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During the Covid-19 crisis we are combining our three titles into one MNS MUSIC NEWS Scotland :: MNS FESTIVALS! :: MNS GIGguide
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Music industry Visa Task Force responds to US Visa fee increase Concern has been raised by many in the UK music industry about the unwelcome rise in US visa fees. At a time when musicians across the world need to be confident that a return to national and international touring is viable, the rise in these fees and the possibility of a 'no deal Brexit' means that British musicians could be faced with heavier restrictions. There has been some talk in the UK music press about the visa costs increasing by 50% However, the increases only apply to the filing fees for O and P visas and not the full application costs. Whilst these increases are potentially problematic for British musicians, they are not as high as has been reported. The filing fee for an O (exceptional talent) visa will increase from $460 to $705, equal to a 53.26% ($245) increase. Therefore an application that previously cost $3,000, for example, will cost $3,245 from 2nd October 2020. The P (group) visa filing fee increase is 51.09%, taking $460 to $695 and therefore representing an increase of $235 per application.
Through UK Music, in particular, the Taskforce is also focusing efforts on minimising the impacts of Brexit. Dave Webster, Musicians’ Union Live Performance Organiser and Chair of the Music Industry Visa Task Force said: "As if it isn’t already hard enough for artists to perform in the US, this increase in fees just adds to that. Musicians are faced with great uncertainty right now, so it is important they have all the right information to hand. Some musicians will feel this increase more deeply than others, and it’s certainly a further blow to cultural exchange. However, this increase is only a part of the problem, especially in light of the overall costs and administration placed upon artists when obtaining a visa." Tamizdat, US based immigration attorneys, said: "These fee increases create substantial new burdens for the performing arts, which are already in a state of collapse. However, we encourage the international cultural community to remember that this fee increase is a small part of a much bigger problem: since the early ’90s, when the O and P visa classifications were created, the average effective cost of securing a visa for a foreign artist has increased more than 2,000 percent. PRS Foundation CEO, Joe Frankland, said: “Our International Showcase Fund supports first and crucial export steps, where artists, music creators and their teams already find visa restrictions prohibit international development. 2020 has been a troubling year of financial loss and adaptation and so many will depend on easy export pathways to recover and to forge sustainable careers. While these fee increases are not as high as some first thought, the
Visa Task Force takes any barrier to international development very seriously and will be working with the international music community to push against those challenges.” The Music Industry Visa Taskforce was set up in 2016 to bring together stakeholders from across the music industry to help provide a support network and lobbying group to address issues around UK musicians working in the US.
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Whilst the performing arts sector is clearly impacted by this, it is not a measure that has been introduced specifically in relation to musicians. All visa filing fees which are administered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be increased. In addition, there is a further change that will create substantial additional costs for large ensembles. USCIS plans to limit the number of artists that can be included on a single work authorisation petition (I-129) to 25 individuals. Under the new rule, large ensembles, including orchestras or theatre companies, will be required to file multiple petitions to cover all of their artists. The cost of the whole process will be increased by a multiple of the number of petitions required. Plus the processing time for USCIS’s optional Premium Processing expediting service - which costs an additional $1440 per petition - is scheduled to increase from 15 calendar days to 15 business days, which effectively will increase the processing from two weeks to almost three weeks. The sector has also been made aware of applications that were pending and then placed on hold when COVID hit. It has been confirmed that the US government will not be issuing refunds and any further applications where dates are changed will require a further filing fee. In taking steps to tackle this issue, the visa taskforce is consulting with key industry bodies to push against prohibitive cost increases and unfair practice. The group is connecting with the international performing arts community through the global Artists Mobility Forum to ensure the concerns of UK-based creators and businesses are heard.
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