US hikes foreign artist visa fees

The increases will affect requests for both P and O visas, which are typically applied for by US non-profit arts organisations to bring musicians into the country. The US hosts a number of major annual events, concerts and artist residencies, which feature musicians from around the world.

The P visa will increase from $460 to $695. It lasts one year and is normally used by touring musicians, stage talent and the families of entertainers and athletes.

Filing fees for the O visa petition jumped 53% from $460 to $705. The visa covers "Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement” and is normally valid for three years. Both visa types require either a US employer or resident to act as a petitioner for the artist.

Additionally, changes have been made to the maximum number of people that can be covered by a single petition. Each one is now capped at 25 individuals, meaning that larger ensembles such as orchestras will have to apply for multiple visas.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also changed the processing time for its Premium Processing Service from 15 calendar days to 15 business days. Organisations use the service, which costs $1 440, to fast track visa processing.

The development has drawn criticism from the arts sector, with one commentator saying that the move will diminish the quality of arts in the US.

The Department of Homeland Security said the fee hikes are “intended to recover the estimated full cost to USCIS of providing immigration adjudication and naturalisation”, and that “evidence suggests that the additional fee in this final rule does not represent a significant economic impact on these entities.”

The changes were initially proposed in November last year before the COVID-19 pandemic, when international travel was commonplace and the live music industry was still booming. In the post-COVID-19 era, the considerable hikes could make kick-starting the music industry much harder, particularly for events relying on foreign talent.

“It is incredibly disappointing to hear the latest news of increased fees and more bureaucracy for foreign artists travelling to the US," the general manager of the UK's Featured Artists Coalition, David Martin, said in a statement. "The US visa system is already prohibitive for UK artists and this change will see even more of our globally renowned talent shut out.

"Not only will the US live circuit suffer with millions of American fans missing the chance to see their favourite British artists, artists will lose the opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas with creators on the opposite side of the Atlantic. At a time when we should be celebrating and building on our shared history of cultural exchange, this development instead moves us further apart. There are no winners.”

Martin's comments could be applied directly to African artists, who generally operate with smaller travel and administrative budgets than their UK counterparts.