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P2 Visa Processing
Obtain a work visa to perform in the United States
United States Visa Requirements for Canadian Musicians
Canadian musicians who want to perform in the United States can legally enter the U.S. to work by obtaining a P2 Visa in advance. The P2 Visa is intended for artists, entertainers, and athletes, and by far the simplest way for a musician to obtain one is through the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). There is an agreement in place between the AFM and the Department of Homeland Security that allows us to petition on your behalf, streamlining the process enormously.
The P2 is not a temporary green card, and it doesn't allow you to add dates after it is received. It is a work visa valid only for the contracts that are submitted at the time of application. Once the P2 application is submitted no more dates can be added to it–you must apply for another P2 if you wish to add more performance dates. The maximum length of time given for a P2 can be up to one year, if there are no more than 30 days between contracted dates.
The current fee for applying for a P2 Visa is $325 USD, plus a $100 CAD fee to AFM Canada for administration costs ($200 for musicians and technicians). You may also incur Fedex charges for shipping documents to Toronto. Changes coming in January - see below.
P2 Visas should be applied for at least 45 days in advance (as of August 2011 - this may soon increase to 50 days - always contact the office for current turnaround times). If this is impossible, you can apply for “Expedited Processing,” which takes 25 days and costs $1,225 USD, in addition to the $325 mentioned above.
AFM Canada provides an up-to-date package of P2 documents online in pdf format. These documents can be downloaded, printed and completed by the member before bringing them in to our office for final processing of the visa application. If you have any questions please contact us!
Notice of Fee Increase
The AFM’s P2 administration fee structure will change Monday, January 16, 2012 as follows:
The administration fee for one musician will remain at $100.00. From the above date on, there will be an additional $20 fee applied for each additional musician in a group. For example, under the new fee structure, the administration fee for a (4) piece group will be $160 [$100 + $60 for the 3 additional musicians].
The above also applies to applications for technical crew and other essential supplemental support [i.e. tour managers, back-up singers/dancers, etc.]. One crew person will be an additional $100 (over and above the musician administration fee); two crew would be $120.00.
Applications submitted with the present administration fee of $100 for each musician or support worker application, will be accepted until 5:30PM on Friday, January 13, 2012, at which time the rate increase takes effect.