ARTIST VISA SUMMER 2025 ROUNDUP EDITION
LAW & DISORDER
Performing Arts Division
4 September 2025
Dear Reader
It's been over 90 days since our last update and 0 days since Trump has been a daily embarrassment to the planet. Indeed, the hardest working haemorrhoid in U.S. history has managed to keep quite busy over the summer. To pluck but a few highlights, he sent the National Guard into Los Angeles, forcing the Seoul Chamber Orchestra to cancel its concert at Disney Hall, as well as preventing them from spreading their woke violist agenda; he signed the U.S. up with Russia for the same naked pickleball team; and he replaced an exhibit at the Smithsonian on the underground railroad with one presenting the history of cancer as seen from the cancer’s perspective. He even managed to coax Paramount into announcing a new late night talk show called Fun with Fascism hosted by Kanye West and Lee Greenwood. And at the Kennedy Center, where long-time friends and colleagues have now all been fired, the new Director of Dance Programming recently announced a commission for a new ballet, “The Far Right of Spring,” at the opening gala of which everyone gets to go home with a gift bag of diphtheria from the now shuttered Centers of Disease Control.
Yes, things are grim.
Typically, in addition to addressed artist visa news and updates, we like to include news and updates some of the actually enjoyable work we get to do—like commissioning projects, recordings, and getting collaborators to make nice and get back to work. However, too much has happened over the summer with regard to artist visas, so we’re going to need to focus just on that. However, even if you do not present or tour non-U.S. artists, this will show how further the U.S. has been dragged down the colon blow of history.
Artist Visa News & Nausea
Trump promised to rid us of aliens and he has been true to his word: If there are any intelligent alien life forms anywhere in the universe, they will most definitely not come here! The intergalactic Chamber of Commerce has put the U.S. on its no-fly list and unofficial reports claim that Mr. Spock, ET, and Luke Skywalker, and Mork are already in Alligator Alley.
In the meantime, a considerable number of new rules and changes have been implemented over the summer...and they keep coming at a pace such that we can barely keep up. As for today, here’s what’s new and what you need to know about performing in the U.S.
As a reminder, you can also always find updated guidance regarding visa processing and entry for all artists (not just musicians) from our stalwart paladins and heroes at the League of American Orchestras on www.Artistsfromabroad.org.
1. A Meagre Feast on Crumbs of Positive News
To the extent we have descended to the point where “positive” means the U.S. government has overlooked a specific group for overt persecution, the vast majority of artists, groups, and ensembles are continuing to have USCIS approve their O and P petitions, have their visa stamps issued by the U.S. Consulate, and be allowed to enter the U.S. without being arrested and deported to Uganda. Even some artists whom we were particularly concerned about several months ago have experienced relatively few challenges either getting their petitions approved or being allowed to enter the U.S.
Provided visa petitions are prepared and presented with the requisite level of simplification necessary to explain to a USCIS Examiner with the mental capacity of a rectal burp that the Royal Opera Covent Garden is not a fruit stand, we have seen USCIS actually deny few petitions.
With regard to consulates and border entries, the focus continues to be on students , anyone Chinese , past overstays and violations, past criminal convictions, and ESTA violations….PARTICULARLY ESTA VIOLATIONS. The regime is obsessed with ESTA violations.
Despite our endless admonishments and thundering reminders over the years, we continue to be astounded and confounded with queries and questions asking whether or not an artist can enter the US on an ESTA if they are not getting paid in the U.S., not getting paid at all, only attending meetings, is just a student, etc. Many U.S. colleges and universities, and not just a few festivals and venues that should know better, continue to put artists in peril by insisting that there are exceptions for performances taking place on a campus or in a classroom, or if an artist is themselves a student or unpaid. To the contrary, as recently as last month, a clarinettist was refused entry on an ESTA because they had been told that performances for cultural exchanges did not require a visa. Whilst this tiny and very restrictive exception has always been problematic and inconsistently applied, the issue is no longer an option worth risking. If an artist is performing anywhere, anytime, for any reason, and under any circumstances on U.S. soil, the artist CANNOT DO THAT ON AN ESTA. The artist must have an artist visa. Yes, this applies to students and children, too. You can read more about the unfortunate clarinettist HERE.
Just to illustrate the degree to which the regime is taking this, whilst not involving an artist, earlier this year a U.K. citizen entered the U.S. on ESTA to backpack around North America. At one point, she left and entered Canada. When she re-entered the U.S., she revealed that she had previously been staying in the U.S. with various families for free in exchange for helping people with household chores, babysitting, etc. She was then arrested for having been working illegally in the U.S and held in prison for over 19 days. You can read more about this insanity HERE.
Whilst there have been a handful of accounts of artists and groups being refused visas and/or denied entry purportedly due to political beliefs or performing repertoire considered to be “anti-American”, those are unconfirmable as the Department of Homeland Security is not required to provide any official explanation as to why an individual is denied a visa or refused entry. Thus, we are left to wallow in speculation and bewilderment.
On the other hand, we have confirmed reports that consulates are denying visas due to past arrests and convictions, even minor ones, particularly involving DUI offenses. We are aware of at least one artist whose petition for an O-1 visa was approved by USCIS, but who was denied a visa by the consulate due to a DUI conviction 20 years ago. More recently, a most horrid situation was brought to our attention wherein a non-US orchestral musician living in the U.S. and married to a U.S. citizen was arrested, allegedly due to an impaired driver conviction from 2020, and remains in jail as of today. You can read more about his plight HERE.
Whilst the U.S. has announced that all applicants for U.S. visas will now be subject to social media screening, for the moment the great eye appears to be focusing primarily on students and green card (permanent resident) petitions.
There has also been much press coverage of the recent announcement that the Turd Reich will be reviewing over 55 million current visas for potential revocation. For now at least, that appears to be a broad bluster intended to instil fear and panic. In practice, they will more than likely be focusing only on profiling specific groups and categories they deem degenerates.
Similarly, there has been an equally publicized announcement that Trump has proposed a new rule requiring visa applicants to post bonds in the amount of $5,000 - $15,000, So far, this only applies to B-1/B-2 (visitor) visas from two countries--Malawi and Zambia—though others including Afghanistan, Haiti, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Sudan and Myanmar have been proposed. Regardless, there is no indication that this would be applied broadly to all visas from all countries. If anything, it will continue to be country specific.
Even though the arts appear to be out of direct fire for the moment, we still must remain vigilant and continue to share with one another all visa-related experiences both good and bad.
2. Standard Processing is Now 8 Months or Longer
Effective now, receipts for petitions filed through Standard Processing will no longer list whether a petition has been sent to the Vermont or California Service Center. Rather, receipts will simply list the “SCOPS Texas Facility.” (SCOPS = “Service Center Operations” aka “Stunningly Cretinous Operations.” In addition, petitions may now get processed at any number of service centres scattered across the U.S. and no longer even limited to Vermont or California.
As a result, you will have no way of knowing where your petition has been sent—which now won’t make any difference anyway as there will no longer be any meaningful distinction between Standard Processing times at any service centre. There will just be one, generic processing time for all petitions...which, as of today, is 8 months or longer!
If you just threw up on your mouth a little, then, yes, you read that correctly. Standard Processing is now 8 months or longer, regardless of which service centre gets them (which we will no longer know anyway.) As a petition can only be filed up to a year in advance and requires proof of future confirmed engagements and performances (which may or may not even be possible that far ahead), this means that almost all petitions will now require Premium Processing at a cost of $2805 per petition. For now, Premium Processing continues to be 15 business days---unless, of course, the Premium Processing units become overwhelmed and overloaded, at which time they will decide either to raise the fee again or make Premium Processing 30 business days.
3. Consulates Have Officially Eliminated Interview Waivers…And Are Taking Longer
Since earlier this year, consulates have been scaling back offering interview waivers. Now, waivers are officially off the table. Effective now, in-person consulate interviews will be required for visa stamp applications in almost all visa categories (including O and P visas). Except in narrow circumstances they won’t disclose, interview waivers will no longer be available regardless of when or how often a person has held an O or P visa. Applicants under age 14 or over 79 will also be required to interview in-person. As a result, coupled with the additional time now devoted to looking at people’s Tinder, Grinder, and OnlyFans accounts, you should expect longer visa appointment backlogs and processing delays at many consulates, especially in high-volume countries.
As always, check the specific embassy and consulate website for more detailed information about its visa application requirements and procedures. Not only can consulates change their policies at any time, but there is also no requirement for consulates in different countries to be consistent with one another.
4. Additional $250 Visa Stamp Application Fee
In July, as his melting brain dripped and pooled ever larger around his ankles, Trump imposed a new “Visa Integrity Fee” of “at least” $250, which will be charged upon the issuance of a visa stamp. This will be applicable to all visas, include O and P, in addition to the visa stamp application fee.
The new fee will not be charged at the time of the DS-160 visa stamp application as the fee only applies when the stamp is approved and prior to when it is issued. If the visa stamp application is refused, then you don’t pay the fee.
The new fee will not apply to Canadians (God Save the King!) as, for now at least, they do not require visa stamps (just visa petition approvals, but more on that below….)
Officially, the “Visa Integrity Fee” is to compel visa compliance and is refundable after a person has proven that they have complied with all visa requirements and restrictions. However, any hope of a refund will be less likely than finding a goldfish with an STD. They have yet to issue any instructions or other information as to when or how compliance is proven or how refunds will be handled. Also, even though the fee is “officially” effective as of October 1, they have yet to announce how the new fee will be collected. Presumably, as this is an issuance fee, it will be sometime between notification that a visa stamp application is approved and when the stamp is placed in the passport and sent to the applicant…thereby causing a further delay.
5. RFEs For P-1S Staff/Crew Petitions
We are continuing to see USCIS issues RFEs (Requests For Evidence) with regard to P-1S and P-3S petitions for a group’s support staff and crew. Typically, they are asking for more evidence as to what a person does, their qualifications, their past experience with the group, and why the group can’t just hire someone in the U.S. to do the same job. We have seen these with regard to everything from stage managers and sound technicians to librarians and orchestra managers.
When responding to one of these RFEs, USCIS does not want letters from the presenters or petitions explaining why these people are critical. They do not care about financial losses to the presenters, success of the engagement, the impact of a cancelled tour, etc. Rather, what they want is a letter signed from the group itself (not by the agent/manager or the petitioner) which methodically discusses each staff/crew person and explains in detail: (i) what they will be doing for the group, (ii) their past experience with the group, and (iii) why they can't just hire a replacement in the US. They also want a full bio and resume for each staff person. Do not take anything for granted. Explain what a stage manager does, what the librarian does, what the company manager does, etc. As with all petitions, assume you are writing to a 13-year old with a short attention span and anger issues.
So far, this type of response has worked in overcoming the RFE. In fact, for quite some time we have been providing these materials at the outset for all P-1S petitions have not seen any RFEs since (at least, on this issue.)
6. Double Check Your I-94 as Soon as You Can After You Enter!
When you pass through immigration and are permitted to enter the U.S, in addition to being handed an American flag, a Bible, and a dented can of SpaghettiOs, the immigration officer will generate a digital record, called an I-94, to confirm you have been admitted into the U.S. and how long you can stay. So, for example, if you enter the U.S. with an O-1 visa that expires on March 26, 2027, then, assuming the border troll has entered your information correctly, your I-94 will state “Admitted until March 26. 2027.” However, if the border troll has made an error, such as entering an incorrect validity date of “March 26, 2026”, then you must leave the U.S. by March 26, 2026 regardless of your actual visa stamp expiration date If you stay beyond that time, however inadvertently, you have now committed a morally reprehensible and irredeemable affront to the U.S. and can be denied a future visa stamp or, worse, arrested and detained upon your next entry. Whilst in the past, such inadvertent overstays could be easily corrected (more or less), that is no longer the case. Overstays, even if they occurred long in the past or you were never even aware of them, are being used as a basis to deny visas, deny entries, and even arrests.
A new issue has now arisen when a person enters the U.S. with a passport that expires before their visa expiration period. Border trolls are now actively using the passport expiration date as the visa expiration date regardless of what is printed on the visa stamp itself. So, if you enter the enter the U.S. with an O-1 visa that expires on March 26, 2027, but your passport expires on December 1, 2025, then your I-94 will state “Admitted until December 1, 2025,” which means you must leave the U.S. by December 1, 2025 regardless of your visa stamp expiration date. The problem is that the border trolls are not warning people in advance when their I-94 exit date does not match their visa expiration date or when they need to leave. You are expected to discover that all on your own.
So, as soon as you enter the U.S, and preferably before you leave the airport, click the following link to access your I-94 entry record: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Make sure your I-94 reflects your correct status and exit date before leaving!
We further recommend you take a screen shot of your I-94 and keep that with you when traveling within the U.S. lest you get stopped by a Sherriff’s deputy in Sphincter Falls who does not take kindly to strangers.
7. Original, Physical Petition Approval Notices
As Canadian artists know, Canadians (God Save the King!) are not required to have visa stamps to enter the U.S. Once their visa petition has been approved by USCIS, they can enter just with their Approval Notice alone. That rule remains the same...for now. However, U.S. border trolls are now insisting on seeing the official, physical Approval Notice. Not a copy and certainly not a screen capture or photo.
When USCIS approves a visa petition, it will send an official, physical Approval Notice to the Petitioner. It will be sent using the slowest possible option offered by the U.S. Postal Service, which typically involves it being delivered through a lame pack mule’s ass. It can take 7 – 10 days for the mule to arrive, with no way to expedite that or have them sent it by any other method.
If the petition was prepared and filed by an attorney, the original, physical notice will be mailed to the attorney, and a “Courtesy Copy” will be mailed to the Petitioner. The “Courtesy Copy” is NOT the official, physical Approval Notice. You will know this because it will say “This is a courtesy copy, not the official notice” in bold, black letters at the top and will be printed on white paper Toss it. It’s useless. The official, physical Approval Notice will (usually, but not always) be printed on green paper. Without the original, physical Approval Notice, Canadian artists will now either be turned away or offered the opportunity to pay fines in excess of $1000 to be “waived in.”
Obviously, when dealing with Canadian groups, this can pose a significant logistical challenge. Unless they are all entering at the same and at the same place, you will need to engage in an elaborate dance of having the original, physical Approval Notice shuffled back and forth across the border. (Some of you geezers, like myself, may recall having to do this dance over 20 years ago before USCIS began digitalizing the process.)
As to whether U.S. Consulates are requesting non-Canadian artists to bring their original, physical Approval Notices with them for their interviews, that is a mixed bag. Some will. Some won’t. The best course of action is always to check the specific embassy and consulate website for more detailed information about its visa application requirements and procedures. Regardless, we recommend that artists always bring at least a copy of the official, physical Approval Notice with them to the consulate.
8. USCIS Will Soon Only Accept Fee Payments On-Line or With Credit Cards
Effective October 28, 2025, pursuant to one of the orange carbuncle's many executive orders, USCIS will stop accepting paper cheques and money orders and will only accept on-line payments through an ACH debit transfer from a bank account or credit cards for the payment of petition filing fees. However, by "on-line" they do not mean we get to enter in our own payment information and pay the fees "on-line." Instead, each petition will need to include an additional form for each fee on which we will provide our personal information and someone who was unable to get a job with animal control will enter our information for us.
To make a payment an ACH debit transfer from a bank account, you will need to complete and sign Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, and file it with the petition.
To make a credit card payment, you will need to complete and sign Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, and file it with the petition.
Whilst they have yet to provide any specific guidance, the presumption is that if a petition requires three fees--a filing fee, premium processing fee, and an asylum fee--you will need to fill out a separate payment form for each.
USCIS will reject any petitions where the transactions are denied.
According its official announcement, which you can read HERE, USCIS states that they they are implementing this new policy because ---wait for it---they "have a responsibility to the American people to operate as efficiently and securely as possible" and that "America deserves better, and we intend to deliver.” Doubtlessly, such “delivery” will involve the same lame pack mule’s ass as mentioned in the note above.
Fortunately, we see no risks in switching to a system where one must provide banking information and credit card numbers to a complete stranger and hope they enter the information correctly and/or do not sell it on the dark web.
9. New Addresses to Upgrade to PP
You do not have to file a petition with Premium Processing at the outset. You still have the option of filing with Standard Processing and seeing how long that takes. You can upgrade to Premium Processing at anytime by sending USCIS a Form I-907 Premium Processing Request Form and paying the additional $2805 fee.
However, in a fun new twist, effective as of immediately, if you want to upgrade a pending petition to Premium Processing you can no longer send it to the Texas Service Center where the initial petition was filed. As of now, you will need to send the Form I-907 to one of four different addresses depending on where the Petitioner is physically located. For example, if the Petitioner is in New York City, the Form I-907 would be sent to:
USCIS
Attn: I-907 (Box 4200)
2500 Westfield Drive
Elgin, IL 60124-7836
There are now four different addresses for different states.
So, if you are filing a visa petition and requesting Premium Processing at the same time, everything goes to Texas. However, if you are filing with Standard Processing and want to upgrade later, you will need to go to the USCIS Website to find out where to send the upgrade form. What could be easier?
10. Always Use a Fresh USCIS Petition Form
Over the summer, amongst the tireless efforts to make American great, USCIS updated the “Edition Date” of Form I-129 (the form used for O and P visa petitions) from January 17, 2025 to January 20, 2025. There were no changes or edits of any kind--just a date change of 3 days. As such, they are now only accepting the January 20, 2025 edition. Not to be confused with the “Form Expiration Date” at the top, right-hand corner of the form, the Form Edition Date is on the bottom, left-hand corner. Personally, I feel much greater now.
As a general practice, always download a fresh form from the USCIS Website and never reuse forms and you'll be fine.
Deep Thoughts…
“The advantage of being disorganized when you’re young means that people don’t notice when you get old and forgetful.”
―Leila Getz, C.M., O.B.C. DFA ( Founder and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Recital Society)
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The purpose of this blog is to provide general advice and guidance, not legal advice. Please consult with an attorney familiar with your specific circumstances, facts, challenges, medications, psychiatric disorders, past-lives, karmic debt, and anything else that may impact your situation before drawing any conclusions, deciding upon a course of action, sending a nasty or threatening email to someone, filing a lawsuit, or basically doing anything that may in any way rely upon an assumption that we know what we are talking about.