Lights, camera, points

You could say exploring the world beyond my own is in my genes. My grandfather, with his mother and his accordion, caught the last open wave of immigration from Eastern Europe to America in the 1920s. His name is engraved on a wall on Ellis Island, New York City, which was once the bustling welcoming centre for all those who braved the journey across the ocean. And so I grew up in America with the sense that a part of me was also elsewhere.

Many years later in late 2005 I eventually found my way to London after winning a scholarship to do a masters degree at the London School of Economics. I had been working in New York City as a documentary film producer on American historical films, but craved something broader. I wanted a different geographical base from which to look out onto the world.

After my graduation I decided to make a go of having a life in the UK. Why not? I enjoyed living in England, and although not looking for a better life, I was indeed looking for a different one. I guess you could say I am a different type of ‘migrant’, one that does not fit into the categories discussed regularly in the British newspapers.

An artist never stops working but ironically a steady stream of income is never guaranteed. A friend who works in finance was surprised my income had not steadily climbed each year since I started working. As an artist there are boom years and there are bust years. And in my time in the UK I have had to do various jobs to make ends meet.

But now that my career here is starting to feel established I am in the peculiar situation of having to do various jobs not just to make ends meet but to meet the income criteria for my upcoming visa renewal.

Collecting the points

Here’s why. Since deciding to stay in the UK to live and work I have had two different visas (‘Highly Skilled Migrants’ and ‘Tier 1 General’), both of which are points-based. What does this mean? It means that one must earn 75 points to have a successful application and one earns the bulk of their points in two categories – age and income.

'People find it surprising when I explain the points system in more detail. In fact a lot of my British friends have confessed that they would not chalk up enough points to be able to settle here.

To spell out what I think is the absurdity of the points system for artists or for anyone working in the creative sector I will give a few examples of what is required: (NB: the points table below is only for those who had their first leave to remain before 6th April 2010, as unfortunately the table is more difficult for those who have received their first leave after that date).

• Bachelor’s degree - 30 points
• Master’s degree - 35 points (but you can’t earn the 30 points for the bachelor’s as well)

• 28 years of age? - 20 points
• 28 or 29 years of age? - 10 points
• 30 or 31 years of age? - 5 points
• 32 or older? - 0 points

The remaining points you need to have 75 must be earned in the income category. If your income is:

• £16,000 – 17,999.99 – Earn 5 points
• £18,000 - £19,999.99 – Earn 10 points
• £20,000 - £22,999.99 – Earn 15 points
• £23,000 - £25,999.99 – Earn 20 points
• £26,000 – 28,999.99 – Earn 25 points
• £29,000 – 31,999.99 – Earn 30 points
• £32,000 - £34,999.99 – Earn 35 points
• £35,000 – 39,999.99 – Earn 40 points
• £40,000 or more – Earn 45 points

My visa expires on 4th April 2012 at which time I will apply for ‘indefinite leave to remain.’ At that point I will have been in the UK for exactly 6.5 years. The UK is my home. To leave now would be unsettling.

It looks as though I am on course for making my income target, thus earning my required 75 points, but this has only been possible because I have taken on 3 jobs in the past year. Needless to say I look forward to the day when I can concentrate solely on filmmaking, without the burder of having to meet an income target.

What’s ahead for Britain?

In many respects America is a closed country. It is incredibly difficult to obtain a visa to go there and work and when friends and colleagues compare the UK and America’s biggest cities, they say London is by far more cosmopolitan than New York.

But will it stay so? In my mind the obvious question in response to this points-based system is: What kind of society do we want? I think it’s an incredibly relevant one in light of the upheavals around the world in 2011 as it seems the concepts of society and citizenship seem to be at the forefront of many minds.

Continuing this restrictive points-based system will no doubt shape British society because it favours non-EU migrants in the commercial sector while closing the door on those in the arts. And what will that look like over time?

My situation is just one example of how the government’s aim to control migration is affecting the lives of individuals who are here legally (and with no legal right to public funds), who pay taxes, and who make a cultural contribution to society through their work. No doubt there are many others who could tell a similar story.