He possibly should have checked this one out before signing to a record deal that could have made him a big star in the UK, but Mr One Pound Fish is going to have to put his dreams of pop stardom on hold for a while after it turned out that he was having visa issues.

The X Factor UK contestant, whose real name is Muhammed Nazir, won the heart of the public – if not judges – with his own song 'One Pound Fish', which he performed at the audition stage of this year’s reality singing competition. Though it didn’t get him through to the next round, the song did raise his profile and has been viewed over 4 million times on Youtube. He was signed so that his trademark song could have a shot at the Christmas number one this winter; though it has since been beaten by the Justice Collective, a charity song for the families of victims of the Hillsborough stadium tragedy.

However, it turns out that dad of four Nazir has a few issues to sort out should he wish to continue on his path to pop glory. “He will be on a plane back to Pakistan on the 25th and when he will be allowed to return is uncertain” explained his agent Samir Ahmed. “His song has really taken off but he needs his visa sorted out so he can come back and be a full-time ­performer.”