The Home Office UK Visa and Immigration department has announced that the Tier 1 exceptional talent visa, which was previously only awarded to people in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts, is now open to fashion designers.
As part of the government’s plans to attract an increasing number of talented individuals to the country, the availability of Tier 1 UK visas has already doubled to 2,000 a year, but this new expansion will allow even more talent to cross the borders.
In order to qualify for a Tier 1 exceptional talent visa, applicants must live outside the European Economic Area and be able to demonstrate that they have made or have the potential to make pioneering contributions to their particular field.
In a Home Office statement, a spokesperson said: “Applications made by fashion designers will be assessed by the British Fashion Council under the endorsement remit of Arts Council England, which is one of five existing endorsing bodies. The route will also be made available to a wider pool of TV and film applicants.”
The new addition to the visa comes as the Home Office makes a number of changes to UK immigration legislation, including the addition of 11 countries to a list of nations whose students will benefit from a streamlined application process.
Additionally, the Home Office has introduced a new settlement category for Turkish business people, workers and their families who move to Britain under the EU-Turkey European Communities Association Agreement (ECAA), and now allow holders of an electronic visa waiter to present their document in a digital format.