WINTER | FEATURE
E
very year we invite a wide
range of artists from around
the world to perform, and the
increasingly difficult visa process is
hindering our ability to book artists.
The issues are multi-faceted.
Firstly, there is the cost. We are
often seeking performances from
acts that may only have one or
two shows in the UK. The costs for
visas for a large band are therefore
spread over very few shows. This
makes the option of coming to the
UK to perform increasingly hard to
justify especially when compared
to a Shengen visa which allows the
act to perform throughout Europe,
therefore spreading the cost further
across many engagements.
Secondly, the application is a
bureaucratic nightmare that takes
a very long time to process and also
includes the applicants having to
hand over their passports for weeks.
These are touring musicians
that require shows in multiple
territories to make a living. When
their passport is held like this, it
obviously curtails their touring
possibilities and also hinders their
application for other visas for which
a submission of a passport is also
required – though mostly not held
for a period of time.
Thirdly, the system is an
impenetrable, Kafka-esque process
in which there is no one at all to
speak to regarding how the process
is going, when they may expect
their passports with, hopefully,
their visas returned and also, if
there are any issues, someone to
speak to to resolve them.
Overall, the visa process is
creating a very strong impression
that the UK is closed to touring
artists. Music from around the
world is cultural crucial in this
day and age when division and
nationalism is on the, seemingly
inexorable, rise. We desperately
need, more than ever, to be exposed
Visa desperate times
Dan Rafferty, the music director of Shambala Festival tells Access its getting
increasingly hard to justify talent coming to the UK
“If I was a touring
musician, I would
probably not put
myself through
this process in
order to perform
in the UK.”
Above: Dan Rafferty
to the rich culture from around the
world to maintain and nourish the
tolerant and accepting society that
the UK has been famous for and is
in very serious danger of losing.
Many artists, managers and
agents are telling me that it is
simply not worth the stress, hassle
and, most importantly, humiliation.
This makes me very sad and is not
the Britain that I know and love.
Lastly, ever since the visa process
has been privatised, there’s an
increasing suspicion that serious
profiteering going on. By way of
example, last year I had booked a
world class act from West Africa.
Three visas were applied for
with plenty of time. Finally, after
a ridiculously long wait, the
passports were returned. Although
all three applications were made
with exactly the same supporting
documentation, two of the visas
were rejected on the basis that the
supporting documentation was
incomplete. One however, was
successful making a mockery of
the claim that the documentation
was incomplete. This was five days
before the engagement – flights and
hotels were all paid for and finding a
replacement would be very difficult.
The options available were
threefold: 1, appeal. But this
would have taken weeks: 2, find a
replacement: or 3, re-apply on a fast
track basis at around £1,000.
We and the band were over a
barrel and had no choice but to
re-apply on a fast track basis. The
two visas were eventually granted,
with exactly the same supporting
documentation, in the very nick of
time. It’s very hard indeed to not
view this with cynicism.
If I was a touring musician, I
would probably not put myself
through this process. The only
reason many still do is the global
respect of the UK’s music industry.
This, however, is also on the wane.
If we do not change this system
and make it more welcoming,
Britain risks becoming increasingly
culturally barren.
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