Tier 1 Exceptional Talent FAQs

Who can apply to the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent/Promise route?

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – arts and

culture applicants?

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – film or

television, animation, post production and visual effects applicants?

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – fashion design

industry applicants?

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – architecture

applicants?

How do our relationships with PACT, the British Fashion Council and RIBA

work?

How will you make decisions on applications?

How long will it take to process applications?

What other routes other than Tier 1 can individuals take to gain entry to the

UK?

What responsibilities will you have for visa recipients when they have

entered the UK?

Who can apply to the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent/Promise route?

Tier 1 is a route for entry to the UK intended for people of exceptional talent

to live and work in the country.

To be considered as an Exceptional Talent applicant, individuals must be able to

demonstrate that they are established as a leader, or an internationally

recognised expert in their specialist field. To be considered as an Exceptional

Promise applicant an individual must be able to demonstrate that they have the

potential to become a leader, or internationally recognised expert in their

specialist field.

Arts Council England will use their artform expertise and knowledge to assess

Stage One Tier 1 Exceptional Talent/Promise applications from individuals who

work within the fields of arts and culture. By ‘arts and culture’ we mean areas

encompassing the following main artforms that we support:

• Dance

• Music

• Theatre

• Combined Arts

• Literature

• Visual Arts - including those working in a Visual Arts context in galleries

and museums (not including museums focused work)

The Exceptional Talent route is also open to individuals working in film or

television, animation, post production and visual effects industries however,

applications for Exceptional Promise are not accepted in these fields. Applications

from individuals working in these fields are assessed by PACT (Producers'

Alliance for Film and Television) on behalf of Arts Council England in accordance

with our published criteria.

The Exceptional Talent and Promise route is also open to individuals working in

the fashion design industry. This refers specifically to fashion designers; including

the design of clothing, shoes, accessories and millinery. Applications from

individuals working in this field are assessed by the British Fashion Council (BFC)

on behalf of Arts Council England in accordance with our published criteria.

Individuals working within the fashion industry as photographers, illustrators or

stylists would not be able to apply through this route. More detailed information on

other routes available can be found on the

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) website.

The Exceptional Talent and Promise route is also open to internationally

recognised architects and/or internationally recognised experts within the field of

architecture. Applications from individuals working in this field are assessed by

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on behalf of Arts Council England in

accordance with our published criteria.

It is unlikely that a recent graduate or practitioner at the outset of their career in the

arts and culture sector would be able to demonstrate a track record of appropriate

range and quality to meet the required level of criteria for Exceptional Talent or

Promise.

It is advisable to contact us for advice or guidance around the specific disciplines

that we can and cannot assess.

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – arts and

culture applicants?

Letters of support

All arts and culture applicants (Exceptional Talent & Exceptional Promise) must

provide three letters of endorsement:

• The first letter must be from a UK based arts or cultural organisation,

institution or company which is well-established nationally and/or

internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the

applicants specialist field.

• The second letter must be from another arts or cultural organisation,

institution or company which is well-established nationally and/or

internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the

applicants specialist field. This second organisation may be UK or overseas

based.

• The third letter may be either from a third arts or cultural organisation,

institution or company (UK or overseas based) which is well-established

nationally and/or internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing

expertise in its field or from an eminent individual with internationally

recognised expertise in the applicant's specialist field.

At least one of the three letters must be from a UK based organisation; only one

of the three letters can be from an individual and these letters must be from

separate organisations, institutions, companies or individuals.

All letters of endorsement must:

• be dated

• if from an organisation, be:

• written on headed paper and signed by the author, who must be a senior

member of the organisation, such as a member of the senior management

team or board - the Chief Executive, Artistic Director, Principal or Chair for

example

• include details of the author’s credentials (for example, a CV/resume) and

how they know you (personal relationship or reputation)

• describe how in the opinion of the author you are either: a leader in your

field (Exceptional Talent); or have the potential to become a leader in your

field (Exceptional Promise)

• describe how you would benefit from living in the UK and the contribution

you could make to cultural life here. They should also provide details of any

of your future professional engagements in the UK that they are aware of;

and

• include full contact details of the author including personal email address

and direct telephone number so that personal contact can be made if

necessary

Letters of endorsement must be written specifically for this purpose, must

reference your application for Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise and must

include all of the information detailed above. A general all-purpose reference letter

is not acceptable.

Supporting evidence

All applicants (Exceptional Talent & Exceptional Promise) must also provide no more than ten documents that support at least two of the following areas of achievement. A ‘document’ is defined as a single piece of evidence (article, review, letter etc). If more than the permitted ten documents are submitted, only the first ten documents listed will be looked at and the additional evidence will be disregarded.

Exceptional Talent Exceptional Promise

Two or more examples of recent (within the last five

years) significant international media recognition,

online or in print, such as features, articles or reviews of

your work from national publications or broadcasting

companies that have recognised expertise in the arts and

culture sector in at least two countries. One of these

countries can be your normal country of residence. For

example, if you currently reside in England evidence can

come from England and one more country.

Event listings or advertisements that merely publicise your

work are not acceptable because the evidence must

provide a significant level of recognition from high profile

media experts in your specialist field. The evidence must

also provide a critique or review of your work and

demonstrate recognition of your artistic quality.

There is not an exhaustive list of credible media sources

we deem as acceptable, therefore as part of our

assessment process we use our judgement to decide

whether the evidence provides an appropriate level of

significant media recognition.

Two or more examples of recent (within the

last five years) UK or international media

recognition, online or in print, such as

features, articles or reviews from national

publications or broadcasting companies in at

least one country, which can be your normal

country of residence. For example, if you

currently reside in England evidence can

come from England.

Evidence of media recognition for

Exceptional Promise does not necessarily

have to come from arts and culture experts.

However, event listings or advertisements

that merely publicise your work are still not

acceptable and the evidence must provide a

critique or review of your work and

demonstrate recognition of your artistic

quality.

There is not an exhaustive list of media

sources we deem as acceptable, therefore as

part of our assessment process we use our

judgement to decide whether the evidence

provides an appropriate level of media

recognition.

Proof of having won (or made a significant and direct

contribution to winning) at least one international award

for excellence in your specialist field. For example the

Booker Prize, a Grammy Award; or domestic awards in

another country, for example a Tony Award.

Proof of having won, or been nominated or

shortlisted for (or made a significant and

direct contribution to winning or having been

nominated/shortlisted) at least one

international award for excellence in your

specialist field. For example the Booker

Prize, a Grammy Award; or domestic awards

Exceptional Talent Exceptional Promise

By ‘awards’ we mean awards of merit or excellence, rather

than monetary awards such as grants or bursaries, which

are not acceptable. Scholarships are also not acceptable

for Exceptional Talent.

The awards must prove that the quality of your work has

been recognised by high profile experts in your field.

There is not an exhaustive list of appropriate acceptable

awards, therefore we will judge whether a particular award

provides appropriate evidence of recognition in your field.

The award (not the date of the evidence) must be from

within the last five years and can come from any country,

including your country of residence.

in another country, for example a Tony

Award.

By ‘awards’ we mean awards of merit, rather

than monetary awards such as grants or

bursaries, which are not applicable. However,

unlike with Exceptional Talent we can use

our judgement to deem whether an award

such as an arts scholarship demonstrates an

appropriate level of international recognition

for the quality of your work to meet the

criteria for Exceptional Promise.

There is not an exhaustive list of appropriate

awards, therefore we will judge whether a

particular award provides appropriate

evidence of recognition in your field.

The award or nomination (not the date of the

evidence) must be from within the last five

years and can come from any country,

including your country of residence.

Proof of recent appearances, performances,

publications or exhibitions in contexts which are

recognised as internationally significant in your field, or

evidence of extensive international distribution and

audiences for your work.

By ‘recent’ we mean within the last five years.

The evidence must prove that you have been active in the

last five years, receiving a number of

Proof of recent appearances,

performances, publications or exhibitions

in contexts which are internationally

recognised in your field, or evidence of

international distribution and audiences for

your work.

By ‘recent’ we mean within the last five years.

Proof must come from at least one country,

which can be your country of residence. For

Exceptional Talent Exceptional Promise

bookings/commissions/engagements at an international

level and as part of professional programmes.

Proof must come from at least two countries, one of

which can be your country of residence. For example, if

you currently reside in England evidence can come from

England and one more country.

There is no minimum number of pieces of evidence

required however, the evidence must show proof of more

than one appearance, performance, publication or

exhibition in the last five years in at least two countries.

Evidence must prove that you have an established

international presence and demand for your work.

Student productions are generally not acceptable to

demonstrate appearances in professional programmes.

An artistic CV/Resume is not an acceptable method of

demonstrating proof of appearances for Exceptional

Talent.

There is not an exhaustive list of appropriate recognised

international contexts, therefore we will use our judgement

to decide whether such appearances, performances,

exhibitions or distribution provide appropriate evidence of

international significance in your field.

example, if you currently reside in England

evidence can come from England.

There is no minimum number of pieces of

evidence required however, the evidence

must show proof of more than one

appearance, performance, publication or

exhibition in the last five years in at least one

country.

Evidence must generally prove that you have

a developing or emerging international

presence, or a developing level of demand

for your work.

Student productions are generally not

acceptable to demonstrate appearances in

professional programmes.

An artistic CV/Resume is not an acceptable

method to demonstrate proof of appearances

for Exceptional Promise alone. You can

submit a CV/Resume as part of your

evidence but we would not expect to be able

to justify meeting the required level of criteria

for this category if a CV/Resume was the

sole piece of evidence submitted for proof of

appearances.

There is not an exhaustive list of appropriate

recognised contexts, therefore we will use

our judgement to decide whether such

appearances, performances, exhibitions or

distribution provide appropriate evidence of

international recognition in your field.

To demonstrate you meet the requirements in the table above:

• if you are providing evidence of media recognition for your work the

examples must include:

o the date that the feature, article or review was published and the

country of origin of the piece;

o a critique or review demonstrating the quality of your artistic work;

o the piece must also name you specifically however, if the piece is for

the work of another individual that you worked on, or work that you

took part in as a group and therefore does not name you specifically

then evidence is required from somebody who is named in the piece,

or a director, producer, manager etc, outlining the significant and

direct contribution that you made. This applies to Exceptional

Promise applicants only, as Exceptional Talent criteria requires

significant media recognition for your work as an individual

• if you are providing evidence of having won or being nominated for an international award for excellence, the example/s must include:

o full details of the nomination or award, including category and year of nomination or award;

o evidence of the credit you received for the nomination or award. o evidence of your involvement if the nomination or award was as part

of a group - if you are claiming you made a significant and direct contribution to winning or being nominated for international awards for excellence, evidence is required from the named person on the award(s) or nomination(s) which demonstrates that you significantly influenced or directly resulted in the award or nomination to the named person

• if you are providing evidence of appearances, performances, publications,

exhibition etc the examples must include:

o the date and country that the activity took place;

o evidence of your participation in the activity

Arts Council England will conduct independent assessment as to whether the

evidence you provide appropriately and adequately supports your claim that you

meet the relevant requirements.

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – film or

television, animation, post production and visual effects applicants?

Letters of support.

All applicants must provide 3 letters of endorsement, as specified below, which must:

• be written on headed paper, dated, and signed by the author who must be a senior member of the organisation, such as a member of the senior management team or board, the Chief Executive, Artistic Director, Principal or Chair;

• include details of the author’s credentials (for example, a Curriculum Vitae or résumé) and how they know the applicant (whether through personal relationship or reputation).

• detail the applicant’s achievements in the field of film and television and how in the opinion of the author they have demonstrated that they are, or have the potential to become, a leader in this particular field.

• describe how the applicant would benefit from living in the UK and the contribution they could make to cultural life in the UK, including details of any future professional engagements in the UK that the author is aware of.

• include full contact details of the author including personal email address and direct telephone number so that personal contact can be made by Arts Council England and or PACT if required.

• be written specifically for the purpose of supporting the application, not as a general all-purpose reference letter.

The first letter must be from a UK based arts or cultural organisation, institution or company which is well-established nationally and/or internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the applicants specialist field.

The second letter must be from another arts or cultural organisation, institution or company which is well-established nationally and/or internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the applicants specialist field. This second organisation may be UK or overseas based.

The third letter may be either from a third arts or cultural organisation, institution or company (UK or overseas based) which is well-established nationally and/or internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in its field or from an eminent individual with internationally recognised expertise in the applicant’s specialist field.

Supporting evidence

If you wish to be considered as an Exceptional Talent applicant in the film, television, animation, post-production or visual effects industry you must also provide evidence as follows:

Exceptional Talent (film, television, animation, post-production or visual effects industry)

You must show evidence for one of the following:

• have won, or in the last 10 years from your date of application, have received a nomination for one of the following awards:

• an Academy Award,

• a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) (Film, Television Crafts, Cymru, Scotland and Games only) award,

• a Golden Globe, or

• an Emmy award

or

• have, within the last 10 years from the year of application, made a significant and direct contribution to winning or being nominated for one of the awards mentioned above:

or

• have within the last 15 years achieved a minimum of two nominations for one of the awards mentioned above.

or

• demonstrate notable industry recognition by providing evidence of:

• international distribution sales and recognition, and

• having achieved one of the following combinations:

• won a minimum of two,

• won one, and, within the last six years before the date of application, have been nominated for one other,

• within the last six years before the date of application, have been nominated for a minimum of three, or

• within the last three years before the date of application, made a significant and direct contribution to winning two, or being nominated for a minimum of three of the Notable Industry Recognition Awards that can be found on the PACT website

To demonstrate that you meet the requirements, for each award you must provide:

• Full details of the production nomination or award, including category and year of nomination or award;

• Evidence of your involvement if the nomination or award was as part of a group;

• Evidence of the credit you received for the nomination or award; and

• If you are claiming credit for an award where you made a significant and direct contribution, evidence of your direct and significant contribution to the win or nomination.

PACT will conduct independent assessment as to whether the evidence you provide appropriately and adequately supports your claim that you meet the relevant requirements.

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – fashion design

industry applicants?

Letters of Support

All fashion design industry applicants must provide 3 letters of endorsement, as specified below, which must:

• be written on headed paper, dated, and signed by the author who must be a senior member of the organisation, such as the Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer, Creative Director, Buying Director, Fashion Director/Editor or, for exceptional promise applicants who have commercialised their graduating collections only, a Head of Course.

• include details of the author’s credentials (for example, a Curriculum Vitae or résumé) and how they know the applicant (whether through personal relationship or reputation);

• detail the applicant’s achievements in the field of Fashion Design and how in the opinion of the author they have demonstrated that they are, or have the potential to become, a leader in this particular field

• describe how the applicant would benefit from living in the UK and the contribution they could make to the Fashion industry in the UK, including details of any future professional engagements in the UK that the author is aware of.

• include full contact details of the author including personal email address and direct telephone number so that personal contact can be made by Arts Council England and/or the British Fashion Council if required

• be written specifically for the purpose of supporting the application, not as a general all-purpose reference letter.

The applicant must provide 3 letters of endorsement (all of which must meet the

specific requirements described above) from established organisations, institutions

or companies with a national or international reputation and recognised expertise

in fashion design.

At least one of these letters must be from a UK organisation.

Acceptable organisations would be those which are well established nationally or

internationally, work with many international designers and industry experts each

year and are widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in fashion design.

Supporting evidence

All applicants (Exceptional Talent & Exceptional Promise) must provide no more than ten documents that support at least two of the following areas of achievement. A ‘document’ is defined as a single piece of evidence (article, review, letter etc). If more than the permitted ten documents are submitted, only the first ten documents listed will be looked at and the additional evidence will be disregarded.

Exceptional Talent (within the field of

fashion)

Exceptional Promise (within the field

of fashion)

• Two or more examples of recent (in

the last five years) evidence of

significant international media

recognition for the applicant’s work

in the industry: online or in print

such as features, articles and/or

reviews from national publications or

broadcasting companies, in at least

one country other than the

applicant’s country of residence.

Event listings or advertisements are

not acceptable.

• Proof of having, within the last five

years from the year of application,

won; OR, received a nomination for,

OR made a significant and direct

contribution to winning or being

nominated for an international

award for excellence; for example

The Fashion Awards, Council of

Fashion Designers of America

(CFDA) Fashion Awards, Elle Style

Award, GQ Award, LVMH Prize,

ANDAM Prize, Hyères Prize or

another relevant major award or

nomination.

Awards must be awards of merit,

rather than monetary awards such

as grants and bursaries.

• Proof of catwalk shows,

presentations and/or

exhibitions in the past five years in

contexts which are recognised as

internationally significant in the

applicant’s field; OR evidence of

extensive international distribution

and sales of the applicant’s

collections.

• Two or more examples of recent

(in the last five years) evidence of

UK or international media

recognition for the applicant’s

work in the industry: online, in print

such as features, articles and/or

reviews from national publications,

or broadcasting companies OR on

social media of the applicant’s

collections, in at least one country

(which can include the applicant’s

country of residence). These must

be from independent sources, and

social media articles must be from

prominent bloggers or key opinion

leaders. Event listings or

advertisements are not

acceptable.

• Proof of having received, within the

last five years from the year of

application, support and

sponsorship through the British

Fashion Council’s support

schemes; OR, received support

and sponsorship through the

Fashion East support scheme; OR

received support and sponsorship

through the Sarabande

Foundation; OR been supported

by Centre for Fashion Enterprise;

OR received similar support from

an international counterpart to the

British Fashion Council.

• Evidence of one or more orders

placed by UK or international

luxury retailers and boutiques.

• Evidence of recognition by

leading industry players (within

the last five years) – for example

internationally renowned fashion

• Proof of international distribution

and sales (within the last five

years) through internationally

renowned retailers and boutiques,

or through applicant’s own physical

retail outlets or their ecommerce

platform.

designers, fashion media, retailers,

brands, Graduate Fashion Week -

of an exceptional graduating

collection.

To demonstrate you meet the requirements in the table above:

• if you are providing evidence of having won or being nominated for an international award for excellence, this must include:

o full details of the nomination or award, including category and year of nomination or award;

o evidence of your involvement if the nomination or award was as part of a group;

o evidence of the credit you received for the nomination or award. o if you are claiming you made a significant and direct contribution to

winning or being nominated for international awards for excellence, evidence is required from the named person on the award(s) or nomination(s) which demonstrates that you significantly influenced or directly resulted in the award or nomination to the named person;

• if you are providing evidence of having been given support or sponsorship, this evidence must include full details of the support or sponsorship including:

o the name and details of the scheme; o the dates the support or sponsorship were received; and o the organisation that awarded it

• if you are providing evidence of a catwalk, presentation or exhibition, evidence of participation in one or more reputable UK-based or international trade show or commercial showroom must be cited. The British Fashion Council will judge whether a particular trade show or commercial showroom provides appropriate evidence of recognition in the applicant’s field

• if you are providing evidence of international distribution and sales, evidence must be provided regarding:

o the current number of outlets or stockists of the business’s products, o the top five stockists and when these sales were achieved; and o where you have sold through your own retail channels, a breakdown

of sales and when these sales were achieved.

• if you are providing evidence of orders placed by UK or international luxury retailers, evidence must be provided naming the buyer or stockist and stating when the order was placed.

The British Fashion Council will conduct independent assessment as to whether the evidence you provide appropriately and adequately supports your claim that you meet the relevant requirements.

What types of evidence should I submit with my application – architecture

applicants?

Letters of Support

All architecture applicants must provide three letters of endorsement:

The first letter must be from a UK based architectural or cultural organisation,

institution or company which is well established nationally and/or internationally

and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the field of architecture. The

Royal Institute of British Architects will judge whether the organisation, institution

or company is well established and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise

in architecture (encompassing design, technical and business skills relevant to the

operation of leading architectural practices).

The second letter must be from another architectural or cultural organisation,

institution or company which is well established nationally and/or internationally

and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise in the field of architecture. This

second organisation, institution or company may be UK or internationally based.

The Royal Institute of British Architects will judge whether the organisation,

institution or company is well established and widely acknowledged as possessing

expertise in architecture (encompassing design, technical and business skills

relevant to the operation of leading architectural practices).

The third letter may be either from a third architectural or cultural organisation,

institution or company (UK or internationally based) which is well established

nationally and/or internationally and widely acknowledged as possessing expertise

in architecture or from an eminent individual with internationally recognised

expertise in architecture. The Royal Institute of British Architects will judge whether

the organisation, institution or company is well established and widely

acknowledged as possessing expertise in architecture (encompassing design,

technical and business skills relevant to the operation of leading architectural

practices) or the eminent individual has internationally recognised expertise.

At least one of the three letters must be from a UK based organisation; of the

other two letters, only one of these can be from an individual.

All letters of endorsement must:

• if from an organisation, institution or company be dated and signed by the author, who must be a senior member of the organisation, institution or company, such as the President, Chair, Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director, Senior Partner, Editor.

• include details of the author's credentials (for example, a CV or résumé) and how they know the applicant (whether through personal relationship or reputation).

• detail the applicant's achievements in the field of architecture and how, in the opinion of the author, they have either demonstrated that they are a leader in architecture (Exceptional Talent) or have the potential to become a leader in architecture (Exceptional Promise).

• describe how the applicant would benefit from living in the UK and the contribution they could make to architectural cultural and professional life in the UK, including details of any future professional engagements in the UK that the author is aware of.

• include full contact details of the author, including personal email address and direct telephone number so that personal contact can be made if necessary.

Letters of endorsement must be written specifically for this purpose, must

reference whether the application is for Exceptional Talent or Exceptional Promise,

and must include all the information detailed above. A general all-purpose

reference letter is not acceptable

Supporting evidence

All applicants (Exceptional Talent & Exceptional Promise) must provide no more than ten documents that support at least two of the following areas of achievement. A ‘document’ is defined as a single piece of evidence (article, review, letter etc). If more than the permitted ten documents are submitted, only the first ten documents listed will be looked at and the additional evidence will be disregarded.

Exceptional Talent (within the

field of architecture)

Exceptional Promise

(within the field of

architecture)

• Two or more examples of

recent (in the last five years)

evidence of significant

international media

recognition, online or in print,

such as features, articles

and/or reviews from national

publications or broadcasting

• Two or more examples of

recent (in the last five years)

evidence of UK or international

media recognition, online or in

print, such as features, articles

and/or reviews from

national/international

publications or broadcasting

companies or international

architectural periodicals or

journals, in at least one

country other than your

country of residence. Event

listings or advertisements are

not acceptable;

• Proof of having, within the

last five years from the year

of application; won; or made

a significant and direct

contribution to winning at

least one international award

for excellence. For example,

Aga Khan Award for

Architecture, RIBA

International Prize, Pritzker

Prize, Venice Biennale of

Architecture Award, World

Architecture Festival Award

or another relevant major

award.

Awards must be awards of

merit, rather than monetary

awards such as grants and

bursaries.

The RIBA will judge whether

a particular award provides

appropriate evidence of

international recognition your

field.

• Proof of having work

published or exhibited in the

last five years from the year

of application, in contexts

which are recognised as

internationally significant in

the field of architecture, for

example monographs

published by recognised

international publishing

companies, or broadcasting

companies or international

architectural periodicals or

journals, in at least one

country, which can include your

country of residence. Event

listings or advertisements are

not acceptable;

• Proof of having, within the last

five years from the year of

application; won; or been

nominated / been shortlisted; or

having made a significant and

direct contribution to winning,

being nominated or being

shortlisted for at least one

international or national award

for excellence in architecture in

the last five years. For example,

Aga Khan Award for

Architecture, RIBA International

Prize, Pritzker Prize, Venice

Biennale of Architecture Award,

World Architecture Festival

Award, RIBA Silver or Bronze

Medals (international student

awards), AIA Young Architects

Awards.

Awards must be awards of

merit, rather than monetary

awards such as grants and

bursaries.

The RIBA will judge whether a

particular award provides

appropriate evidence of

international recognition your

field.

• Proof of having work published

or exhibited in the last three

years in contexts which are

recognised as internationally

houses, exhibitions at

international

exhibitions/festivals such as

the Venice Biennale of

Architecture and World

Festival of Architecture, or in

international galleries with

curated architecture

exhibitions, such as the RIBA

Gallery, Canadian Centre for

Architecture.

Proof must come from at

least one country other than

your country of residence and

must demonstrate a

minimum of two

publications or exhibitions of

your work.

The RIBA will judge whether

such publications or

exhibitions provide

appropriate evidence of

international significance in

your field.

significant in the field of

architecture, for example

monographs published by

recognised international

publishing houses, exhibitions

at international

exhibitions/festivals such as the

Venice Biennale of Architecture

and World Festival of

Architecture, or in international

galleries with curated

architecture exhibitions, such as

the RIBA Gallery, Canadian

Centre for Architecture.

Proof must come from at least

one country, which can include

your country of residence and

must demonstrate a minimum

of two publications or

exhibitions of the applicant’s

work.

The RIBA will judge whether

such publications or exhibitions

provide appropriate evidence of

international significance in your

field.

How do our relationships with PACT, the British Fashion Council and RIBA

work?

We have agreed a memorandum of understanding with the Producers Alliance for

Cinema and Television (PACT), setting out how we will work together on

applications for entry under Tier 1 entry. Arts Council England will receive all

applications from individuals working within film or television, animation, post

production and visual effects industries in the first instance but we will refer

applications of this nature to PACT, who will assess these on our behalf in line with

our published criteria. This ensures all applications are assessed by a specialist in

the relevant field. Likewise, we have also agreed a memorandum of understanding

with the British Fashion Council (BFC), who will assess all applications from

fashion designers (including the design of clothing, shoes, accessories and

millinery) on our behalf, against the published criteria. From 10 January 2019 we

agreed a memorandum of understanding with The Royal Institute of British

Architects (RIBA), who assess all applications from architects on our behalf,

against the published criteria.

How will you make decisions on applications?

We make our decision based on a set of published eligibility criteria, which relies

on an evidence based application process. If an application fails to meet the

published criteria we are unable to recommend endorsement.

It is possible that an applicant may indeed be exceptionally talented/promising in

their field however, we cannot recommend a Stage One applicant for a visa if they

fail to provide the required physical evidence to demonstrate this. All applicants

are advised to read our full eligibility criteria before submitting an application.

How long will it take to process applications?

Arts Council England process Stage One of the visa application. Our agreement

with the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) service is to return 100% of our

recommendations to them within 8 weeks of an application being submitted.

However, this is the maximum period of time allowed and we will always endeavor

to send at least 80% of decisions back to UKVI within at least 25 working days

from the date of application.

Once they have received our decision UKVI will notify the applicant of the

recommendation and how to progress to Stage Two, or what to do next if

endorsement is not recommended.

Due to the length of time it can take to receive a decision on a Stage One

application we would advise to leave plenty of time for an application to be

processed and a decision to be received before planning to enter the country. If an

applicants current visa is coming to an end they should contact the UKVI, their

local immigration office, or a legal representative first for advice as there is

currently no fast track service available for arts and culture applicants.

What other routes other than Tier 1 can individuals take to gain entry to the

UK?

Tier 1 is not the only way for artists and other creatives to be granted visas. Tier 2

and Tier 5 visas are also available however, we do not make recommendation

about Tiers 2 and 5, which are currently assessed by the UK Visas & Immigration

(UKVI) using criteria that they have previously set out and operated through arts

organisations acting as sponsoring bodies.

Tier 1 is intended to support individuals looking to live and work in the UK for up to

five years. It also enables individuals to extend entry for an additional five years or

full settlement. It is not intended to be used by individuals to gain entry to work on

standalone time sensitive events or projects.

More detailed information on other routes available can be found on the UK Visas

& Immigration (UKVI) website.

What responsibilities will you have for visa recipients when they have

entered the UK?

Artists approved for entry will be required to support themselves when they have

entered the UK, in accordance with UKVI regulations.

Applicants who are successful in obtaining an Exceptional Talent or Exceptional

Promise visa with an endorsement from Arts Council England may contact Arts

Council England directly once in the UK to explore opportunities for engagement.

International artists based in England and the EU can apply for project funding

through Arts Council England’s funding programmes for individuals, such as

Project Grants and Developing Your Creative Practice. Use our funding finder if

you are interested in applying for funding.