A little over a year ago, the US Department of Homeland Security proposed to more than triple the fees for the O and P visas for international musicians touring the country — a proposal that was obviously met with outcry from artists already finding it impossible to sustain a touring lifestyle with inflation and the crumbling infrastructure of the pandemic era.
Then, last summer, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the government would hold off on the fee increases initially scheduled for early 2023 until at least March 2024, which is quickly approaching.
Going into effect on April 1, O and P visa fees will increase by over $500 USD each [via The Quietus], which is less expensive than anticipated. Applications for the former, which allows individuals with extraordinary abilities in the arts to be in the US for up to three years, will be raised from $460 to $1,055; the latter — a shorter-term visa that can be tied to a specific event and allows for members of a band to all apply together — will increase from $460 to $1,015.
While that's still a chunk of change, the new costs are both $600 less than the hike that was initially proposed. However, the USCIS has also revealed a new Asylum Fee for the venues and promoters filing I-129 forms to bring performers into the country. Smaller employers (with 25 employees or less) will be charged $300, and larger petitioning employers will have to pay $600.
This marks the first time the visa application fees for touring musicians have been raised since 2016. On the USCIS website, the governing body claims that the increases are necessary "to cover the cost of doing business and avoid the accumulation of future backlogs."