New Immigration Rules Threat to British Arts

Read this article about the new immigration rules in the UK that pose a tremendous threat to international touring arts in the country.  

"The visa controls are part of the new points-based system for immigration. The rules for touring artists, which came into force in November, include a requirement for each artist to show £800 of savings, and financial support and constant monitoring by a “sponsor” to make sure that they do not abscond during their visit. Artists must apply for the visa in person, supplying biometric data and a digital picture. That has proved difficult in Africa in particular, with artists being told to travel to countries where biometric equipment is available to obtain their visas."

U.S. Increases Regulations for Visa Waiver Nations

Effective today, Monday, January 12th, citizens and nationals from all Visa Waiver eligible countries must have approval through the ESTA system before traveling to the United States on a Visa Waiver. Visit ESTA for more information. The Visa Waiver program allows persons from certain countries to travel here for purposes of business or tourism for a period of 90 days or less without a visa. Last year, 7 new countries were added to the list: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Malta. The other eligible countries are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Visas / the discordant note

Ole Reitov & Hans Hjorth have released a white paper on visa issues, Europe and artist mobility. Focused primarily on the music industry, the paper hightlights a number of problems faced by creative companies working with artists from non-EU countries. Read the paper here.

Feinstein Wants to Tighten Visa Waiver Program

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said that U.S. Homeland Security officals should adopt a more restrictive approach to the visa waiver program rather than expand it. During a recent hearing on Capital Hill, she stated a fear that terrorists are are looking for any loopholes in the system to enter the United States. Below is an excerpt. Click here for the full article.

"Feinstein is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, which heard testimony in September on the “Visa Waiver Program: Mitigating Risks to Ensure Safety of All Americans.” The visa waiver program (VWP) allows citizens in participating countries to enter the United States without obtaining a visa or being interviewed or screened in U.S. embassies and consulates. Bush administration officials are “moving aggressively” to expand the program to include 13 new countries before the end of the year, according to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report released in late September. Those prospective new members include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and South Korea. At present, the VWP allows citizens of 27 nations to enter the United States for business or travel for up to 90 days. Some 13 million foreign citizens took advantage of the program last year, the GAO report states. Expanding the program is warranted in part because the new nations under consideration have had strong economic, political, and military ties with the U.S., say officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."

U.S. Denies Visas to International Folk Art Festival

In May, He Guan Gyu was pinned under heaps of rubble for more than 24 hours after a massive earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province. It killed her parents and destroyed the factory where she worked. Despite her suffering, she hoped to be in Bountiful, Utah next week to sing the traditional songs of her Qiang culture at the International Organization of Folk Art's first youth conference. She is one of just 80,000 people who speak her native language. Her dream was dashed when the U.S. State Department refused to give her a visa to travel to the United States - she didn't have the family ties and job to convince officials she would return to China.

Almost 80% of 300 foreign artists invited to attend the international youth conference in Bountiful, Utah have been denied travel visas. Officials from the International Organization of Folk Art say despite their repeated tries - including letters from Utah's Republican U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch - just 65 of the 300 invited artists have obtained visas. The first-ever youth conference is being held in conjunction with this week's 20th Annual Bountiful-Davis Summerfest International. The International Organization of Folk Art was created to preserve native cultures and languages, forming ties over time with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

David Donahue, spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the State Department, says the department recognizes the importance of cultural exchange. However, Donahue says U.S. law presumes a visa applicant won't return to his or her home country. "We know the benefit to America when they come to share their culture with us, and we issue visas to thousands of folk artists, musicians, people coming here to share little bits of their culture with us every year," Donahue said. "But, in the end, the office is going to have to make the decision, from the information each applicant provides them: 'Will this particular applicant, at the end of the conference or cultural event, return to their home country?' "

Visa Denial Breakdown

Below are the 2007 U.S. State Department visa-refusal rates for all applicants from selected countries:

Afghanistan: 38.4 percent
Armenia: 61.4 percent
China: 20.7 percent
Cuba: 53.1 percent
Guyana: 62.3 percent
Iraq: 44.9 percent
Iran: 44.6 percent
Laos: 72.9 percent
North Korea: 14.3 percent

UK Visa Woes for African Artists

Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the (Thames) water, more complications arise from the UK Visa system, especially for African artists. As there are few consulates in many African countries, many artists have to travel to another neighboring nation just to be fingerprinted. The £200 fee obviously doesn’t cover the cost of airfare or tour expenses, so these already struggling artists usually have to cancel their shows. Read about Konono No 1’s struggle, as well as others, to get to London.

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.

Fortress America

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to improve the visa approval process for international artists. By current law, the visa is to be completed in two weeks, but more often takes between two and six months. H.R. 1312, approved by voice vote, extends the time period given to Homeland Security to process nonimmigrant visas for certain types of artists from two weeks to thirty days. If the department fails to meet that deadline, it must provide premium processing services free of charge. As it stands today, each petitioner must pay a $1000 fee for premium processing that ensures a decision in fifteen days. The bill, which applies only to visa applications made by nonprofit arts groups, still needs the Senate’s approval.

Here's an article.