative worker.

Our Creative Worker Visa solicitors can advise you on the precise set of requirements that apply to your visa. With the help of our Creative Worker visa solicitors, you can ensure that you meet these requirements.

Documents Required for Visa Application

The Home Office requires you to provide several supporting documents alongside your visa application. These documents include the following:

  • A valid passport or travel document. If you provide a passport, it must have at least one blank page to receive the visa if your application is successful.
  • A CoS reference number. This number is provided by your UK employer when you are issued a CoS. The Home Office processes the reference number to look up important details regarding your intended job in the UK.
  • A proof of financial means. You can use a bank statement for this purpose. The proof of financial means confirms that you have the requisite funds to support yourself if you are granted a visa.
  • A proof of relationship. This applies only if you are applying to have your dependents join you on the Creative Worker Visa. If a spouse or partner is joining you, you will need to provide marriage or civil partnership certificate. For child dependents, a birth certificate can be used as valid proof.
  • A TB test certificate. Some countries require you to get a tuberculosis test certificate before applying for a UK visa. If you are on the list of countries requiring a TB test certificate, you must get one before applying for the visa.

You may need to provide other documents, depending on the specifics of your case. For instance, if your supporting documents are not in English or Welsh, you will need to have these professionally translated.

If you are looking for the best immigration solicitor to guide you regarding the exact documents you need for your visa application, you are at the right place. With the advice of our Creative Worker Visa solicitors, you can make sure that you provide all the required documents and don’t miss out on anything.

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Applying for the Creative Worker Visa

You must apply online for the Creative Worker Visa. As a part of the visa application process, you are also required to provide your biometric details.

You may do so by using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. The ability to upload biometric details via the app is not available to applicants from all countries. If you don’t see the option when submitting an online application, your second option is to visit your nearest visa application centre.

You must schedule an appointment and visit the centre on the designated date. You are required to take your passport and supporting documents on the visit. Your photographs and fingerprints will be collected at the centre. You may also need to submit your passport and documents. These will be later returned to you once a decision on your visa application is made.

If you are not sure how to schedule an appointment for biometric data collection and you want to consult the best immigration solicitor, you should get in touch with us. Our Creative Worker Visa solicitors can provide detailed guidance on the matter.

How to Switch to Creative Worker Visa?

You can switch to the Creative Worker Visa if you already have a valid UK visa. You can use this route only for specific UK visas. If you have a Permitted Paid Engagement visa or a Standard Visitor Visa, you can switch to the Creative Worker Visa if:

  • You have already been partaking in activities related to the creative industries
  • A licensed sponsor provided you with a Certificate of Sponsorship before you arrived in the UK

Switching from another visa to the Creative Worker Visa can be somewhat complicated. This is where our Creative Worker Visa solicitors can help you. If you want guidance from the best immigration solicitor, you can schedule a consultation with us.

Visa Fees and Duration

The basic application fee for a Creative Worker Visa is £259. You must pay this fee separately for each dependent applying with you. The fee must be paid at the same time as your online visa application. You and your dependents must also pay a healthcare surcharge which is £624 per year.

You may qualify for a £55 discount if you are applying from Turkey, the Republic of Cyprus, Croatia, Slovakia, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, Germany, Finland, France, Norway, Malta, Poland, Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Ireland, or Italy.

The Home Office takes 8 weeks to process your application if you are applying from inside the UK. For applications submitted from outside the UK, the processing time is up to 3 weeks.

Once you are awarded a visa, you are allowed to stay in the UK for up to a maximum of 12 months. However, if the job end date on your CoS comes earlier, you can stay in the UK until this date plus another 28 days.

It is possible to have this visa extended, granted you continue to fulfil the eligibility requirements. If you are working for the same sponsor, you may be able to have your visa extended so that you can stay in the UK for up to 2 years.

Get in touch with our expert Creative Worker Visa Solicitors today.

Why Choose Adam Bernard’s?

If you are looking for the best immigration solicitor in London, look no further. Here at the London-based Adam Bernard’s law firm, we have some of the most experienced immigration solicitors. Our solicitors can offer you tailored help, advice, and guidance on all matters pertaining to your UK visa.

If you are applying for this visa category, our Creative Worker Visa solicitors can help you carefully understand all the requirements that apply to your case. We then guide you on how best to meet all these requirements to ensure that your application has the best chance of success.

Our Creative Worker Visa solicitors also advise you on how to bring together the relevant documents for your visa. If you want to get guidance from the best immigration solicitor, our team can work with you to enhance your chances of getting a quick and favourable outcome from the Home Office.

You can get in touch with a best immigration solicitor at our law firm to schedule a free preliminary consultation.

Call now at 0207-100-0505 to book your free session with our solicitors.

Get in touch with our expert Creative Worker Visa Solicitors today.

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