The ‘Global Talent visa’ scheme allows recipients to stay in the UK for up to five years, along with their dependents, with the aim of attracting the best creative professionals to the country.
The Telegraph revealed that among those welcomed under this program are people like Kübra Uzun, a transgender drag artist and “LGBTQIA+ rights activist” from Istanbul, Turkey, who goes by the stage name of Q-BRA or Akis Ka, another transgender drag performer aiming to “leave queer traces in art history.”
Other recipients include Nigerian rappers and poets, like Tobi Adegbite, known as Rhookcastle, now residing in Birmingham, who launched a website in May 2025 offering “Global Talent visa documentation and submission” services to aspiring artists.
African evangelical church singers have also benefited from the visa program, moving to the UK to perform in local congregations.
The rise in visa applications for ‘creative professionals’ has sparked controversy, with a 178% surge in annual applications since 2019. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for an “urgent” review of the “clearly nonsensical” visa programme.
