New Visa Fee and Forms on Pause, but Congress Approves PPS Hike

October 9, 2020

Orchestras that engage international guest artists should be aware that the new forms and fees that were to go into effect October 2 have been paused due to a nationwide preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Petitioners should continue to use the current version of the Form I-129 (dated 01/27/20) and $460 filing fee for O and P visas for the time being.

While the I-129 form, filing fee, and process remain unchanged for now due to the injunction, the continuing resolution to keep the federal government operating contained authorization for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to increase the fee for Premium Processing Service (PPS) to expedite petition processing from $1,440 up to $2,500. There is no word on when this fee will go into effect, but legal action to prevent the fee increase seems likely. For now, petitioners using the Premium Processing Service should continue to file Form I-907 with the $1,440 PPS fee. 

More details are available on the League’s dedicated website, Artists from Abroad.