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[unsilentwill]

I'm applying to every acceptable entry-level artist position I can, but I live the US and A good number of them are in the UK. So far I've been turned down from the application process because I don't have a permit.

My understanding of the system is apparently backwards, so do I have to apply for a visa for every job I apply for? The system seems quite specific strict from what I've read so far, anyone have any experience with working in or moving to the UK? 

[mikejkelley]

My experience working in Asia is that they hire you and sponsor your visa. You should have your visa before you leave. 

[oganalp]

Work permits for UK is terribly hard to get, that may be the reason as well. I know people waiting for a year to get an answer for their application, only to get rejected in the end. Not to demoralize you, but you should also check for other options like Canada etc.

[unsilentwill]

Thanks mikejkelley, that's sort of what I thought it was supposed to be. I guess the company doesn't bother with people who aren't currently working on another visa.

@oganalp So I apply for the job, wait for their response, work with them to get a visa, and could be turned down by the government. What a mess. I'm also apply all over the US first, there's just some great open positions in the UK.

Thanks for the advice guys, if anyone out there has a better story let me know.

[bateleur]

So I apply for the job, wait for their response, work with them to get a visa, and could be turned down by the government. What a mess.

It's nothing like as stupid as you make it sound. There's a pretty clear description on this page: UK Work Visas. (Which is an official government site.)

It's true that you could be rejected, but it's not random. It works mostly on a points-based system. There's an online calculator for it which should give you some idea of your chances.

[oganalp]

Well, my ex-girlfriend had a position opening for her at a food processing company. She had all her papers etc. The company wanted her to work there but her visa got rejected. At the time, rather than the points system, the reason given to her was that there were too many applicants for work permit in UK.

UK is one of the Top 5 countries that has huge immigration problems. So, they are quite edgy about applications. I don't know your experiences of course, but almost all countries are a bit edgy whenever some outsider comes and applies for such things. Best to keep hope and keep on pushing.

[bento_smile]

I hate to put you off, but the caps on visas now are so low that many companies are having problems hiring anyone outside of the UK. Companies are having their allocation cut down to as little as 1/10th of what it used to be. And most entry level art positions are so low salary that it makes it trickier to get a visa on the points system.

(TBH you would be better off looking in the USA, if only because the average salary is considerably higher. At least, it's higher according to surveys.)

It honestly sucks and makes me terribly angry that this government sees fit to turn away people who are coming here to work. It's a ridiculous situation for so many reasons... I could rant for ages!

[hanako]

And the government claims to want to cut immigration much further than they already have!

Don't expect getting into the UK legally to be easy any time soon.

(*tries to restrain self from going off on rant about politics and anti-immigrant hysteria*)

[moi]

LOL and meanwhile the UK people are invading everywhere there is sun and beaches and making their own getthos of british everywhere.

[blinkok]

you should check your cultural heritage as well.
i recently discovered that my great grandfather (italian) came to australia (early 1900s) and didn't apply for citizenship. consequently i am an italian citizen, qualify for an EU passport and can work anywhere in the EU.
nifty huh?

[moi]

you should check your cultural heritage as well.
i recently discovered that my great grandfather (italian) came to australia (early 1900s) and didn't apply for citizenship. consequently i am an italian citizen, qualify for an EU passport and can work anywhere in the EU.
nifty huh?

I heard that about italian descendants before, but it's not valid for all countries, only italy.

[jonbro]

that eu thing isn't just italians, it is also french, irish, british, and polish. There may be others too, but those are the ones I am sure of.

Re: getting a work visa, it can be tricky. I just did one, but I was helped by the fact that I am a partner in the company that sponsored me. It made me a much more interesting prospect. If you are a real anglophile and just have to get over here, I would recommend looking at education in the UK. If you already have an undergrad, there are a bunch of cheap and short grad programs. Once you have your student visa, it it much easier to translate that into a work visa then just getting the work visa off the bat.

Getting my UK work visa was a 9 month process about, and like you said, they do their best to not give you assurances along the way. Even trying to find a lawyer to help me was really difficult, and in the end I couldn't find any that would help much.