The British Fashion Council Secures ‘Stop The Clock’ Mechanism

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that it has worked closely with the British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA), and the Home office with the support of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to secure a change to the Immigration Rules, introducing a ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism on the T5 (Temporary Worker) Creative and Sporting visa used by models and freelancers in the creative industries.

This will allow creative workers to travel in and out of the UK without that time counting towards the 14-day engagement rule, meaning international talent now have the right to come to the UK for London Fashion Week and then travel outside for work without their right to work being cancelled. This change came into effect as of 6th April 2021.

Under the updated agreement, if a creative worker has an engagement outside the UK, there is no longer a requirement for this to fit within the 14-day period due to the newly introduced ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism. The overall length of the migrant’s visa will not be extended, however, the calculation between engagements will only count for time spent within the UK.

Read more about the Code of Practise for Fashion Models on the British Fashion Council website