US visa petition fees for international touring musicians to increase by over 120 per cent
nme.cominitially, the increases were meant to be even higher – with plans to jump fees by a further $600 (£478), which would have made it a 250 per cent rise.The plans to enforce the extreme changes were thrown into question and ultimately delayed, after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) faced widespread backlash from the National Independent Venue Association.
The criticism outlined how the inflated fees would pose “a severe economic and cultural threat to independent live entertainment” across the country.It was also contested by the #LetTheMusicMove campaign, which labelled the changes as “crippling” for artists. “In the midst of the ongoing cost of living crisis and with the live sector still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, it would make performing in the world’s biggest music market unaffordable for many emerging and mid-level artists,” they explained last year.With the change arriving in April, this will be the first increase in visa fees since 2016, and has been implemented to “recover its operating costs more fully and support timely processing of new applications” according to USCIS.“Unlike many other federal agencies, we are almost entirely fee-funded” it added (via DJ Mag). “Approximately 96 per cent of our funding is from filing fees, and only about four per cent is from congressional appropriations.”Other changes going into effect on April 1 include a new Asylum Programme Fee of $600 (£478) for sponsoring employers filing the I-129 form – a requirement for O and P visas.
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