Tier 5 creative CoS now good for multiple entries without EC

Tier 5 creative certificates of sponsorship are now valid for multiple entries even where the entertainer (or entourage member) does not have entry clearance. This is great for the vast majority of bands who use Tier 5 (who are American, Canadian etc, hence non-visa nationals).

The rule change has been allowed to trickle out in the small print of the new guidance notes for sponsors, which was put onto the UKBA website in August 2009. It's in paragraph 321. Here is the main piece of text:

we acknowledge that the migrant may need to come back to the United Kingdom to fulfil his or her engagements for his/her sponsor. If this happens, the migrant must tell the Immigration Officer his/her original certificate of sponsorship number again on arrival at the United Kingdom border. The Immigration Officer will ask the migrant to provide his/her evidence of meeting the maintenance requirements again. The Immigration Officer will carry out checks to ensure that the sponsor has not withdrawn their sponsorship of the migrant since the migrant’s original entry, and may speak to the sponsor again to confirm the details on the certificate of sponsorship. Provided the migrant meets all the criteria, the Immigration Officer will be able to grant leave to allow him/her to complete the engagements for his/her sponsor within the period of their original grant of leave.