You Know How Touring Visa Fees Are Set To Rise In Oz? They're About To Go Up In The US, Too

The Australian music industry collectively lost its shit last month when it was announced that touring visa fees for international acts are set to increase by up to 600% and the news isn't getting much better either, because permits are set to rise in the US as well, making it just as tough for our local acts to tour overseas.

According to Pitchfork, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a number of fee increases for immigration applications and petitions, one of which are required for musicians, artists and actors to work in the US, known as a petition for an nonimmigrant worker.

Set to be introduced on 23 December (Merry Christmas), the petition will rise from $US325 to $US460 per person.

The 42% fee increase will apply for all individuals entering the country, including band and crew.

The news comes after a number of Australia's biggest promoters slammed the government's call to increase fees locally, with veteran industry figure Michael Chugg predicting last month that it would hurt local acts touring internationally.

"For festivals and promoters, being asked to find anywhere from 10K to 50K extra, will mean less new acts touring and a drop-off in festival line ups," Chugg said.

"It is also worrying that with so many Australian acts (hundreds touring overseas), we could see a kick back effect from UK and US governments and industry bodies making it harder for our acts to tour internationally."