Hello everyone, I’ve had some questions from folks so I think it’s time for an update on my demos for Create and Craft TV.
As you probably know, Create and Craft is a home shopping channel based in Peterborough, England. I was hired as a freelance Guest Demonstrator two years ago; my job was to travel to their studios in the UK from my home in Europe to demonstrate crafting techniques on their live shows. (When I was hired, I lived in Poland; now I live in Germany.) I did this a couple of times each month.
Because I’m an American citizen, I need a special permit to live and work in Europe. I have this through my husband’s work with an international company. I’m allowed to work in the European Union, which includes Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, and more.
However, my right-to-work permit does NOT include the UK, because although England is part of the EU (at least for now), it’s not a Schengen country. Schengen countries are those that no longer require passport checks between their borders—so, if you fly from Germany to Italy, for example, you don’t have to go through Border Control because they’re both Schengen countries.
That’s not the case when you travel to England. If you’re a tourist, visiting friends or family, or attending a conference or trade show in the UK, it’s no big deal–just show your passport when you arrive in the UK and answer a few questions…but if you’re going to work in the UK and get paid for it, then you must present a valid work visa to the Border Control officer or you can be refused entry into the country.
I applied for and was granted a work visa from UK Visa and Immigration, which allowed me to come to the UK on a regular basis and work for Create and Craft. When it expired in September, I reapplied. This time, I was denied.
The reason? The proposed activities seemed too much like “regular employment”.
I was crushed. Not only because that work was my income, which I use to pay the bills, but also because I loved it and it was a good fit for my experience, my education and my skill set.
However, there was another hope. I often came to Create and Craft to represent a US stamp manufacturer. I spoke with an immigration lawyer, who thought I had a good chance to get a work visa that would allow me—as an American representing an American company and being paid by an American company—to do shows on C&C. I applied again.
Denied. Again. This time? Because I would be working in “a UK-based business”.
I hesitated in sharing the behind-the-scenes part of this because it can quickly become a heated discussion. I understand why people need to apply for visas to work or study in foreign countries. I have no argument with that. However, I have over 20 years of teaching, designing and presenting in the craft industry, with over 10 years demonstrating on live television. I think there’s a value in that.
On the flip side, I’ve had people say, “But they let in refugees, why won’t they let you in?” I want to be clear: My job is a privilege—my situation in no way resembles that of a refugee or asylum-seeker and I will happily give way for someone fleeing desperate circumstances.
Given my own choice, I would continue doing this work indefinitely. Yes, I found the visa application process a hassle, but worth it. Applying for a work visa is not like getting a library card: I had to submit a 14-page application and a letter of invitation from Create and Craft, plus proof that I won’t 1) stay in the UK beyond my allowed dates, or 2) use the UK’s National Health Service. That means providing the UK Visa & Immigration office with my passport, residency card, mortgage agreement, bank statements, my daughter’s birth certificate and my marriage certificate, plus proof of my health insurance. It’s taking a day to travel across Germany to submit the application, and get fingerprinted and photographed at the UK Visa and Immigration office in Dusseldorf, 4 hours away by train. It’s also expensive: I hired an immigration lawyer since I wanted to be sure I was doing this process correctly, plus the application fee(s) and travel to submit my application. The entire process for my first visa cost me £1,000, which is about $1300.
I paid this all again twice in September in hopes of getting a renewal for my visa. Unfortunately, despite being denied, the costs are not refunded, so now I am out a whopping £3,000 for this little project and I can’t work in the UK.
Ironically, I *am* able to work for a UK company as long as the work is not conducted on UK soil. So, my stamps for PaperArtsy are fine, my magazine work for Crafts Beautiful and Making Cards is fine, even blogging for Create and Craft is all fine and legit. (This was one of the things I had to check in panic with the immigration lawyer.)
So this is where we are. Aren’t you glad you asked?
There’s actually much more to the story—long conversations about types of visas, Permitted Paid Engagements and company sponsorships and Exceptional Talent visas and so on…suffice it to say, I am not an immigration lawyer but I certainly do know more about it than I ever wanted to.
Still, this is the long version. The short one is that as much as I’d like to continue doing demos on Create and Craft, and as much as they want to keep me on air, the work visa situation renders it impossible right now.
I am still disappointed but I’ve also had to accept the situation for what it is: I must have a work visa, and the UK government is the only one who can give it to me. And at the same time, I must also consider my other options for designing, working and managing a small business in a way that makes good use of my 20+ years in the craft arena. Perhaps I’ll revisit the situation again some time—after all, immigration laws do change—but for now, I’m focused solely on the road ahead.
I do hope you’ll join me.
