A proposed increase in visa fees for foreign acts touring the US has been delayed amid pressure from the industry to reconsider the move.
Back in January, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it was planning to raise touring visa fees for international artists by more than 250 per cent.
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The DHS has said in its proposal that applications for a P visa, which is for performers arriving in the States to perform temporarily, would increase from the current rate of $460 (£358.53) to $1,615 (£1,259).
The longer-term O work visa, meanwhile, would jump from $460 (£358.53) to $1,655 (1,290).
Numerous musicians subsequently spoke out against the plan, saying that it would be “a huge hardship to pay such high visa fees” in order to play in the US. Additionally, various politicians and organisations have opposed the move.
Now, the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to delay the implementation of a visa rate increase until at least March 2024. The government is also considering lowering the rate hike altogether.
Maxwell Frost, US representative for Florida’s 10th congressional district, led a group of Congressional Democrats in pushing for a U-turn.
“USCIS’s decision to delay their proposed rate hikes and go back to the drawing board is the right move to support our nation’s small business community and for the hundreds of thousands of travelling artists who are a critical part of our local economy,” said Frost (via Consequence).
Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), said that the proposal to “drastically increase” visa fees for foreign artists “poses a severe economic and cultural threat to independent live entertainment in the US”.
“It undermines the vital role these performers play on our stage,” he added.
“A 2023 survey of independent venues, festivals, and promoters revealed that international talent accounts for over a quarter of performances at an average venue and can even make up 100 per cent of performances for Latin music promoters.
“While we appreciate the USCIS decision to delay final rule-making on this issue until March 2024, NIVA will continue working to stop the proposed fee increases.”
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, a USCIS spokesperson claimed that visa rate would not impact touring acts themselves, but rather their US employers such as promoters, venue owners, festival bosses and record labels.
But critics of the move argue that employers would pass these higher fees onto the musicians while also raising the price of gig tickets, which have already soared in recent years.
DJ Mag, meanwhile, notes concerns from industry and political figures who think the hike could discourage international talent from embarking on US tours, especially newer and grassroots acts.
Upon boosting their joint #LetTheMusicMove campaign in February, the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) said that the live sector was “still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19” and Brexit.
“[The visa rate hike] would make performing in the world’s biggest music market unaffordable for many emerging and mid-level artists,” they explained at the time.
David Martin, CEO of FAC, added: “#LetTheMusicMove provided artists with a unified campaign in which they could voice their concerns about the challenges of touring after Brexit.
“However, these new proposals around US touring visas are equally concerning and, should they be agreed, will only exacerbate the seismic challenges facing the UK’s artists today.”
In February, Easy Life were forced to cancel their US tour due to “some insane costs”. Frontman Murray Matravers was among the artists to speak to NME about the issue, explaining how “bleak” a picture there already was without the “crippling” visa price hike.
New Order then criticised the proposal at SXSW in Austin, Texas, while highlighting the importance of being able to tour in the US and Canada as a British band.
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