Over the weekend, it was revealed that the UK turned down an offer from the EU for visa-free tours for musicians.
An EU source involved in the Brexit negotiations said that it is standard to offer musicians a 90-day period for travel without having to have various different work visas. The UK rejected the EU’s offer of a 90-day period, instead asking for a 30-day tour period, in line with the government’s own proposals to limit travel for EU musicians.
These measures form part of Secretary of State Priti Patel’s plans to limit immigration. From this month, musicians from EU countries hoping to tour the UK will have to apply for a visa that will allow them to stay for longer than 30 days, as well as providing proof of savings and a sponsorship certificate from event organisers.
The Johnson government has previously blamed the failure to reach an agreement on Brussels, saying that it ‘pushed for a more ambitious agreement which would have covered musicians and others, but our proposals were rejected by the EU’.
EU member states will now decide individually whether they will require touring musicians from the UK to obtain a work visa to tour their country.
