The League of American Orchestras has twittered an alert drawing attention to a dramatic fee increase for visa petitions applying to foreign artists performing in the United States. In a statement the League says that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed making it much more costly to apply to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) for the required visas for international guest artists. Filing fees would increase per petition from $460 to $715 (O-visa petition) and from $460 to $705 (P-visa-petition). Moreover, the League says that the total number of individuals on a single petition would be capped at 25, multiplying the increased cost by requiring numerous petitions for larger ensembles, such as visiting orchestras.
The League is inviting organizations and musicians to react. More on this webpage.
