Thursday, May 8, 2008

UK Foreign Artist Visa Announcment

The UK Home Office has announced that foreign actors and musicians will not need to obtain a visa when coming to the UK for less than three months. Instead, performers will only need a certificate of sponsorship from a UK-based employer when new visa rules are enforced in the fall.

This is a reversal of a previous proposal which would have required all artists from outside the European Economic Area to obtain a visa, which would have deterred artists from coming to the UK and prevented venues and promoters from hosting them.

Details of how the new points-based system for temporary workers will run have been published by the Home Office. Along with the visa exemption for foreign staff in the UK for up to three months, the document has also outlined that employers will have to adhere to a Code of Best Practice created by industry bodies including the Nation Campaign for the Arts, Equity, Society of London Theatres and the Theatrical Management Association.

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