UK Global Talent Visa: which disciplines will the Design Business Association endorse?

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Nick Nason, solicitor and principal of Edgewater Legal, frequently advises internationally recognised creatives on the Global Talent immigration route. Outlined below is how design industry professionals may qualify.

UK Visas and Immigration has introduced a dedicated endorsement route for professionals working in the design industry.

The main criteria for endorsement are set out in our separate post here. Here we look at the areas of design that the route is intended to cover.

Applications under this route are assessed by the Design Business Association (DBA), acting on behalf of Arts Council England.

But not every design discipline falls within the DBA’s remit, making it important for applicants to understand whether their area of practice is eligible before submitting an application.

Which design disciplines can potentially be supported?

The DBA has published a list of the design disciplines that may be considered for endorsement under the Global Talent route.

To be eligible, applicants should generally work within a commercial design setting, or in the design and production of functional products, services or systems intended for mass production or widespread use.

Examples of eligible disciplines include:

  • Graphic Design
  • Brand Design
  • Motion Graphics Design (excluding Film and Television)
  • Product Design
  • Industrial Design
  • Furniture Design
  • Commercial Interior Design (excluding domestic interiors)
  • Service Design (excluding digital services)
  • Policy Design
  • Design Foresight and Futures
  • Strategic Design
  • Systemic Design

These examples are not exhaustive. Whether a particular area of practice falls within the DBA’s remit will ultimately depend on the individual application and the judgement of the DBA’s specialist assessors.

Which design disciplines are not covered?

The DBA has also identified a number of areas that fall outside its Global Talent remit. In many cases, these disciplines are assessed by other recognised endorsing bodies or fall under different Arts Council England or sector-specific routes.

These include:

  • Designers that work primarily in a Visual Arts context (those working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Visual Arts remit)
  • Craftspeople (those working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Visual Arts remit)
  • Landscape design (those working within the areas supported within the remit of the Royal Institute of British Architects)
  • Urban design (those working within the areas supported within the remit of the Royal Institute of British Architects)
  • Textiles design
  • Jewellery design (Fashion Designers working within the areas supported within the remit of the British Fashion Council and Jewellery Artists working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Visual Arts remit)
  • Design for exhibition (those working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Visual Arts remit)
  • Digital design (falls within the remit of Tech Nation)
  • UX/UI design (falls within the remit of Tech Nation)
  • Visual effects design context (those working within the areas supported by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television in their Film and TV remit)
  • Production design (those working within the areas supported by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television in their Film and TV remit)
  • Set design for Film and TV (those working within the areas supported by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television in their Film and TV remit)
  • Set design for Theatre (those working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Theatre remit)
  • Costume design for Film and TV (those working within the areas supported by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television in their Film and TV remit)
  • Costume design for Theatre (those working within the areas supported by Arts Council England in their Theatre remit)
  • Architects (falls within the remit of the Royal Institute of British Architects)
  • Fashion designers (falls within the remit of the British Fashion Council)
  • Games and VFX designers (those working within the areas supported by the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television in their Film and TV remit)
  • Digital and UX designers (falls within the remit of Tech Nation)

Similarly, designers working primarily within a visual arts or crafts context are generally assessed under different Arts Council England endorsement routes.

Again, this list is intended as guidance only and is not exhaustive.

If the DBA determines that your area of practice falls outside its remit, your application may be returned to UK Visas and Immigration as ineligible, rather than progressing to a full assessment.

This does not necessarily mean that you are ineligible for a UK Global Talent visa. It may simply mean that your application might be better assessed by another endorsing body, such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the British Fashion Council (BFC), or the relevant Arts Council England or film and television endorsement routes.

Choosing the correct endorsement pathway from the outset can help avoid unnecessary delays and ensure your application is assessed by the appropriate specialist body.

Arts Council England guidance sets out further information as to the kind of evidence that you may wish to provide.  

If you are looking for further information or assistance regarding this visa then please do not hesitate to contact us at Edgewater Legal.