01 February 2010
Church progress on visas for overseas visitors
Church representatives have met immigration minister Phil Woolas
MP to seek to resolve visa problems for overseas visitors to the
Methodist Church in Britain.
Mr Woolas met Revd Ken Howcroft, Assistant Secretary to the
Methodist Conference, Christine Elliott, Methodist Secretary for
External Relationships, Stan Platt, the Church's Adviser on Asylum
and Immigration, and Meg Munn, MP for Sheffield Heeley and Chair of
the All-Party Parliamentary Methodist Group.
The UK Border Agency's (UKBA) visa regulations are designed to
establish closer border controls and monitoring, but have also
caused difficulties for some visitors in entering the UK. In July
2009 the British Church expressed its dismay that the President of
the Methodist Church in Benin, the Revd Simon Kossi Dossou, was
unable to attend its annual conference due to visa refusal. There
have been a number of other instances where there has been
difficulty in obtaining visas for visitors on Methodist Church
business.
Ms Munn said, "I was delighted that Phil Woolas showed such an
interest in assisting the Methodist Church in resolving visa
issues. He was keen to get to the bottom of the problems that
Methodist visitors from overseas have experienced, and to ensure
that the new visa system is effective for genuine visitors to the
UK."
To ensure that visitors apply for appropriate visas, and with the
help of UKBA staff, the Church will now develop guidance notes to
assist all those who are inviting overseas visitors.
The UKBA will also provide the Church with an example of a letter
of support to ensure that there is clarity about who will bear the
financial costs during such visits. The issue of timescales will
also be considered to give appropriate guidance on how long before
a visit a visa application should be submitted.
"We are grateful to Mr Woolas for such a constructive meeting,"
said Ms Elliott. "We can now move towards clearer working practices
and a greater understanding of these processes." said Ms
Elliott.