Updates on Govt Shutdown, Visas, Ticketing, and Protected Species

October 3, 2025

In This Issue

• NEA Advocacy Continues Amid Government Shutdown
• Visa Updates: Shutdown Impact Plus Major Processing Changes
• Know Your Bow: CITES Policy Decisions Ahead
• Ticket Fraud Policies Under FTC Review

NEA Advocacy Continues Amid Government Shutdown

Orchestras continue to speak up to support funding for the National Endowment for the Arts as policymakers negotiate next steps for FY26 appropriations following a partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government on October 1, 2025. The agency is currently open under the terms of the NEA 2026 Funding Lapse Plan, which allows the use of funds carried over from the prior fiscal year to continue certain operations. Grantee access to draw down approved grant funding should continue, and the plan specifies that the agency will conduct work related to the Garden of Heroes and America250. Stay tuned, as the duration of the shutdown might prompt further constriction of allowed agency activities.

Arts stakeholders are still awaiting clarity on next steps for remaining FY25 grantmaking, which was interrupted by a wave of termination letters. Plans for FY26 grant administration are complicated by the current shutdown, as well as ongoing revisions to grantee compliance requirements. On September 19, 2025, a federal judge in Rhode Island struck down the NEA’s policy on grant applications deemed to “promote gender ideology.” The court ruled that the NEA’s plans to disfavor such projects in the grant review process violated the First Amendment as a viewpoint-based restriction of private speech. The League is tracking this and other recent developments in our comprehensive National Endowment for the Arts Grant Resource Page.

Visa Updates: Shutdown Impact Plus Major Processing Changes

Following the government shutdown, those engaged in the artist visa process are watching for even longer delays in procedures. Because U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is largely fee-based, O and P artist visas continue to be processed. The U.S. Department of State announced that consular visa processing remains operational. And, although E-Verify services are currently unavailable, employers must still comply with all Form I-9 requirements.  

USCIS is reporting 7-month processing times for regularly filed O and P artist petitions, forcing many petitioners to pay for the Premium Processing Service (PPS). As petitioners consider timing and next steps, note these significant changes:

•  Effective immediately, petitioners seeking to upgrade an already-filed I-129 petition to PPS need to send the form I-907 and fee to one of several USCIS “Lockbox” locations. This change does not apply to PPS requests that are filed at the same time as an I-129. A link to the table listing the Lockbox locations in our dedicated news alert about PPS Upgrades.

•  As of September 2, 2025, very few interview waivers are being granted at U.S. consulates, creating longer wait times for visa interviews abroad. Also, as of September 6, 2025, consular interviews should take place in the artist’s country of nationality or residence, which is a major change in process that petitioners and traveling artists will need to take into account.

•  USCIS will discontinue accepting paper check and money order payments after Oct. 28, 2025, and will accept only ACH transactions or credit card-based payments, so getting up to speed on these changes is critical to avoid further delays.

For more information and ongoing updates, be sure to bookmark the League’s latest visa news alerts on our Artists from Abroad website.

Know Your Bow: CITES Policy Decisions Ahead

String players and music stakeholders worldwide are engaged in essential conversations about the future of the wood used in many bows. The 185 global parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are preparing to vote on the rules for Pernambuco wood, next steps for the CITES Musical Instrument Certificates, and a host of broader conservation policies. The League will attend the November convening of the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where conversations will unfold on a proposal by Brazil to list Pernambuco at the highest level of protection, requiring permits for all international travel with Pernambuco bows in use by many musicians, and placing a near-ban on international sales of existing and new bows.

On September 10, 2025, the League testified at a hearing at U.S. Department of Interior headquarters, urging the U.S. delegation to continue its leadership role in advancing policy solutions that will simultaneously support conservation efforts and ongoing music activity, and on September 17 the League submitted testimony in collaboration with a wide range of U.S. stakeholders, including NAMM and the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. As November’s CoP20 negotiations near, the U.S. will publish one additional public notice, announcing its tentative negotiating positions on key CITES agenda items. Keep up with all developments in the League’s Pernambuco Policy Resource Page and find out how to participate in our Know Your Bow guide. 

Ticket Fraud Policies Under FTC Review

Orchestras continue to experience the costly impact of fraudulent ticket activity on the secondary market and crushing credit card charge-back fees. The League and our partners in the Fix the Tix Coalition are calling for immediate action to address fraudulent activity and nonprofit partners have collaborated to explain how proposed solutions must take into account the unique nature of subscription-based, donor-supported performing arts organizations. A March 31, 2025 Executive Order Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market calls for policy enforcement and potential new regulatory action to curtail activity in the secondary ticket market. A related fact sheet outlined intentions to enforce current law and calls for a report before October 1, 2025 to recommend further regulatory and legislative action needed. On July 7, the League submitted comments in partnership with a dozen national organizations in the nonprofit performing arts sector in response to an open request for information from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The League will keep you posted as the federal agencies take action. Further details are available in our Ticketing Policy Overview.