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1383875

registered interest
date	01/12/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of specialised visa renewals for touring groups to streamline the (a) time and (b) cost of visa applications for working musicians.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	85273
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2021 answer text <p>Overseas musicians and performers make an important contribution to the UK's creative sector and are very welcome in the United Kingdom. We therefore offer a range of immigration routes for creative workers.</p><p>Visiting artists, entertainers and musicians can come to the UK and perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to six months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa if they are not receiving payment beyond expenses or prize money.</p><p>Those from non-visa national countries can come to perform in the UK and be paid without the need to obtain a visa in advance for up to one month under the Permitted Paid Engagement route, up to three months if they have been assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship by a licenced sponsor or for up to six months if performing at a Permit Free Festival. With no requirement to obtain a visa prior to travel, these options provide a flexible system which enables performance slots to be filled at short notice and reduces the administrative burden for performers.</p><p>For longer-term work, the Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa allows creative workers to come to the UK to undertake paid engagements for up to twelve months, which can be extended for a further twelve months in certain cases. We also offer priority and super priority services for those who wish to receive a quicker decision on their visa application (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement</a>).</p><p>Fees are kept under review and are set taking account of the charging powers provided by Section 68(9) of the Immigration Act 2014, which include the ability to set fees based on: the cost of processing the application, the benefits and entitlements provided by a successful application and the wider cost of the Migration and Borders system. Full details of which can be reviewed via the following link: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.legislation.gov.uk%2Fukpga%2F2014%2F22%2Fsection%2F68&amp;data=04%7C01%7CRebecca.Scully%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C8e3ff2f2b6504714002208d9b58164a3%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637740389601471407%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=pSTxF%2BnLS2Xq3c9Mnrc4X%2BSOWEgiINsmTw3CrdEbCUw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/22/section/68</a></p><p>Income from fees charged for immigration and nationality applications plays a vital role in our ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system. Application fees have increased in recent years to reduce the funding that comes from general taxation.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 08/12/2021 15:31:44 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1340313

registered interest
date	25/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Frost on 24 June (HL Deb, col 389), what are their reasons for considering that the music industry's proposal for a visa waiver arrangement is not "consistent with our requirement to retain discretion over our own immigration requirements".
tabling member printed	The Earl of Clancarty
uin	HL1418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2021 answer text <p>UK citizens going to the EU for shorts stays and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens visiting the UK are already visa free. Musicians and performers can already undertake short-term touring without visas and permits in at least 17 Member States.</p><p>EU visa waiver agreements are also subject to the provisions of Article 6 (3) of REGULATION (EU) 2018/1806 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL which sets out an individual Member State may still decide to require a visa for short stays for people carrying out a paid activity during their stay.</p><p>The EU’s draft text for the TCA included a visa waiver agreement, which would have prohibited the parties from introducing visas on visitors from the other party unless those visitors were carrying out a paid activity (i.e. service supply or performance) during their short-stay visit. In the event they were carrying out a paid activity individual Member States could apply a visa requirement to this category of service suppliers. The ability of the UK to apply visas would have been restricted only to reciprocating by applying a visa requirement to the same category supplier for the individual member state.</p><p>The EU’s proposal would also have prevented the UK from introducing or maintaining visit visas on any future EU Member State, not just on existing ones. In effect handing to the European Union the ability to make a country a non-visa national for travel to the UK without the consent or approval of the UK.</p><p>The Government is now focusing on bilateral engagement with Member States to encourage them to more closely align with the UK's generous regime.</p> answering member printed Lord Greenhalgh question first answered 09/07/2021 13:22:13 answering member 4877 label Biography information for Lord Greenhalgh
tabling member	3391 label Biography information for The Earl of Clancarty

1329796

registered interest
date	04/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to occupation code 3415, Musicians, of the Skilled worker visa shortage occupations list published 6 April 2021, how many musicians she estimates the UK is short of.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
uin	10323
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2021 answer text <p>The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 23 October 2020 setting out the Governments response to their review of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).</p><p>The UK labour market is changing as a result of Covid, with many facing uncertainty or a need to find new employment. We are therefore taking time to assess how it has changed before making further changes to the shortage occupation list as our immigration policies should be considered alongside our strategy for the UK Labour Market, not separately or as an alternative to them. A copy of the full letter can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-mac-on-the-shortage-occupation-lists-report</a>.</p><p>The Migration Advisory Committee review of the SOL, published on 29 September 2020, sets out the rationale for recommending jobs which should be added to the SOL. This is based on several factors and not just the number of vacancies. A full copy of the report can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-shortage-occupation-list-2020</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 10320 10321 10322 question first answered 09/06/2021 12:04:29 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1279134

registered interest
date	21/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) a two year multi-entry touring visa, (b) a temporary cultural exemption for the transportation of instruments and equipment and (c) an expansion of the list of CITES-designated points of entry and exit to support the music industry's recovery after the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire South
tabling member printed	Mhairi Black
uin	141503
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2021 answer text <p>Currently, artists, entertainers and musicians visiting the UK can perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa. They can also receive payment for appearances at permit free festivals for up to 6 months, or for up to one month for specific engagements, under the Visitor route.</p><p>HMRC advise ATA carnets are available for commercial goods, professional equipment or goods going to trade fairs or exhibitions in participating countries, which are moved on a temporary basis to a new customs territory.</p><p>In addition to using carnets, alternative options for transporting equipment on a temporary basis between the EU and the UK (without having to pay customs duties and VAT) are Temporary Admission and Returned Goods Relief.</p><p>The UK Government will keep the list of CITES Ports of Entry and Exit (PoEs), managed by DEFRA, under review and look to make additional designations where it is feasible and advantageous to do so.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 29/01/2021 14:32:33 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4421 label Biography information for Mhairi Black

1275308

registered interest
date	11/01/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on visa-free 90-day tours by musicians between the EU and UK; and whether she plans to take steps to secure an improved agreement on visa-free travel for musicians.
tabling member constituency	Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
tabling member printed	Stuart C McDonald
uin	135967
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/01/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government already makes a range of generous provision for musicians and other cultural performers to help support the vibrant cultural life of our Union.</p><p>Musicians visiting the UK may perform at events, make personal appearances, take part in competitions, promotional activities and auditions, for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or, for non-visa nationals, without a visa if they are not being paid beyond expenses or prize money. They can also receive payment for appearances at permit free festivals for up to 6 months, or for up to one month for a specific engagements, under the Visitor route.</p><p>Musicians and support staff who are being paid in the UK may also qualify for entry under the Tier 5 Creative Worker route, if they are sponsored by a UK entity licensed with UK Visas and Immigration for this purpose. Entry is for up to 12 months and the relevant rules also provide for accompanying dependants.</p><p>Entry under the Tier 5 Creative Worker route is visa-free for non-visa nationals, which includes EU Nationals, where entry is for no more than three months.</p><p>We set our provisions based on the assessment of the needs of our United Kingdom’s cultural sector, rather than tying them to decisions made by foreign jurisdictions and Governments. As I recently outlined to Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, we are specifically reviewing the provisions on Permit Free Festivals and Permitted Paid Engagement for other cultural events in response to the points raised by those in the sector, particularly the Edinburgh International Festival.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 14/01/2021 17:52:14 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4393 label Biography information for Stuart C McDonald

1248039

registered interest
date	02/11/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the music sector to discuss the requirement, particularly for self-employed musicians, of a flexible and affordable mechanism allowing short-term visa-free work travel.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Clancarty
uin	HL9826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>The UK’s Points-Based Immigration System has been designed with businesses and employers given huge consideration, including the music sector.</p><p>The Visitor route includes provision for professional artists entertainers and musicians to undertake paid engagements for up to a month. We expect to treat EEA and Swiss nationals as non-visa nationals, meaning they can undertake these engagements without needing to apply for a visa in advance of travel.</p><p>As non-visa nationals, EEA citizens will be in scope for the concession for temporary creative workers looking to remain in the UK for up to three months, without the need to apply for a visa in advance, provided they first secure a certificate of sponsorship. This is a popular and generous concession available only to non-visa nationals working in the creative industries.</p><p>We will continue to engage with the creative industries as we review the routes for creatives going forward.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/11/2020 17:13:11 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3391 label Biography information for The Earl of Clancarty

1204880

registered interest
date	17/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Australians used the Tier 5 visa route in 2019.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	60844
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data on Tier 5 visas in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release).</p><p> </p><p>Data on grants of Tier 5 visas by nationality are published in table Vis_D02 of the entry clearance detailed datasets (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/managed-migration-datasets#entry-clearance-visas-granted-outside-the-uk).</p><p> </p><p>Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to year ending March 2020. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the entry clearance summary tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/list-of-tables#entry-clearance-visas). The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on entry clearance visas.</p><p> </p><p>Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ (https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&amp;content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&amp;organisations%5B%5D=home-office&amp;order=relevance).</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 22/06/2020 16:13:37 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1201072

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the commercial and cultural cases for facilitating continued ease of movement for musicians between the UK and EU; and what steps they are taking to ensure that this is reflected in the Immigration Rules.
tabling member printed	Lord Stevenson of Balmacara
uin	HL5420
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government continues to engage with the creative sector to ensure the future immigration system will enable the UK’s cultural life to continue to thrive.</p><p> </p><p>Currently, visiting artists, entertainers and musicians can perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa.</p><p> </p><p>Artists wishing to come to the UK for longer-term work will need to do so under the future points-based system. There will continue to be special arrangements for creative workers, which in future will encompass both EEA and non-EEA citizens.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL5417 question first answered 22/06/2020 11:35:19 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4175 label Biography information for Lord Stevenson of Balmacara

1201231

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the challenges of the points-based immigration system for (a) musicians and promoters from the EU and (b) for musicians from the UK as a result of the stated intention of reciprocity between the UK and EU countries.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	55870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>Overseas musicians and performers make an important contribution to the UK's creative sector.</p><p> </p><p>We have set out the Government’s plan to introduce a future points-based immigration system which will enable the most talented people from around the world to come to the UK in all parts of the economy, including the creative sector.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2020 08:34:46 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

1201233

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Musicians
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) extend the Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) route from 30 days to 90 days to allow for longer tours and opera seasons for musicians and (b) allow the PPE route for multiple entries to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	55872
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>There are no plans to extend the Permitted Paid Engagement route from 30 days to 90 days. The PPE visit visa already allows, whilst valid, multiple entries to the UK</p><p> </p><p>Currently, visiting artists, entertainers and musicians can perform at events, take part in competitions and auditions, make personal appearances and take part in promotional activities for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or a work visa. They can also receive payment for appearances at permit free festivals for up to 6 months, or for up to one month for specific engagements, under the Visitor route.</p><p> </p><p>Artists wishing to come to the UK for longer-term work will need to do so under the points-based system. There will continue to be special arrangements for creative workers, which in future will encompass both EEA and non-EEA citizens.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2020 08:36:36 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn