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The UK Global Talent visa route is open to talented and promising individuals in the fashion design industry who wish to work in the UK. Applicants will be leaders in their field, or have the potential to be leaders, as determined by the British Fashion Council (BFC), acting on behalf of Arts Council England.
The British Fashion Council can endorse applications from individuals within the fashion design industry who have a leading design role in the fashion business.
There is no cap on the number of applicants that can be endorsed in the fashion industry sub-category of the Global Talent route.
In order to qualify for a UK Global Talent visa in the field of Fashion Design, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:
The exact requirements you will need to satisfy may vary depending on your circumstances. You may want to speak to an immigration lawyer for expert advice.
In order to qualify for endorsement by the British Fashion Council in the field of fashion design you will need to have a leading design role in the fashion business and be able to show regular professional engagement in the fashion design industry in the last 5 years.
You will also need to demonstrate professional engagement in producing outstanding work that has been sold or exhibited internationally through catwalk or other exhibitions and a substantial track record in more than 1 country (if applying under Exceptional Talent criteria) or a developing track record in 1 or more countries and professional engagement in producing outstanding work that has been recognised by leading industry players (if applying under Exceptional Promise criteria).
Your application for a Fashion Design endorsement by the BFC will need to include 3 letters of recommendation.
The letters of recommendation must be from established organisations with nationally or internationally recognised expertise in fashion.
If you are seeking to evidence exceptional talent in the field of Fashion Design then at least 1 of the letters will need to be from an organisation based in the UK.
If you are seeking to evidence exceptional talent in the fashion design industry, you will need to provide at least two of the following:
Awards: evidence of winning, or significantly contributing to winning, or being nominated or shortlisted for, or significantly contributing to being nominated for shortlisted for, an international award for excellence; or
Media recognition: evidence from at least 2 countries (which can include your country of residence) of a minimum of 2 examples of significant media recognition for your individual work; or
Shows, presentations or exhibitions: evidence of catwalk shows, presentations or exhibitions considered internationally significant in the fashion design industry; or
Distribution and sales: evidence of extensive distribution and sales of your collections via internationally renowned retailers, your own retail outlet or your own e-commerce platform.
If you are seeking to evidence exceptional promise in the fashion design industry, you will need to provide at least 2 of the following:
Media recognition: at least 2 examples of recent UK or international media recognition for your individual work; or
Support and sponsorship: evidence of support and sponsorship through one of the following: (i) British Fashion Council support schemes; (ii) Fashion East support scheme; (iii)The Sarabande Foundation; (iv) The Centre of Fashion Enterprise; (v) an international counterpart of the British Fashion Council; or
Orders: evidence of at least 1 order placed by a luxury retailer or boutique; or
Industry recognition: evidence of recognition by leading industry players of an exceptional graduating collection.
To discuss your UK Global Talent visa application with one of our immigration barristers, contact our immigration lawyers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.
You will need to provide the British Fashion Council with three letters of recommendation in support of your application.
The letters of recommendation must come from senior members of established organisations with a national or international reputation and recognised expertise in fashion.
If applying under Exceptional Talent criteria, at least one of the letters must be from a UK organisation which is well established nationally or internationally, works with many international designers and industry experts each year and is widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in fashion.
The letters should come from a senior member of the organisation who is familiar with your work and able to comment on your achievements. They will need to detail your achievements in your specialist field and how, in their opinion, you have demonstrated that you are, or have the potential to become, a leader in your field.
The BFC usually takes about 4 weeks in total from submission to make a decision on a fashion design endorsement.
Once you have your British Fashion Council endorsement, you will have a period of three months from the date of the endorsement letter to make your application to enter or remain in the UK in the Global Talent category.
An application to switch into the UK Global Talent route may be made from within the UK provided you do not currently have, or were not last granted, permission to stay as a Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker, Domestic worker in a private household or outside the Immigration Rules.
If you hold, or were last granted, leave in any of the above categories then you will be required to leave the UK and submit your application for a UK Global Talent visa from your home country.
Anyone who does not have leave in the UK, will need to ensure that they are abroad when they make their Global Talent visa application. However, the application can be made from anywhere in the world, so you do not necessarily have to travel to your home country to make the application.
In addition to showing that you have been endorsed, the Home Office will assess your character and immigration history to ensure that you do not fall for refusal under the general grounds for refusal.
There is no maintenance or English language requirement in the Global Talent visa category.
Leave will be granted for the period that you request (in full year periods) up to five years. The amount of time that you request makes no difference to the application but will affect the amount that you need to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge.
If you have won a qualifying prestigious award, you will be able to fast-track the endorsement application and instead proceed directly to making a single visa application.
The list of prestigious prizes is set out in Appendix Global Talent: Prestigious Prizes. This list is kept under review and updated from time-to-time.
Our immigration solicitors have a wide range of experience assisting professionals in the fashion industry to prepare successful applications for endorsement by the British Fashion Council and to work in the UK. Our barristers are experts in the immigration options for individuals in the fashion industry and will guide you through the complex Home Office rules and policies.
We pride ourselves on being approachable and proactive in understanding and meeting our clients’ needs. We are a highly driven team, dedicated to providing clear and reliable immigration advice to clients as part of a professional and friendly service.
As specialist immigration solicitors, we pride in having one of the best team of specialist immigration solicitors with wealth of knowledge and experience to deal with all types of UK visa and immigration matters. Our top rated immigration solicitors have successfully helped thousands of clients with all types of UK visa and immigration applications, immigration appeals, Administrative Review, Pre-Action Protocol (PAP) and Judicial Review.
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