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About Representative of an Overseas Business visas
Workers from overseas media organisations can work in the UK as representatives of a media organisation.
This includes people who work for:
- Newspapers
- News agencies
- Broadcasting organisations
Workers can be:
- Journalists
- Producers
- News camera operators
- Front-of-camera workers and others
This visa allows for long-term, full-time work in the UK.
Who can apply for a visa
To apply, workers need to:
- Be 18 or over
- Work for a newspaper, news agency or broadcaster abroad
- Have a long-term assignment in the UK
- Have English language skills at level A1 or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale (coe.int). That is unless they're exempt
- Be able to support themselves without public funds
- Have a tuberculosis test, if from a listed country (gov.uk)
Workers can’t work for themselves or another business with this visa.
Who is suitable to apply for a visa
Workers need to be 'suitable' for a Media Representative of an Overseas Business visa.
The Home Office will look at:
- Their character
- If they have followed UK immigration rules in the past
- Any criminal records
Dependants
Partners and children under 18 can apply to join media workers in the UK if they meet the requirement. They can apply online (gov.uk)
A partner includes:
- A spouse
- A civil partner
- An unmarried partner, if the relationship has been at least two years long
The worker will need to pay extra fees for a partner or children. They’ll need to show evidence to prove their family relationship. Read about the requirements to bring a partner or children under the Media Representative of an Overseas Business visa (gov.uk)
How much it costs to apply
There’s a fee of:
- £719 if applying from outside the UK
- £827 if applying from inside the UK
- £1035 per visa for an Immigration Health Surcharge to use the NHS
How long it takes to apply
Processing times are published online (gov.uk)
At the moment:
- Applications from inside the UK are taking eight weeks
- Applications from outside the UK are taking three weeks
Outcomes
Visas are usually granted for up to three years.
This can be extended for two years.
After living in the UK for five years, workers can apply for settlement if they meet the requirements (gov.uk)
If an application is unsuccessful, there’s no right of appeal. We recommend getting legal advice about applying for an administrative review or judicial review.
If you need more advice on this visa or other routes, we recommend booking a free one-to-one appointment with us.
The content on this page is provided by immigration law firm Seraphus. Seraphus is fully regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Photo credit: Scottish Enterprise