Post by admin on Jan 26, 2014 17:36:18 GMT
@paul_Burbidge: Had an interesting chat with Jason Doyle, whose UK visa application has been refused. Other riders having issues too. #speedway
Australian international Jason Doyle could face a year out of British racing after Leicester promoter David Hemsley admitted his chances of obtaining a UK visa are “diminishing”.
The Aussie Championship runner-up’s application for the standard tier two sportsman visa used by his compatriots competing in Britain was rejected after he left the UK when his previous nine-month permit expired in November.
Under rules introduced in 2012, the Somerset No.1 now faces a year’s wait before he can re-apply for that class of visa.
But he is still set to apply for a Polish visa and could also race in Sweden, Denmark and other EU countries under the Schengen Convention, allowing visa holders of a participating country to race in other member states. The UK is not part of the Schengen area.
Doyle is pushing British speedway bosses to let him apply for a tier five visa, a temporary permit to race in the UK valid only for a year.
But it is believed the BSPA won’t allow riders to race on a visa, which is only used by sportspeople touring the country in the short-term rather than working there long-term.
Hemsley still holds out hope Doyle will lead Leicester into their first Elite League season, and says the rider’s Premier League club Somerset are fighting to get him into the country.
He said: “At the moment, Somerset Speedway are still working on it – they’re the primary employer. They’re still working on the situation in the hope they can get him into the UK.
“If I’m perfectly honest, I think the likelihood is now diminishing. (Rebels promoter) Debbie (Hancock) is still working hard on it to try and make sure it happens. It will be hard for both clubs if he can’t ride.
“It’s a shame the situation has been allowed to happen where a rider of his ability and quality, who has been coming backwards and forwards to this country for years, has fallen into this loophole and not met the criteria to enter the country.
“The exact details of his application I don’t know about and can’t comment on because I’m not his sponsor – Leicester Speedway are not his sponsor to come to this country. Somerset are and I know they’re working hard to try and make it happen.”
Asked whether he felt a tier-five application is likely to succeed, Hemsley replied: “I think that’s less likely to happen. I’m not our registered UK Border Agency person. But I understand our governing body is less likely to find that type of work permit acceptable.
“It needs our governing body’s support. They hold the responsibility for people in the sport travelling to this country to work.
“The type of visa people have been coming to this country to race on in the past has given them the necessary protection and that’s a tier two visa. When we had Sergey Darkin and Ilya Bondarenko at Leicester in 2011, they used that.
“I’m not an expert in the field, but when someone sponsors a rider to come to the UK, they take on a lot of legal responsibility to the British government. Those responsibilities are quite significant.
“The BSPA is also registered with the UKBA as a national governing body and are able to issue sponsor certificates. Unless this is in place, we can’t act as sponsors.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of work going on in the background to see if a tier five is possible, but I’m not best placed to comment.”
Hemsley is holding fire on making Lions’ final signing until it is confirmed whether or not Doyle will race. He would have 13.24 points to sign two riders alongside Mads Korneliussen, Patrick Hougaard and Peter Ljung if the Newcastle-born rider can’t travel to Britain and plans to keep his options open.
sgp
