Are you a representative of a media house looking to cover a story in the UK?
It might be confusing to decide which UK visa/immigration process you should go for. And as we have pointed out several times in our previous articles, choosing the right category of UK visas is a very important step in ensuring that your application is successful. Since the names of the category of visa you need to choose might not always be as obvious as media representative Visa UK (or journalist visa UK, etc), doing a bit of research is important for your media firm, to be sure to avoid all immigration related hassles so that you can cover your scoop in a timely manner.
And I do not need to stress on the importance of time as a factor for effective journalism.
In this article, our associates at The SmartMove2UK (a unit of Smart Move Immigration) have attempted to make your lives a little easier by giving an overview of the various options available for journalists and Media professionals to go to the UK, depending on their circumstances.
UK Immigration Options available for Journalists and Media Representative
In order to undertake activities as a journalist or media professional in the UK, you will normally need to obtain a visa under one of the tiers of the points-based system (PBS).
The PBS has distinct categories and requirements for journalists and other media professionals. In most routes you will need to be sponsored by your employer.
If you aren’t looking for long term work as a journalist in the UK, and just need to cover one assignment over a period of a few months, the recommended Immigration option is the Sole Representative Visa, officially called the Representative of an Overseas Business Visa. The Sole Rep visa category also has a sub-category for employees of a foreign newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organization being posted in the UK for a long-term assignment as a representative.
On the other hand, if you are going to be in the UK even more briefly, like to cover a single event or activity, a business visitor visa would be most appropriate.
Media Representative Visa UK 2021
The main UK immigration options available to journalists and media professionals in 2019 are:
For British Employers
If your media business wishes to employ a worker from outside the EEA, the employee must obtain, or already have, permission to work through the legal immigration routes. It would be your responsibility to check that all your employees have the required immigration permission to work for you in the UK.
The following categories of people have the right to work in the UK:
- British Citizens
- EEA citizens and citizens of Switzerland;
- Those with the right of abode in the UK;
- Those with no time limit on their stay in the UK; and
- Those with a visa or permission to remain in the UK which permits work (This may be subject to conditions, such as a maximum number of hours to be worked in a week, which must be complied with).
Students may have permission to work, but if they do, this will be limited only to the time that their term is in process. In certain cases, individuals with applications pending with the Home Office may also have permission to work in the UK. In this case you will need to obtain a Positive Verification Notice from the UKVI.
How our UK immigration solicitors can help
Our immigration solicitors at The SmartMove2UK (a unit of Smart Move Immigration) provide expert advice to journalists and other media professionals on UK visa and immigration requirements. We have assisted numerous journalists, editors, presenters, film crew and producers to visit or work in the UK through our offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Thinking of a media assignment in London? Think The SmartMove2UK.
