Musicians crossing the border with instruments and gear are encouraged to apply for an ATA Carnet, a document which enables professionals to bring the tools of their trade across borders easily and without hassle, duties or border fees. You can learn more about ATA Carnets from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
In the absence of a Carnet, prepare a manifest (list) of all instruments and gear, including serial numbers and make/model of instruments. If your instrument was purchased outside of Canada, bring the original bill of sale or include the following information on the manifest: the city, state/province, and country where the instrument was purchased.
If flying, make yourself aware of issues related to instruments as baggage/special items.
Learn more here.
There are several types of Permits which may be needed to perform in the USA. The most common are P2 permits for paid performances, and the B1 visa for a showcase. Learn more here.
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. IF YOU ARE A CFM MEMBER, by far the simplest way to obtain a P2 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, it is a work visa valid only for the contracts that are submitted at the time of application. Once the P2 application is submitted, you may be able to add dates within the applied-for time period, but no more dates can be added to it outside of the beginning and end dates. You must then 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.
ALL FEES AND TURNAROUND TIMES FOR VISAS ARE CHANGEABLE - BE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST INFORMATION WHEN APPLYING.
As of summer 2020, the fee for applying for a P2 Visa is $460 USD, plus a $120 CAD fee to AFM Canada for administration costs. An additional $25 fee is applied for each additional musician in a group. For example, the administration fee for a (4) piece group will be $195 [$120 + $75 for the 3 additional musicians]. You may also incur Fedex charges for shipping documents to Toronto.
There are additional fees for technical crew and other essential supplemental support [i.e. tour managers, back-up singers/dancers, etc.].
P2 Visas should be applied for at least 60 days in advance (this varies - always contact the office for current turnaround times). If this is impossible, you can apply for “Expedited Processing,” which takes 30 days and costs $2,500 USD, in addition to the $460 mentioned above.
AGAIN, ALL FEES AND TURNAROUND TIMES FOR VISAS ARE CHANGEABLE - BE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST INFORMATION WHEN APPLYING.
Musicians Now Subject to 30% Tax Withholding
Musicians should be aware that the US Internal Revenue Code Section 1441 requires 30% of projected GROSS income for nonresident alien athletes and entertainers be withheld at the source and deposited for these performers in the U.S. Treasury. Members can avoid over withholding by the US Government bycontacting cwamanagement.com for more information about Central Withholding Agreements.
IMPORTANT NEW info on US Tax withholding for Canadian Musicians (July 2018)
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.