Launched with a Manifesto Club petition in February 2009, which garnered over 11,000 signatures from concerned artists, writers, arts professionals, promoters, academics and the general public, the campaign has culminated with The Home Office’s introduction of a new visitor route, called Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE). This came into effect on 6 April 2012, meaning that individual artists no longer require a certificate of sponsorship nor a licensed sponsor. Similarly, the UK host will no longer be required to keep biometric records, passport entry stamps, contact details or monitor the everyday whereabouts of the invited artists if s/he comes to the UK through the PPE visitor route.
Previously the invited artist had to be given a Tier 5 certificate of sponsorship for short visits to the UK, and the host organisation was required to undertake arduous bureaucratic requirements and pay for a license to sponsor, costing £410 for small organisations and charities. The new PPE visa will allow the invited artist to be paid a fee for his/her undertaking in the UK. This was a major area of contention for the visiting artists’ campaign, as the Entertainer Visitor route would not allow artists to be paid (unless they were participating in the UKBA approved list of recognized “permit-free” festivals).
Speaking to a-n, Manick Govinda, head of the Manifesto Club’s Visiting Artists’ Campaign, described this positive change:
“When we met with UKBA and they informed us about the new proposed Permitted Paid Engagement route [PPE], I had to pinch myself as I couldn’t really believe it. I remember Robert Sharp and Kamila Shamsie (English PEN), Nicholas Trench (House of Lords Peer) and I just looking at each other as we left the Home Office HQ in St. James, thinking ‘we’ve done it’. However, we knew that the devil is in the detail, so we were still cautious. UKBA have consulted us on the guidelines, and they have taken our feedback into serious consideration. However, there are a few sticking points to the current criteria of the new route, which we are still unhappy about. But it’s a start!”
Join the campaigners for a glass of cheer to mark the gains and to discuss the next steps this Wednesday 13 June, 7.30-11pm at the Arts Bar and Café, Commercial Street, London.
www.manifestoclub.com/visitingartistsevent
www.manifestoclub.com/node/893
www.a-n.co.uk/p/498853/
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/immigration/employment-related-settlement
