Certificates of Sponsorship - AN OVERVIEW
Many entertainers who come to tour, record or perform in the UK, or to work on a UK film or TV series, need what are called Certificates of Sponsorship (which I'll shorten to CoS from hereon). There are a few exceptions and options, but I'll come to them at the bottom of the page.
Entertainment CoS are almost all done under the Temporary Creative Worker category of the UK government's Points Based System (PBS). They have to be issued in the UK by a registered sponsor, which is usually the organiser of the trip. They are issued before the film worker, band or whatever travels to the UK and in most cases they are used as an entry document - the exceptions to this are where the holder is coming here for over 3 months, or they are "visa nationals" (holding a passport which the UK government wants to put through a screening process before they travel here), or they have a serious criminal record. The vast majority of people we deal with are from the States, Canada, the EU and Australia - they just show their CoS when they enter (please note they CANNOT USE THE E-GATES; they must see a human border officer). The CoS gets activated on the computer system by an Immigration Officer and the band/workers are given stamps in their passports.
Since Brexit, E.U. nationals now need work permission to do most paid work/shows here - many will use CoS, just like acts from outside the E.U. have done for several years. They don't generally need visas unless they're coming for more than 3 months - they can use the CoS as entry documents.
The sponsor company has to provide the UKVI (part of the Home Office) with a fair bit of legal paperwork in order to get its licence, and from then on it is trusted to assign CoS appropriately. The UKVI come and check sponsors on a random basis to ensure they're not abusing the system. Sponsors are obliged to keep records of the people they issue CoS to, to show the UKVI that they are issuing appropriately and making sure the acts enter and leave the UK when they are supposed to. We assist our clients to comply with these rules. Acts must usually be of international status to warrant being issued CoS, and their work here must not pose a threat to the resident labour force. There are Codes of Practice for some fields of entertainment (most notably film and TV); in these the UKVI prescribes what checks a sponsor has to make before it can issue a CoS to a film worker or on-screen talent.
T&S is a licensed sponsor, able to issue CoS to non-UK entertainers where they have no other licensed sponsor to act for them. We have an "A" rating with the UKVI for our licence since 2011. As well as having sponsored music stars including Diana Ross, Chic, Jimmy Cliff, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, George Clinton, Major Lazer, Cyndi Lauper, DJ Premier, Cirque du Soleil and Prince (RIP) we increasingly sort out sponsorship for foreign stars and the creative staff involved in making motion pictures and adverts here.
Film, TV and theatre projects we've sponsored include RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (Oscar-winning film), Beauty And The Beast (film soundtrack), The Wife (film), McMafia (TV series), The Infiltrator (film), Downton Abbey (film and TV series), Man In The High Castle (TV), EE mobile phones (Kevin Bacon TV ads), The BFG (film), Etruscan Smile (film), SS-GB (TV), You Me and the Apocalypse (TV), The Current War (film), Alice Through the Looking Glass (film), Pete's Dragon (film), Bliss (TV), Crooked House (film), The Death of Stalin (film), Hampstead (film), Hitman's Bodyguard (film), Queen of the Universe (TV), Guilt (TV), Elephant Man (theatre), Direct Line Insurance (TV ads), Nocturnal Animals (film), & Watcher In The Woods (film).
Steve's IMDb Pro page is here (you may need to be an IMDb Pro to view):
https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8783044/credits
For non-pro users this is the page:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8783044/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3
He is listed on IMDb as Steve Richard (IX)
If you have a project that we may be able to help with call us on (44) (0)1969 663983.
Examples of where CoS might NOT be required;
Visitor categories have now mostly been amalgamated into "General visitor" - This covers the old categories like 'entertainer visitor' (amateurs and those performing at 'permit-free festivals), and can cover performers who are not being paid for their work. If an act is just doing a permit-free festival they can enter (or apply for a visa, if they're a visa national) based on a letter from the festival, BUT the festival must first gain permit-free status, then gather all their information for a special UKVI database several weeks before the acts arrive (some sponsors may consider this more hassle than issuing CoS; it certainly seems that way). The UKVI reviews the permit-free festival list annually and the organisers must prove the festivals are well-run and relatively trouble-free.
Sports events and competitions. Sports performers, athletes and their support staff who are based and employed overseas can come to the UK to perform or compete on a temporary basis without the need for CoS. They are covered under the provisions of the UK's Visitor Rules. Signing for a UK-based team would be a different matter, though.
Shows where the act is donating the income to a registered charity and waiving its fee can also be done under the visitor route without CoS.
Film crews working on location shoots and employed by non-UK companies (studio work is not covered by this) can generally come in under the visitor category. If the work is on a UK production they can't use this; they must have CoS instead.
"Permitted paid engagements" (shortened: PPE). This route was introduced in 2012 (rather hurriedly, it must be said - without the normal consultation that would normally be expected). It allows some entertainers (as well as expert speakers, lecturers, legal advocates, sports commentators, visual artists staging exhibitions etc) to come and perform in the UK and be paid for those performances without a UKVI-registered sponsor issuing a CoS. This route somewhat overlaps/contradicts the Points Based System but was brought in due to pressure from a lobby group representing arts organisations. This route only covers one month of work. As of Feb 2024 it was rolled into the Standard Visitor category, but with one very important caveat....the rules state that the permitted paid engagement you wish to do must be declared when you request to come into the UK (either in a visa application or, if you don't need a visa, at the border when you arrive). SO YOU CANNOT USE THE ELECTRONIC GATES.
So, for example, if you're a US or European band coming here to do a few shows and you're here for just a few weeks, you COULD request entry to do these as permitted paid engagements, BUT you must have proof on you that you are all full-time entertainment professionals, you must have printed invitation letter(s) from the show organiser(s), evidence you have enough money for your trip and be able to convince the officer you won't work for more than the first 30 days of your trip.
One other caveat with this route is that visitors cannot sell goods or services to the public, so you cannot legally sell merch direct to audience members at the shows.
If in doubt please speak to us about your options.
