When an artist wants to tour the US, they need to apply for a special visa. That application has to be made weeks and months in advance. If you show up at a US port of entry and you don’t have one of these visas, you’re screwed.

Because the US can’t seem to get a handle on its borders, it has decided to take it out on people like touring musicians by hiking these visa fees. Let’s take a look.

Before April 1, the application fee was US$460 per person. It is now between US$1,615 and US$1,655 per person, regardless of the size of your group and your commercial popularity. That’s an increase of more than 250%. Here’s how that translates into the real world.

Let’s say there are four people in your band. Getting the necessary visas used to be US$1,840. For that same group, the cost is as high as US$6,620. And that’s just for the bandmembers. Any additional staff–road managers, roadies, security, backup dancers, sound and lights people, etc.) each require their own approved application. All fees must be paid in advance.

If you’re in a hurry, you can ask for an expedited process, but that’s an additional US$2,805. Per person. Paid in advance, of course.

And what if your application is rejected? Sorry, no refunds.

These new fees apply to all foreign acts, including Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India–everyone who’s not American. (BTW: What does Canada charge for visas for American acts who want to come north? ZERO.)

This is going to result in several things: (1) A drastic reduction in foreign acts touring the US. This will hit small- and medium-sized venues hard because many of them depend on a steady stream of foreign acts to fill their buildings and buy beer. (2) increased ticket prices. For those acts who afford the upfront costs will simply pass everything along to the fan. (3) Less exposure to non-American acts for Americans. That’ll just make the market all that more insular and ignorant of what’s happening outside America. And (4) acts of all sizes and types are being willfully shut out of the biggest music market in the world. Not exactly free trade, is it?

In other words, no one wins except the US Government. Feels pretty xenophobic and unfair to me. Thoughts?