1. Introduction
Global Talents visas are known to be particularly beneficial for people working in film and television. If you apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you will be tied to an employer and only allowed to work 20 hours per week for other employers. This is often too rigid and restrictive for many people working in this dynamic and fast-moving industry. If you apply for a Creative Worker visa you will only be granted leave to remain for a limited period and time spent on this route cannot lead to a grant of indefinite leave to remain in the UK. The Global Talent visa is beneficial in providing unrivalled flexibility, you can take on employment, self-employment, or have periods where you are not working and after three years on the route you will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain.
The film and television category under the Global Talent visa covers a wide range of roles within the film and television industry, including animation, post-production and visual effects. This guide will explain how to start the process of applying for endorsement in film and television for a Global Talent visa. I will also discuss how to put together the three required letters of recommendation and what happens once you've submitted your Global Talent application.
2. What Is a Global Talent Endorsement?
Applying for a Global Talent visa has two stages: first you must obtain an endorsement from the relevant endorsing body, next you must make an immigration application to the Home Office for permission to enter or stay in the UK on the Global Talent route.
The Home Office delegates the task of determining whether an applicant is suitable for entry onto the Global Talent route to endorsing bodies with expertise in the various fields covered by the Global Talent route. These include arts and culture, architecture, digital technology and, of course, film and television.
The endorsing bodies will examine your application and determine whether it is appropriate for you to be admitted onto the Global Talent route.
3. Does Everyone on The Global Talent Route Need an Endorsement?
A select group of people do not need to apply for endorsement in order to be admitted onto the Global Talent route.
If you have won an eligible award, you are not required to apply for an endorsement and you can skip straight to making the immigration application to the Home Office. The list of eligible awards for film and television is available here.
4. What Is the Endorsing Body for a Global Talent Film and Television Endorsement?
Somewhat confusingly, the endorsing body for film and television is the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), acting on behalf of Arts Council England. What this means in practice is that you will send your application to the Home Office, who will pass it onto Arts Council England, who will then delegate the decision-making to PACT.
5. Is It More Difficult to Get a Global Talent Endorsement for Film and Television Than in Other Fields?
If you are in the early stages of your career you may struggle to get an endorsement for film and television. This is because for most other categories under the Global Talent route applicants show that they have either:
- Exceptional Promise – this means that you are recognised as showing the potential to become a leader in your specialist area of practice; or
- Exceptional Talent – this means that you are recognised as a leader in your specialist area of practice
However, PACT only endorses candidates showing Exceptional Talent. Therefore, if you are at the start of your career it may be more appropriate to apply for endorsement for Exceptional Promise in another category. For example, if you are an actor who has just secured your first few screen roles, but you have experience in theatre, it may be strategically more beneficial to apply for Exceptional Promise under the arts and culture category of the Global Talent route.
Our immigration barristers can advise on which category would give you the best chances of obtaining an endorsement. Remember this is not a reflection on your talent, but rather the stage you have reached in your career.
6. How Do I Prove That I'm a Leader in My Field of Film and Television?
The Global Talent route has stringent requirements applicants need to satisfy to show that they have been recognised as an exceptional talent. You must show one of the following:
- You have at any time won a "main award";
- In the last ten years you have been nominated or made a significant contribution to winning or being nominated for any of the main awards;
- In the last 15 years you have achieved a minimum of two nominations for the main awards.
The main awards are:
- Academy Awards;
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, (known as "BAFTAs");
- Golden Globes;
- Emmys.
Evidence of an award or nomination must show your name, the name of the production, the date and the award category. Common evidence includes:
- Pictures of the physical award clearly showing the applicant's name, the name of the production, date, award category;
- Scanned certificates of the official award from the awarding body;
- Emails from the awarding body confirming the nomination or award;
- Official publications from the award body confirming the nomination or award.
7. What Does "Significant Contribution" Mean and How Do I Show It?
If you have not received, won or been nominated as an individual, you can provide evidence of making a significant contribution to an award won by another individual or group you worked with.
There is no strict list of evidence required to show significant contribution but strong evidence can include:
- Letters from recipients of the award or nomination, detailing your contribution to the award or nomination as part of a group and how your contribution was both direct and significant. These letters will be separate to the letters of recommendations which we will discuss below;
- Evidence that you were credited in a programme or film that has been nominated or won an award. This can be evidenced through screenshots of the credit roll, credits on IMDb and/or credits on the nomination or award win.
8. I Don't Have a "Main Award" or nomination...yet. Does That Mean I Can't Apply?
You can still obtain a Global Talent Visa Film and TV endorsement if you have notable industry recognition through achieving international distribution sales, media recognition, and a specified combination of awards from PACT's Notable Industry List.
Strong evidence of notable industry recognition include:
- Box office sales;
- Numerous distribution agreements from multiple territories;
- Numerous licence agreements with multiple media platforms;
- Multiple festival screenings at high profile festivals in multiple territories; and/or
- Multiple interviews from high profile media outlets in different territories.
You will also need to have achieved one of the following:
- At any time won a minimum of two notable industry recognition awards for at least two different productions;
- At any time won one, and, within the last six years before the date of application, have been nominated for one other notable industry recognition awards for at least two different productions;
- Within the last six years before the date of the application, have been nominated for a minimum of three notable industry recognition awards for at least two different productions;
- Within the last three years before the date of application, made a significant and direct contribution to winning or being nominated for three notable industry recognition awards for at least two different productions.
Where the productions are films, the films must have had a theatrical release. PACT's list of notable industry recognition awards is available here. The list is updated ad hoc and PACT will not exercise discretion to recognise awards which do not feature on this list.
9. The Importance of Global Talent Visa Film and Television Letters of Recommendation
The letters of recommendation are notoriously the trickiest part of an application for endorsements. Most refusals we see are due to deficiencies in the letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation must be written specifically for the purpose of the Global Talent endorsement application and cover all the required points (see below). General reference letters or testimonials will lead to a refusal. Another issue is finding appropriate letter writers, as many people in the industry have very busy schedules. Therefore, it's important to get familiar with the requirements and plan ahead.
10. Who Needs to Write the Global Talent Film and Television Visa Letters of Recommendation?
You will need to provide a total of three letters of recommendation. Two of these letters must be written by well-established organisations acknowledged as experts in the film and television industry, and at least one of these must be based in the UK. The letter writer must be a senior figure in the organisation such as the Chief Executive, Artistic Director, Principal or Chair.
The final letter can be from another organisation or from an individual with recognised expertise in the film and television industry.
11. How Do the Letters Need to Be Formatted for a Film and TV Global Talent Endorsement Application?
The letters must not exceed three pages. They must be typed out and not handwritten. If the letters are written in any language other than English, they must be accompanied by a full translation from a certified translator.
The letters must include full contact details for the letter writer, including a personal email address and a direct telephone number. All letter writers must include a CV or detailed biography demonstrating their experience and expertise in the film and television industry. Links to LinkedIn accounts are not accepted.
Letters from organisations must show the organisation logo, registered address, and be signed and dated by the letter writer, who must be a senior member with the authority to write on behalf of the organisation. The letter must provide details of when the organisation was established and, where possible, the UK Companies House registration number. The letters must include a link to the official organisation website.
12. What Information Needs to Be Included in the Global Talent Visa Recommendation Letters?
The following section is very important. The decision-makers take a stringent, tick-box approach where if one of the following points is not present in the letters of recommendation, the entire application is likely to be refused.
All letters must cover the following points:
- Specific details about how the person writing the letter knows you;
- Your past achievements in your area of practice and why, in the opinion of the letter writer, you are a leader in your specialist area of practice;
- How you would benefit from living and working in the UK; and
- The contribution you could make to cultural life here as an artist;
- Where possible, any details of your future professional artistic engagements or projects in the UK that the letter writer is aware of.
13. How Many Pieces of Evidence Can I Include in My Film and TV Endorsement Application?
You may submit ten pieces of evidence, not counting the letters of recommendation, and if you submit more than ten, PACT will only consider the first ten pieces of evidence included in the application.
14. How Much Does Applying for a Film and TV Global Talent Endorsement Cost?
The price for an endorsement application is £524. Please be aware that if you proceed to stage two, the immigration application, you will need to pay a further £192 for the visa itself and £1035 per annum for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Remember the visa lasts for three years before you can apply for indefinite leave to remain.
15. How Long Does It Take for Pact to Decide Whether to Give an Endorsement?
The PACT website states that it can take two to three weeks from receipt of the application to review and send the endorsement decision to Arts Council England. However, bear in mind that you will submit the application to the Home Office, rather than directly to PACT. As the application for endorsement is not an immigration application you will be able to travel outside of the UK during the processing time.
16. What Happens After I Get My Global Talent Film and Television Endorsement?
You will have three months from the date of the grant of the endorsement to make an immigration application for entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK.
The Global Talent visa application form will ask all the usual questions regarding suitability (ie. questions regarding your character and any issues with criminality), your immigration history, and if applying from certain countries you will be asked to provide a medical certificate showing that you have undergone a screening for tuberculosis.
The Home Office website states that the process takes three weeks if you are outside the UK and eight weeks if you are inside the UK. Remember you must not leave the UK while your immigration application is being processed. If you leave the UK your application will be automatically withdrawn by operation of the law.
You may purchase priority service for £500 for a decision within five working days, or super-priority services that may be purchased for £1,000 for a next-working day decision, subject to availability.
17. What Happens if My Film and TV Global Talent Endorsement Application Is Rejected?
If your application for a Film and TV endorsement is not successful you can submit a request for an endorsement review within 28 calendar days of the refusal. You can only submit a late request for an endorsement review if there are exceptional circumstances.
The review will not take into account any new evidence or information, so make sure you include everything you want to rely on in the initial application. The review will consider whether the Home Office:
- Failed to properly pass on evidence submitted with the original application;
- Made a mistake in processing the application;
- Failed to pass on correctly the reasons for refusing the endorsement.
The endorsement review is free and the endorsing body will return a decision within 28 calendar days. The decision of the endorsement review is final, you cannot make a further challenge to an unsuccessful endorsement review.
18. Contact our Immigration Barristers
For expert advice and assistance with a Film and TV Global Talent Visa application, contact our business immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.
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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.