Rock Musicians/Leave to Entry/Work Permit/Everyone gives Different Answer!!

Hello UK Yankees,
Hopefully this community will be able to help me.

I am 1/2 of a indie rock duo who have accepted 3 club shows in London in the Fall. We will be staying at a friend's house for only 7 days. We are entirely independent of label system - we are putting out our own music, booking our own shows, managing ourselves, etc.

We soon found out from various horror stories (bands getting put on the next flight back to the USA) that we would need a work permit.

We called a UK immigration lawyer who told us that we needed a work permit and filled out by a UK backer/employer to vouch for us not taking UK musicians' work. This is difficult as all 3 clubs are owned by different people and the people who run the club nights have no idea how to tackle the paperwork involved. (But did he say this b/c he would be getting money if we retained him?)

We thought we could get around this b/c of the short length of stay and the fact that we are playing for free.

Our UK friend called the UK work permits office and was told that we could bypass the work permit and get a "Leave to Enter". We should call the UK embassy in USA and prove that we would not be paid for the performances and that we could support ourselves (credit card/traveller's checks).

We called UK Embassy (with its $2.10/minute service) and were told  "not to worry, there would be no difficulty there" at customs as we would be considered "tourists" as not making money... and that we would need no written permission. The embassy official stated that we could go to newcomer link: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk [nonactive] (which we had been scouring for days for any answers) and use the DO I NEED A VISA feature. Yes, indeed, when filled out as Entertainer or Tourist, we are said to not need a Visa.

I have heard too many stories of bands being turned away at customs b/c of lack of work permits - this situation is making us nervous. Too many different answers! We want no surprises at Heathrow!

What is this "Leave to Enter" document? Is there a form letter that the club owners can sign to prove that we will not be making money? Is there a government web page that we can print out to show the customs officials that we are legit? We would be travelling with one electric guitar and a box of guitar pedals/cords/drum sticks/maybe some merchandise to give away.

Thank you in advance for your advice,
Emelkay

I think getting a letter from the club owners stating that you are not being paid is a really good idea, although there is no standard form.  I think the immigration consultant you asked made a genuine mistake, as 'work permit' was my initial reaction..until you mentioned that you were not getting paid.  It is almost like a business visit really.

If you are in doubt, you can make an application for prior entry clearance through the embassy.  It will cost you, but it might be a better option than risking being turned away at Heathrow.  You will need to supply the letters of invitation, and evidence that you can afford to support yourselves and have somewhere to stay.

Victoria

Thank you VictoriaS for your reply. The embassy has been very incommunicative through email and the phone service was not much better.

any other replies regarding people's experiences would be appreciated.

cheers,
Emelkay

Thank you VictoriaS for your reply. The embassy has been very incommunicative through email and the phone service was not much better.

any other replies regarding people's experiences would be appreciated.

cheers,
Emelkay

VictoriaS' advice sounds right to me.