US visa fees for musicians

Subject: US visa fees for musicians
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:16 AM

Heard about this on FB from Steve Byrne, who says it means Malinky will never be able to tour the US again. They won't be alone. The end, for most foreign musicians of any genre.

NME story

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:51 AM

I have never bothered anyway, no offence to us mudcatters but the country does not appeal to me, when they stop interfering in the rest of the world ,i might think about it

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: RTim
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 11:10 AM

Dreadful situation...I really feel for all UK or European Folk artists who may wish to perform in the USA.....some of my friends are included, and unless I travel back to England, I may never see them again......

Tim Radford (who sees NO good reason for this increase..)

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 11:49 AM

1970s dated lyrics, but the sentiment still remains so relevant...

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Brian Peters
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 02:55 PM

That's probably the end for me, too. Don't forget that paying what has always been an exorbitant fee has never guaranteed that you will actually be granted the visa, or (if successful) that USCIS will process it in time for your tour. Very sad, because I've loved playing over there and made many good friends, including Tim above. I really don't know what this is supposed to acheive.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: RTim
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 03:20 PM

From NPR.Org...

"Citing A COVID-19 Shortfall, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Increases Visa Fees For Touring Artists. While it's still unknown when musicians and touring artists will again be able to perform in venues, those based abroad and hoping to tour the U.S. will face increased costs to do so legally."

Bollocks....!!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: RTim
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 03:21 PM

Ful article...

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/08/910720579/citing-a-covid-shortfall-dhs-increases-visa-fees-for-touring-artists#:~:text=Music%20Ne


Tim R.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Anne Lister
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 05:18 PM

This is very bad news. I too have loved my tours in the US, but there's no way I'd be able to afford these fees.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 05:37 PM

Things have been whacky for some time. It was getting better, then the US got fairly tight-assed after 9/11. People were still managing to tour here, though. It's almost cheaper for me to buy an airline ticket to "over there" than it is for the performer to pay for a visa.. I suppose when Canada lets us back in, I can go see artists up there. I can't blame any artist for saying "F.U. - not worth it!"
This is stupid.
...but I think things will change again.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Brian Peters
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 04:52 AM

Yes, it got ridiculous after 9/11, in that the time taken to process applications regularly exceeded the maximum time the application could be filed in advance of the tour. They managed eventually to get the processing time down to something reasonable, and I've been touring regularly (and legally) for years. However, the effect of the exorbitant application fee (plus increases in the cost demanded by the US Musicians' Federation to rubber stamp it, and an unfavourable exchange rate) is to add a huge overhead - in excess of the air fare as Jeri said - which in turn means confirming one or two very well-paid engagements well in advance, if you're planning to make any kind of profit. You can subsequently fill up the schedule with smaller venues, but even those have to be confirmed and contracted before you submit the visa application, and some organisers aren't able to do that. Also they seem to have got more choosy about the kind of venues you play, so a summer camp or festival is OK but a bunch of coffee houses may not be.

It all adds up to a huge disincentive for UK musicians, never mind the pandemic and the probability that air fares are going to rise as well. And, even before this, I was reassessing my carbon footprint and wondering wheher long-haul is justifiable. Ah well.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:33 AM

Fortress America - Now become a self fulfilling prophesy
of decades of dystopian fascistic sci-fi comic books and movies..

Next stage in World President trump's master plan,
America battles to conquer space, adding other planets to it's empire;
in order to establish safe gated bunker settlements
from where the USA billionaire elite can safely rule Earth..

Contemporary satirical Folk song writers have never had it so good...!!!???

Who needs air travel and human contact tours anymore in the virtual world internet future...

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 05:51 AM

If this is intended to increase revenue then it will probably backfire, instead of getting the higher fees they'll get nothing when people stop touring.

My band was invited, but we quickly realised that both the cost and practicalities of getting visas made it impossible.

The US is one of the most unwelcoming countries I've visited from the officialdom point of view, although once there the people couldn't be more friendly. I first went in 1976, Bicentennial Year, which was perhaps the first time the US had promoted itself as a destination. Unfortunately no one seemed to have explained the concept of tourism to the immigration officials, who were very difficult.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Vic Smith
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 06:32 AM

Previous to this increase in Visa charges, it had become impossible to obtain entry permits for any musician who came from a country where Islam is the dominant religion. Even the 10% or so Gambian Christians whose first names are those of saints are automatically refused.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 11:54 AM

Hopefully a lot of this will clear up after January 20, 2021.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: r.padgett
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 04:02 AM

The country [US] is in a state of flux ~ UK has a more leftish view of how people in the World's countries should be treated ~ unlike the current administration [US] which is fearful largely for its white population's upper hand

Musicians generally have left leanings and I do NOT mean Communism ~ big difference between Socialism and the big C btw

Politics and US could in the future damage the future of the UK and US relations for decades ~ up to our US cousins to embrace all races ~ easy for me to say from UK of course

Ray

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: The Sandman
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 06:26 AM

there is not a great difference between socialism the socialisation of the means of production, and communism definition theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and need.
Ray padgett i think you may be confusing socialism with social democracy., anyway you imo appear to be anti communist[ based on what happened in the ussr
imo communism has not been practised in the soviet union or in china, some aspects perhaps , what happened in the soviet union was soviet impwerialism and totalitarinism was what occured in both in both soviet union and china, Cuba is maybe the nearest.

Subject: RE: US visa fees for musicians
From: Vic Smith
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 09:49 AM

Dick wrote:-
"imo communism has not been practised in the soviet union or in china.... Cuba is maybe the nearest."

On my 25 visits to The Gambia since 1997, there have been a number of occasions when I have needed minor medical treatment. This meant a visit to well-appointed MRC (Medical Research Council) in Bakau. Every time I have been there I been treated by a young Cuban doctor or nurse (male or female in both categories). One time I one asked why this was the case and I was surprised by the reply.
I was told that if anyone with medical qualifications went for a job in Cuba, that they would be asked the same pre-prepared questions. One of them was always, "Where have you worked since you qualified?" If the answer did not include at least three years in a post in a third-world country with detailed examples then there would be no job offered.
The sad thing is that The Gambia does turn out well qualified nurses and doctors but they are preyed on by recruiting teams from the USA, Canada and various rich European countries. The slaries seem to be stupendous in strictly currency conversion terms - but the recruiters do not mention the hugely more expensive cost of living in the West.