As someone who goes over to the UK to tour, yes the rules have changed. I contacted my usual person and apparently she is no longer a "sponsor", but is working to try to remedy that. In the meantime, I'll be going through someone who has been qualified so all is well, at least for me (I think).

Before, it was a "work permit" that a vetted UK Agent would process for you, with a fee of £190. Now it's called a "certificate of sponsorship" and there are a few more hoops to jump through. The one that is a wee bit un-settling is "Upon entry to the UK (at immigration) each person must be able to show that they have access to £800 in order to adequately maintain themselves while they are here. The idea is that the artist must be able to prove that they are not going to be trying to try to 'sign on' as a benefit claimant."

I guess I'll have to talk with the person who will be processing the application for me. BTW-all of this came through this morning, so it's quite new to me as well.

Debra Cowan