Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current policy on granting visas for musical ensembles from Russia; why there was a delay in issuing visas recently for the Lyra Ensemble from St Petersburg which led to the cancellation of concerts on their proposed United Kingdom tour; and what steps they will take to avoid such situations in the future.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Due to its obligations under the Data Protection Act, UK Visas and Immigration is unable to comment openly on individual cases. There is insufficient detail in the question to enable us to identify these visa applications but if Lord Jones of Cheltenham wishes to provide specific details of the visa applicants, UK Visas and Immigration will provide him with an in confidence letter regarding this incident.

There has been no change in visa policy for those coming from Russia to give musical performances in the UK. Applicants must meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. We advise Russian visa applicants to apply for their visas as early as possible in advance of their
date of travel. In Russia, applicants can apply up to six months in advance of travel and a ‘submission without passport’ service is available for those who want to hold on to their passport whilst their application is processed.