Lady Gaga, Shaggy, Meryl Streep and Russell Crowe eligible for new UK VIP visa system

Lady Gaga, Shaggy, Meryl Streep and Russell Crowe are among the stars will be eligible for VIP visas to the UK under the government's new immigration system.

Home secretary Priti Patel said the new points-based system will see stars of stage and screen fast-tracked when applying for visas to travel to the UK.

Those eligible for VIP visas include winners of prestigious entertainment awards such as Oscars, Baftas, Mobos, Grammys and Brits.

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This means It Wasn't Me singer Shaggy – who won Best International Male at the Brits in 2002 – is eligible, as is actor Russell Crowe, who won Best Actor at the Baftas in the same year.

Other musicians to make the list include Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Ariana Grande.

Eligible stars of the silver screen include Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix and Bill Murray.

Patel said: “Winners of these awards have reached the pinnacle of their career and they have so much to offer the UK.

“These important changes will give them the freedom to come and work in our world-leading arts, sciences, music, and film industries as we build back better.

“This is exactly what our new point-based immigration system was designed for – attracting the best and brightest based on the skills and talent they have, not where they’ve come from.”

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The previous visa application process, known as the "Global Talent Route", meant stars applying to work in the UK had to receive an endorsement from one of six bodies.

The new system means those who hold a qualifying award will be allowed to apply for a single visa.

Other eligible awards include Nobel Prizes for literature, science and engineering and recipients of the Turing Award for computer technology.

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