Saturday 30/Aug/2025 – 05:14 PM
The British visa program for global talents is facing widespread criticism, after revealing the granting of long residencies to sexual transgender artists from Turkey, along with singers from Nigeria and Africa, which sparked controversy over the feasibility of this path, which was designed to attract exceptional artistic and creative competencies.
British visas crisis
The Telegraph newspaper says that the program that allows its holders to reside five years is renewable with their family members, has witnessed a jump in requests by 178% since 2019, with more than 5,000 requests, and the British Arts Council approved 3,600 of them.
Among the beneficiaries is the Turkish artist Cobra Ozone, who is active in the issues of the M -community community, he obtained the visa after producing controversial artworks, including a modified version of the Carmen Opera in the Turkish Quiri language, and the list also included another artist in the name of Akis Ka, who describes himself as seeking to “leave the Kuwairi fingerprints in the history of art.”
In a related context, singers from the Evangelical Churches and Nigerian poets obtained the visa, while some of their electronic platforms have turned into a practical guide to help others obtain them.
The newspaper said that this expansion of granting visas has sparked criticism from the opposition, as Chris Philip, the Minister of Interior in the shadow government, described the path as ridiculous and needed an urgent review, saying: These visas were supposed to attract scientists, researchers, doctors or technology experts that add to the economy, not to be granted to artists.
The controversy comes in light of the escalation of the debate about immigration and artistic work in Britain, where critics see that the path has lost its original meaning, and turns into an easy gateway to immigration that does not achieve the expected added value.
