Heads up, Canadian musicians. US visa fees for touring are going up.

Last year, there was a major outcry when the US announced that it was increasing its visa fees for international musicians who want to tour throug the country. This, of course, applies to any Canadian artist who wants to cross the border.

When faced with a massive freakout the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would hold off for a bit. Time’s up.

As of April 1, O and P visa fees will increase by over USD$500 each, a pop of 120%. If there’s any good news, this increase is less than expected.

An O visa, which is for individuals with “extraordinary abilities in the arts” to stay in American for up to three years, go from US$460 to US$1,055. A P visa–which is what most touring musicians will need to play a bunch of dates–will go from US$460 to US$1,015. This is the first time either visa has broken the US$1,000 mark.

If you’re in a hurry and can’t wait the months it might take to get a visa, you can pay extra: US$2,805 to get it done in about 15 business days.

Oh, and these visas have to be acquired in advance, meaning that an indie band is out of pocket for thousands before they event start to pack.

Why? Homeland Security can’t get their sh*t together when it comes to managing the border so they’re looking to squeeze extra money from musicians to raise cash–or, in their words, “recover its operating costs more fully and support timely processing of new applications.”

Not only are musicians outside the US upset for obvious reasons (especially for new and emerging acts), but American venues hate this idea. Many rely on foreign acts for bookings and believe that these new fees are really going to hurt them.

How much does Canada charge for American artists to tour through Canada. Zero. Just thought you should know.