Tier 5 (Temporary Worker - Creative and sporting) visa

For this visa, make sure, that you fulfil the following criteria:

  • You come from a country outside the EEA or Switzerland
  • You have been offered a position as a creative worker (actor, musician, dancer, or crewmember of a film) or a sports person in the UK

Creative worker

For this category you must show:

  • That you have made a considerable contribution to your field such as being known internationally
  • That you have obtained a certificate of sponsorship in the form of a reference number
  • A minimum wage as established by PACT, Equity, or BECTU with exceptions being models, circuses, and musicians
  • Appropriate funds to support yourself on your bank account for ninety days before you apply (with some exceptions)

Sports person

For this category you must show:

  • That you have made a considerable contribution to your sport at the highest level
  • That you have obtained a certificate of sponsorship in the form of a reference number
  • A minimum wage as established by PACT, Equity, or BECTU with exceptions being models, circuses, and musicians
  • Appropriate funds to support yourself on your bank account for ninety days before you apply (with some exceptions)

You need to apply at least three months before you are to travel to the UK to work. You should receive the decision within three weeks.

Changing sponsor

You can change your sponsor, but you need to meet the same eligibility criteria. Changing a sponsor does not renew the duration of your stay, the maximum time you can spend in the UK is a year or the time listed on the sponsorship certificate plus twenty eight days.

Documents

You would need a valid passport and travel identification, tuberculosis test result (if you are coming from a certain country where the test is mandatory) and bank statements showing funds.

Visa extension

You can extend your visa before it expires, however you need to include all family members you have brought to the UK with you, in the application.

Visa Extension for a Creative Worker

Creative workers can extend their visa for:

  • A year or twelve months
  • The time listed on their sponsorship certificate in addition to fourteen days
  • The time required to lengthen their stay in the UK to twenty-four months

They must remain with the same sponsor. Creative workers may have several jobs while in the UK and if that is the case, the sponsor must provide them a sponsorship certificate that covers the complete duration of their stay, even if they need to perform at more than one event.

If creative workers are working for multiple sponsors, they will need to acquire a sponsorship certificate from each sponsor. There cannot be a space of over fourteen days between each work commitment.

Visa Extension for a Sports Person

Sports persons can extend their visa for:

  • A year or twelve months
  • The time listed on their sponsorship certificate in addition to fourteen days

Switching to a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting) Visa

People can switch to a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting) Visa if they have come to the UK on an entertainer or sports visitor visa and if their sponsor has provided them with a sponsorship certificate.

 Entertainers and sports persons who have entered the UK after April 28, 2015 can also switch to a Tier 5 (Temporary Worker – Creative and Sporting) Visa. On this visa, they can stay in the UK for up to a year or twelve months.

You must meet all the other eligibility requirements.

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