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Entertainers (Tier 5 temporary) - some info & guidance

Only for UK Tier 5 (Temporary work) points system
Also includes the Youth Mobility Scheme Tier 5

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The Station Agent
Senior Member
Posts: 623
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:51 am
Location: UK

Entertainers (Tier 5 temporary) - some info & guidance

Post by The Station Agent » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:32 pm

How Tier 5 pertains to entertainers:

A licensed UK-based sponsor is mandatory. All the big record labels, booking agents and promoters are now licensed, but many small ones are not.

If you are only coming here for a short tour and your nationality doesn't compel you to get an entry visa then the sponsor can issue you a certificate of sponsorship and that is all you need to get into the UK. The certificate of sponsorship (CoS) cannot be valid longer than 3 months though, or you require an entry visa regardless of your nationality.
Despite what UKBA say, we have found that people coming in with just the CoS number are having problems. You should also have a printout of the summary CoS from the online Sponsor Management System. Your sponsor should print this and scan it to you. It's on UK Border Agency letterhead and it confirms your name, CoS number, passport number, the group name etc. This makes the Immigration Officer's job easier and should mean less delay for you.

You may have heard of the Entertainment Visitor category, which does not require a UK sponsor. But you can't come in on that if you are here for a tour. This category only applies to certain special events.

For sponsors:
Don't issue a CoS longer than 3 months unless you are prepared for the band to have to get entry visas, which can be time-consuming and costly. If the band are visa nationals (Jamaican, for example) then consider issuing them longer CoS if they will be coming back later in the year. Reason - because they need entry visas anyway then you may as well issue longer. If you issued longer for a US band then you wouldn't be doing them a favour.
Having said that if a US band or DJ performs in the UK frequently (many times a year) then you may want to issue them a long CoS and have them get an entry visa. You need to weigh up whether that is preferable to issuing them 10 certificates each year.

Despite there being a box on the form saying you vouch for the bands' funds etc if they need to apply for entry visas the consulate will demand proof of funds (bank statements for each person). However if you are an A-rated sponsor they are supposed to accept a letter from you confirming you vouch for their having enough money to support themselves whilst they're here.

If you issue a CoS for a short period (less than 3 months) and the band don't get entry visas then that CoS expires as soon as they leave the UK/Ireland. You would need to issue a whole new set of CoS for their re-entry (even if they only pop to France for a day you need to do this).
You should not issue CoS for periods of time which overlap.

You are supposed to keep copies of passport entry stamps for all the personnel you issue a CoS to. That is usually not possible when the band enters from Ireland because they don't get their passports stamped. If the band got entry visas before they travelled then you can keep copies of those, but if they didn't (for instance US band coming for short tour) then technically by the letter of the law they would be performing in the UK illegally. To get round this you either need to route them so they land in the UK first (hence they get a UK immigration stamp) OR they need to get entry visas before they travel. This, to be blunt, is a joke.

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