Due to Britain leaving the European Union, it has been announced that non-UK musicians will need a Tier 5 visa to visit the country for work from January 2021 onwards. These visa restrictions will be applicable to both the creative and sports industries. Currently, artists can travel freely between the EU to the UK without the need for work permits or visas.

These new restrictions will include one-off shows, festivals appearances, tours and more. The complex application process for the working visa means that creatives that wish to travel to the UK must prove that they have close to £1,000 in savings at least 90 days before the application process commences. These savings will act as proof that the artists can support themselves unless they are already "fully approved ('A-rated')". Artists will be expected to pay £244 to apply for the actual visa to enter the UK.

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, commented: "We are deeply disappointed that free movement for musicians and other artists from the EU has been ruled out and we would ask the UK Government to reconsider our call for a two-year, multi-entry visa. As the former minister of state in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nigel Adams MP said last month, 'touring is absolutely the lifeblood of the industry'."

Music industry representatives had previously campaigned for a two-year working visa to allow artists to travel freely around the EU and the UK for work purposes. The House Of Lords' EU home affairs sub-committee warned in 2018 that "there may be a significant loss to the audiences that enjoy seeing talent from across Europe performing in the UK."

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