Permitted Paid Engagement visa?

[wr_uk]

Hi, I'm British and living in the UK. I have a Russian friend who is a professional artist who was looking to come over to the UK to teach 2 masterclasss/workshops in bas-relief sculpture for 13 days.

He applied for ' Permitted Paid Engagement visa' https://www.gov.uk/permitted-paid-engagement-visa I sent over to him an official invitation letter with my info, dates & times of the classes when and where he will be staying etc.

He had the interview said it went well, but the final response was a refusal to issue a visa.
This was there written response

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Your application for a visit visa to the United Kingdom has been refused. How your application was considered In deciding whether you meet the requirements of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for visitors (www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-rules) I have considered:
 your application, and any additional relevant information you have provided with it  your immigration history The decision I have refused your application for a visit visa because I am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of paragraph(s) 4.2 of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitors because:
 You state you will visit the UK for 13 days. You state you are employed and earn RUR 75,000 a month (Approx �1,000, �1 = RUR 75). Checks were made by our office to verify your employment; however despite out attempts we have been unable to confirm you are employed as stated. This casts serious doubt over your application as a whole.
 In light of the above, I am not satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes or that you intend to leave the UK on completion of your visit. I am not satisfied that there are sufficient funds to adequately cover the cost of your visit and maintain and accommodate you for the duration of your visit, or meet the cost of your onward or return journey. V4.2 (a, c, e) Future Applications Any future UK visa applications you make will be considered on their individual merits, however you are likely to be refused unless:
 your person circumstances change significantly between now and your next application
 you provide compelling new evidence with your next application In relation to this decision there is no right of appeal or right to administrative review.

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We still want to make this happen as there is the demand for the class. So I have a few questions:-

1. Did we apply for the correct visa?

2. From there response it sounds like it was a verification of employment issue and they've directed us to 4.2 of Appendix V: Immigration Rules for Visitors. But I cant find this anyway.

3. We had enough funds from the classes to support his stay and I stated I would be responsible for him. Is this not enough, and would he need to show he can support himself for 13 days even before he came over?

4. Is there a particular figure they base decisions on that would give an indication of how much you would need to prove you have the finances to support yourself?

5. What sort of supporting documentation are they looking for?

I'm currently asking him somemore questions regarding his employment status. But as hes an artist Im pretty sure his status will be self-employed and income will probably be based on commissions for work.
Any help/guidance would be very much appreciated. As we are still trying to make this happen.

Thanks

Wayne

[vinny]

1. Probably correct.
2. PART V4. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR VISITORS (STANDARD)
3. They were unhappy at being unable to verify his employment. It's significant for showing strong ties and intentions to depart the UK at the end of the visit.
4. There's no specified amount.
5. His employment evidence. Did you provide evidence of adequate maintenance and accommodation?

[wr_uk]

Is there anywhere I can find out 100% we are applying for the right visa?

Thanks

[The Station Agent]

Can he prove he is a professional sculptor? If not then it's the wrong type of visa, because for PPE the officer must be satisfied that the person is a professional artist/sculptor/whatever. If he's self-employed then it may be difficult to prove he makes his living doing this, unless he's internationally famous or something like that.

I assume these workshops are paid? If so, did you provide evidence of how much he's being paid? Like a contract? If not then that should be provided.

If the workshops are not paid then this is the wrong visa. PPE covers paid engagements only.

If he's barely getting by on his income then the visa will be far more likely to be refused, as opposed to someone who's financially well off.

But I think the problem here may be that the sculptor is not famous, so the caseworker has had to treat it with some scepticism. PPE is often used by performers coming here to do concerts or perform on BBC TV shows. It's also used by commentators working on sports broadcasts etc. It could be used by an artist giving a paid workshop, but the artist has to prove their professional status beyond doubt. They don't just take the applicant's word for it.

[wr_uk]

It could be a little tricky as he is self taught to a certain extent. He's had the odd article written about him and he does already run workshops in Russia but not sure if this would be enough. Also because he an artist his income would be commission based so this this could be another sticking point.

We did have the masterclass set we had proof of advertising we had a number of people already paid which more than covered the costs of his stay over here in the UK.

Are there any other visa options open to him that would allow him to work for a short period while he's here other than the PPE?

He went through these when applying for the PPE https://uk.tlscontact.com/ru/mow/index.php?l=en They have also said that he has to wait 6 months before he can apply again. Is this correct? and is this because of the particular visa who was applying for? I heard other who have applied to come to the UK from Russia failed the first visa and say they have reapplied straight away. Probably on for a different visa though.

Thanks

[The Station Agent]

It sounds like he probably had a fairly weak case for this and did not prove beyond doubt that he was an full-time professional artist, or that he could support himself adequately, or that he had strong employment ties to Russia.

I can't say why the 6 months no re-application statement has been made. He would surely be allowed to re-apply in another visa category? I'm not sure as I try to steer clear of visa cases; most PPE entrants don't need a visa.

The only 2 categories I can think of that allow temporary work in the arts sector are PPE and Tier 5 Creative CoS. But you don't sound like you're a registered sponsor and, if he's not internationally known, he wouldn't qualify for a Tier 5 CoS anyway.