British-Indian Artist Criticises UK Immigration Rules

This week, renowned artist Anish Kapoor of British-Indian descent criticised the current UK Immigration Rules. Just like the rest of the nation, Kapoor has been following the political debates regarding immigration in the run up to the general elections on 5 May 2015. Kapoor’s biggest concern is letting go or throwing young talented international students out of the UK after they have studied and trained at UK Universities. 

Artist, Anish Kapoor: UK Trains International Students & Make Them Leave

Anish Kapoor was born in India on 12 March 1954 and moved to London when he was in his early 20’s. Kapoor moved to the UK to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design. Since his arrival in the UK he has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2003, and awarded a Knighthood in 2013. A migrant himself coming to the UK as an international student to pursue a career as an artist he sympathises with other migrant students:

“The current situation means that we train students, who come here to go to art school or whatever, and 99.9 percent are made to leave after they’re finished. We reduce ourselves to a small pool of talent. Why would we do that? It’s beyond my understanding. That’s got to be economical madness too.”

Under the current UK Immigration Rules, international Students who are on a Tier 4 Student Visa are unable to switch to Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa. The Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa enables individuals to work in the UK in the arts. Therefore, if international students who want to pursue a career in the arts would be required to leave the UK and make an entry clearance application from abroad.

Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa Route

The Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa will allow a highly skilled migrant to live and work in the UK for an initial period of 5 years and 4 months if you apply outside the UK. If you are switching from a Tier 1, 2 or 5 visa and applying within the UK you can stay in the UK for up to 5 years. There are limited places available under this UK visa category, with 500 places released on both 6 April and 1 October each year.

You can apply for a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa if an individual has:

  1. Been endorsed as an internationally recognised leader or emerging leader in your field in science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the art; and
  2. Are from outside the EEA and Switzerland.

Contact us for successful Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa applications

Our team of experienced and professionally qualified solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of the law. Please always call us for a free telephone assessment and free case assessment even if you wish to consider other advisers.

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