Manick Govinda says the new visa route for artists offers some improvement, but problems continue for arts organisations and their invited international visitors.
Since 2009, we at the Manifesto Club have campaigned against the UK government’s points-based immigration system, which was preventing non-EU artists and academics from visiting the UK. Under the system, visiting artists had to submit to fingerprinting and give details of personal bank accounts. Meanwhile, their UK hosts had to register for a licence and become a ‘licensed sponsor’, one of the conditions of which was that they must monitor the everyday whereabouts of their overseas guests.
The UK arts scene was in disarray, with cancelled concerts from the great Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, who refused to submit to Home Office biometric fingerprinting, and from legendary Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami, who, humiliated by the dehumanising process of applying for a UK visa, pulled out of directing Cosi fan tutte for the English National Opera. Canadian singer Allison Crowe was deported on arrival.
Hundreds of professional and grassroots artists, photographers, musicians and writers were either refused visas or immediately deported. The embarrassment to the UK’s reputation on the international arts scene was huge. Along with groups such as English PEN and ArtsAdmin, the Manifesto Club petitioned government to change the law, garnering over 11,000 signatures. The campaign achieved a significant concession from the Home Office, as it lifted some of the restrictions on non-EU artists and academics.
Since 2009, we at the Manifesto Club have campaigned against the UK government’s points-based immigration system, which was preventing non-EU artists and academics from visiting the UK. Under the system, visiting artists had to submit to fingerprinting and give details of personal bank accounts. Meanwhile, their UK hosts had to register for a licence and become a ‘licensed sponsor’, one of the conditions of which was that they must monitor the everyday whereabouts of their overseas guests.
The UK arts scene was in disarray, with cancelled concerts from the great Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, who refused to submit to Home Office biometric fingerprinting, and from legendary Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami, who, humiliated by the dehumanising process of applying for a UK visa, pulled out of directing Cosi fan tutte for the English National Opera. Canadian singer Allison Crowe was deported on arrival.
Hundreds of professional and grassroots artists, photographers, musicians and writers were either refused visas or immediately deported. The embarrassment to the UK’s reputation on the international arts scene was huge. Along with groups such as English PEN and ArtsAdmin, the Manifesto Club petitioned government to change the law, garnering over 11,000 signatures. The campaign achieved a significant concession from the Home Office, as it lifted some of the restrictions on non-EU artists and academics.