Congress is currently debating a bill that would allow foreign musicians to have their visas processed in a timelier manner than at the present. Currently, these musicians must wait as long as six months for their visas to be processed. Most performers do not have that much advance notice of engagements. This bill will ensure that their visas are processed within forty-five days so that they may perform in the United States. It is of great importance to our Canadian brothers and sisters. Although this bill will shorten the processing time for foreign artists, AFM and the other entertainment unions still have the right under the law to object to an artist visa petition on an individual basis. We ask that you contact your Congressman to ask for their support on this bill. Thank you.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a constituent and member of the American Federation of Musicians in your district, I urge you you to support H.R. 1312, the ARTS bill, which would expedite the O and P visa processing process for foreign musicians coming to perform in the United States. This issue is of particular interest to the AFM, as a large number of professional musicians in our union are Canadian.

Currently, our Canadian membership encounters great difficulties when traveling to perform in the United States. The average waiting time is over three months for their visas to be processed and allowed in the country. There is the Premium Processing Service, which guarantees visa processing within fifteen days of applying, but the $1,000 cost of the service often times is too prohibitive for our members to pay for. We are asking you to supports the ARTS bill, which will significantly reduce the visa processing time for exceptionally talented foreign artists.

We urge you to consider supporting this bill to help our fellow members who seek to come to the United States to entertain Americans with their unique musical abilities. The current system is far too costly and lengthy to our Canadian membership. By supporting passage of the ARTS bill, you can ensure that musicians are able to freely come and perform in the United States. To discuss this issue further please contact the AFM Director of Government Relations, Hal Ponder.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 27, 2007