Visas
CME Artist Services do not do visa applications. The artist, or the artist's representative do their own visa applications using the work permit that we provide. We will however be more than happy to offer advice on how to fill in the online form.
data-editableCME Terms for Visa National Work Permits
We do not take on any visa national (except in exceptional circumstances) that has not arranged work in the UK at least three months before requesting our services.
We also do not sponsor visa nationals for longer than one month except in exceptional circumstances.
For visa nationals, arrival and departure from the UK must be within 48 hours of the first and last work engagement respectively. We discontinue sponsorship 48 hours after the last work date on Tier 5 CoS (this overrides whatever the leave to remain date on the Tier 5 visa stamp states).
data-editableDefinitions (Work Permits vs Visas and Visa Nationals vs Non-Visa Nationals)
Work permits are not visas. Only national Governments can issue visas. Whether you need a visa in addition to your work permits depends on whether the country you intend to visit has a visa waiver program, the length of time you intend to visit and what you intend to do in the country you are visiting.
Visa nationals require a visa stamp in their passport issued by the country’s government they are intending to visit before they can travel to that country.
Non-visa nationals do not require a visa to visit countries, for a limited time, that have a visa waiver arrangement with the country they are citizens of. The amount of time a non-visa national can visit a specific country without a visa depends on the type of visit and the visa waiver arrangements between the two countries involved.
If you have any doubt whether you are a visa national or non-visa national check the UK Government's Do I need a visa (https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa).
data-editableNote on Visa Applications
Non-expedited visa application usually takes 15 business days depending on back logs in the country of application. Visa applications for work that starts in two weeks or less will not usually be processed in time unless expedited.
Also, if there are any questions about an application by the Entry Clearance Officer (wrongly or rightly - in our experience almost always wrongly unless the applicant has incorrectly filled in their visa application) the visa may be denied (often without the sponsor being informed) and there's a 6-8 week appeal process (Administrative Review) so this should be taken into account when making your applications.
data-editable