U.S. VISA HIKE FOR BRITS PAUSED

U.S. authorities have paused plans to hike the price of visas for British musicians. Trade body UK Music has welcomed the news.

Announced in January, the proposed increases would mean that petition fees for the P visa, required for acts to perform temporarily in the U.S., would increase to $1,615 (£1,352) from $460 (£385). The O visa, used for longer-term working visits, would climb by 260% to $1,655 (£1,375) from $460 (£385).

However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of Homeland Security have now agreed to delay the implementation of the hike.

UK Music Chief Exec Tom Kiehl says the org is “pleased that damaging proposals to severely increase U.S. visa petition fees have been paused."

"The U.S. is a key market for U.K. acts and breaking America is as important now to artists’ careers as it was in the days of The Beatles. We will continue to work with music industry bodies from both the U.K. and overseas to ensure touring in the U.S. is affordable for all performers and their crew.”

The Musicians’ Union had warned that the change would “in one stroke, render the ability for artists to work in the United States unaffordable.”

Seventy per-cent of artists, managers and performing musicians who responded to a recent MMF/FAC survey said the increased costs associated with the visa changes meant they would no longer be able to tour the U.S. Data from LIVE shows that the proposals will put 50% of all U.K. tours of the U.S. under threat.