Committee publication · Correspondence · 23 June 2026
Letter from Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, and Mike Tapp MP, Minister for Migration & Citizenship, regarding visas for major events, 19 June 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: Major events
Summary
Two government ministers respond to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's April 2026 inquiry about visa access for overseas hospitality staff at major events, specifically the British Formula 1 Grand Prix. The government confirms it will not create specific immigration routes for event hospitality workers, citing its wider policy to reduce net migration and prioritise domestic workforce recruitment. Hospitality roles fall below the required skills threshold (RQF 6) and do not meet the rigorous criteria for the Temporary Shortage List.
Key findings
- No specific immigration routes exist for overseas hospitality staff at major events including F1, and the government has no intention of creating them
- Hospitality roles fall below the Skilled Worker route threshold (RQF 6 / degree level) and do not qualify for visa sponsorship under current policy
- The 2023 Migration Advisory Committee review of hospitality found insufficient evidence of shortages that cannot be addressed through domestic recruitment
- The government cited previous visa abuse under the former RQF 3 threshold when hospitality accounted for substantial visa usage
- UK has approximately 975,000 young people not in education or training (300,000 actively seeking work) and rising unemployment, justifying domestic workforce prioritisation
Government position
The government rejects the premise of creating visa routes for event hospitality staff. It states that while it values major events' economic contribution, its core immigration policy prioritises reducing net migration and domestic workforce recruitment. Hospitality does not meet the skills threshold or Temporary Shortage List criteria. The government indicates willingness to continue engagement with F1 but only to clarify that staffing needs must be met domestically, pending evidence from F1 that UK labour cannot fill the roles.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Mike Tapp MP, Stephanie Peacock MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Migration Advisory Committee, Formula 1
Notable line
“… there are no specific immigration routes available for overseas hospitality staff to enter the UK to provide catering services for F1 or other events.”
Key Quotes
“… a core focus of this Government is to bring net migration down. To achieve this, we are committed to prioritising the recruitment and upskilling of our domestic workforce before facilitating overseas recruitment.”
“Hospitality roles fall below this required skills threshold and, therefore, do not qualify under this route.”
“… the MAC did not recommend utilising the immigration system for these specific hospitality roles.”
“… hospitality roles previously accounted for a substantial proportion of visa usage under the former RQF 3 threshold, and resulted in considerable levels of immigration abuse .”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗