This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Nicola Sturgeon has accused the UK government of undermining the Edinburgh international book festival by failing to resolve authors’ difficulties in obtaining visas.

The festival’s director, Nick Barley, has said some of the invited writers have been “humiliated” by the process they had to endure to get into the UK.

Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, who will take part in the event, tweeted on Thursday that the difficulties were “not acceptable” and the government “needs to get it sorted”.

Barley said about a dozen people had gone through an extremely difficult process to obtain a visa this year and several applications remained outstanding. The festival starts on Saturday and will feature appearances by 900 authors and illustrators from 55 countries.

Festival organisers provide assistance with visa applications and they have reported an increase in refusals over the past few years. Barley said one author had to supply his birth certificate, marriage certificate and his daughter’s birth certificate and go for biometric testing in order to get his visa.

He said the UK’s reputation as a global arts venue could be seriously hindered if problems in obtaining visas worsened after Brexit.

“I think this is an honest mistake the UK government has made as a result of their immigration policy, which is making problems for artists, musicians and performers. We need to create a kind of cultural passport that allows people to attend festivals, gigs and shows. If we don’t, we’re putting culture in the UK at risk,” he said.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We welcome artists and musicians coming to the UK from non-EEA countries to perform. In the year ending December 2017, 99% of non-settlement visa applications were processed within 15 days and the average processing time in 2017 was just under eight days.

“Guidance on visa and entry clearance requirements is publicly available on gov.uk. Each case is assessed on its individual merits against the published immigration rules.”

High-profile speakers at this year’s book festival will include Hillary Clinton, Jeremy Corbyn and Gordon Brown.