Written Question·Home Office·UIN 13892

Immigration: Chess

Tabled: 29 June 2026

Answered: 8 July 2026

Question

Catherine West

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing professional chess players to qualify for leave to remain in the UK under the a) International Sportsperson and b) Global Talent

Answer

Mike Tapp

There are no current plans to include chess players in either the International Sportsperson (ISP) visa route or the Global Talent visa route, but we keep all routes under review.