The Baroque Musician Visa
Nick Nason, solicitor and principal of Edgewater Legal frequently advises clients on the Global Talent immigration route. Outlined below is how a Baroque Musician might qualify.
If you are recognised as an exceptionally talented Baroque musician, or one who demonstrates exceptional promise, you may qualify for a UK visa.
You will need to have been professionally engaged in performing outstanding Baroque music in at least 2 countries within the last 5 years, or, if you are at an early stage in your career, you will need to show a developing track record in one country.
Individuals who contribute to the creation and delivery of music work in the above areas, such as producers or engineers for recorded work, curators of live grassroots music events and festivals who are involved directly with artistic programming and selection of artists, or technical crew for live events, can also apply. Songwriters, stage and concert composers (excluding composition for media and screen, which comes under the Exceptional Talent remit of The Producers Alliance for Film and Television (Pact)), conductors and musical directors may also apply.
Visa outline
Global Talent visas enable you to live and work in the UK for up to 5 years – you can choose how long – and are a pathway to settlement (and British citizenship after that).
Before applying for the visa, you need to be endorsed by Arts Council England. To do this, you complete an online application form, and provide evidence in support which shows that you meet the criteria.
If you receive endorsement from Arts Council England, you can then apply for a visa.
If you are endorsed on the Exceptional Talent route, you may be able to apply for accelerated settlement after only 3 years. Those on the Exceptional Promise route (at an early stage in their career) are usually eligible after 5 years.
The main criteria
You will need three dated letters of recommendation.
Two of these should be from well-established organisations that you have worked with, acknowledged as experts within Baroque music, at least one of which is based in the UK.
The third letter must be from another leading organisation within Baroque music, or an individual you have worked with who has recognised experience in the field.
Those on the Exceptional Talent route must also evidence two of the following three criteria:
- Two or more examples significant media recognition (individually or contribution to a group) from at least two countries
- Winning, or significantly contributing to winning, at least one international award for excellence
- Proof of professional appearances, performances, publications or exhibitions considered internationally significant within Baroque music, or evidence of extensive international distribution and sales for their work as an individual or as a named member of a group or as a contributor
If you are an early stage of your career (i.e. on the Exceptional Promise route), the bar is set a little lower, although you must still demonstrate that you meet two of the following:
- Two examples of recent media recognition for your work as an individual, or as a named member of a group or as a contributor
- Winning, or significantly contributing to winning, or significantly contributing to being nominated or shortlisted for, or being nominated or shortlisted for, at least one international award for excellence
- Proof of professional appearances, performances, publications or exhibitions recognised in Baroque music, or evidence of international distribution and sales for their work as an individual, as a named member of a group or as a contributor.
Regardless of the route, you must also provide your CV setting out your career to date.
What is significant media recognition?
Evidence should usually comprise detailed independent critiques, reviews or critical evaluations of your individual work, from credible arts and culture critics in internationally recognised and well-established media outlets, in at least two countries.
It can include recognised media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio or websites. For those on the Exceptional Talent path – i.e. not at an early stage of your career – evidence from blogs and social media is not acceptable.
However, for those on the Exceptional Promise pathway, blogs may be accepted as long as they are written by credible arts and culture critics, and as long as the blogs themselves are prominent, sufficiently well-established and have a significant number of reviews available.
Media recognition must have been received within the last five years of the application date and must be for work that had already taken place at the time of the article’s publication.
You should review Arts Council England guidance on exactly what is considered to be ‘significant media recognition’ before applying.
What counts as an international award?
The award win (or award nomination if applying under Exceptional Promise) should provide significant recognition of your status as a leader (or emerging leader) within Baroque music.. There is no specific list of qualifying awards but it should have been awarded in the last 5 years.
Those who have not won (or been nominated for) an award as an individual, can provide evidence of making a significant contribution to an award win/nomination by another individual or group that they worked with instead.
If you do this, you must include (along with the award evidence) a supporting document from the individual that won (or was nominated), or from a senior person that has responsibility for the group that won, which details the significant contribution you made to the work that won the award.
What can be provided as proof of publication and/or distribution?
Evidence for performance-based work can include programmes, adverts, posters, or listings for past events you took part in.
If you provide video or photographs, you must always submit supporting information verifying your participation, along with when and where the engagement took place. The guidance confirms that videos or photographs alone will not be accepted.
If your work is not performance-based, evidence of proof of appearances may include distribution data related to your work. Distribution data evidence must include the breakdown of countries where your work has been sold, played/streamed or downloaded in within the last five years, and the number of sales, plays/streams or downloads in each country.
Arts Council England will decide themselves whether the sales achieved are sufficient evidence of a proven substantial track record and demand for your work as a leader in your field.
The evidence must also show the date and country the engagement took place, and your name being credited and details of what your role was.
Further information as to the kind of evidence that can be provided are set out in the Arts Council England guidance.
If you are looking for further information or assistance regarding this visa then please do not hesitate to contact us at Edgewater Legal.