Llangollen Eisteddfod visa blow due to Home Office hitch

Some performers from Africa and Asia have been refused visas after the festival was left off a list of "permit-free" festivals.

Now organisers of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod are writing to Home Secretary Theresa May to ask her to intervene personally.

Around 100 dancers and musicians are waiting to hear if they will be granted visas in time to compete at this year's event which begins on July 7.

Those affected include two groups from India, five different groups from Morocco, 14 dancers from Ghana and five from Nepal. Several people from China, Algeria, Tanzania and Ivory Coast have already had their visa applications turned down.

Competitors from other parts of the world outside Africa and Asia are unaffected.

Normal visa applications take more time to process.

Eisteddfod Chairman, Mr Gethin Davies, said: "We have over the years had some problems with visas. We had understood that this year we were going to be placed on the permit-free list, which is a list of existing 44 festivals, which makes the issue of visas far more straightforward.

"Due to an administrative oversight at the Home Office to which they have held their hands up, we are not on that list. Consequently each visa application has to be carefully scrutinised by the relevant authorities in the various countries, and some of them are being refused. This is causing up great anxiety.

"We need a cast iron guarantee that the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will be on the permit-free list from now on and we want practical help in the short term to assist those people who are still waiting for their visas and to possibly overturn decisions that have been made to refuse other competitors.

"I am writing a personal letter to the Home Secretary asking her if she can intervene directly in this, and use her considerable influence to see if this unfortunate state of affairs can be addressed as a matter of urgency.

"The Eisteddfod is on in three weeks' time, and time is very short, so we are hoping that we can get that help from the highest level, which will enable these wonderful people who want nothing more than to come and share their culture with us in Llangollen so that they will be able to be with us."

The Home Office have apologised for their error in a letter to Eisteddfod officials which says: "Unfortunately, due to an administrative oversight on our part when changes to the Immigration Rules were laid in February the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was omitted from the list of permit-free festivals included in the new simplified visitor rules.

"I apologise for any inconvenience this will cause however I want to assure you that there are alternative routes that can be used in the meantime."