Piers Morgan ‘runs into visa difficulties’

For once, not everything seems to be going the way of Piers Morgan. Apparently destined to take over from veteran broadcaster Larry King on CNN this autumn, Morgan is said to be having trouble obtaining a work visa, as a result of which CNN have had to ask King to postpone his final show.

Morgan was known for his anti-Iraq war stance during his final year at the Daily Mirror, which he edited from 1995 to 2004. But the reason he has run into difficulties with the US Citizenship and Immigration services appears to be bad timing: his application went in during a period when immigration is a hot issue in the US.

He already works in the US as a judge on Simon Cowell's show America’s Got Talent. But that's only part-time. He needs the upgraded visa to allow him to work full-time on what has been called until now Larry King Live.
 
Rumours that Morgan was set to replace King first emerged in June and were greeted with surprise by the American media. He wasn't totally unknown - because of America's Got Talent - but he was hardly the heavyweight the media had expected to fill 76-year-old King's shoes.
 
CNN have never formally confirmed Morgan's appointment – possibly because of the uncertainty of the visa issue – and have declined to comment on US media reports that King's departure has been delayed.

What might be worrying for Morgan is that his rumoured competition for the job, Katie Couric of CBS, will be available for the job as soon as her current contract expires in June. And as an American, she's not hanging on the verdict of the Immigration Service. ·