Need a Visa?
As of April 1, 2024, we will only accept the new I-129 form, per USCIS notice.
Consultation Letters For U.S. Visas
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) require foreign musicians to submit a consultation letter from AFM with their application for a U.S. Visa. Please note that consultation letters will only be issued after carefully reviewing the evidence and information supplied to AFM when your petition package is complete and ready to be sent to the USCIS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Visa should I apply for?
What is a consultation letter and why do I need one?
Does AFM issue consultation letters for any artist or group?
What must I provide to receive a consultation letter?
What is the fee for a consultation letter?
Which Visa should I apply for?
O-1B Visas are for individual artists of international renown—that is, well-known outside their home country.
O-2 Visas are for support personnel accompanying an O-1B artist whose function cannot be performed by other individuals.
P-1B Visas are for groups of international renown—that is, well known outside their home country.
P-2 Visas are for Canadian artists or musicians entering the United States through a government-recognized reciprocal exchange program. If you need assistance with P-2 Visas, please contact our Canadian Office at 416.391.5161 or here.
P-3 Visas are for groups that are culturally unique—for example, musicians who perform folk music of their home country.
What is a consultation letter and why do I need one?
The USCIS requires musicians to include a letter from an appropriate peer group or union (in this case AFM) establishing that the artist or group traveling to the United States meets the standard of being internationally renowned or culturally unique.
Does the AFM issue consultation letters for any artist or group?
No. AFM issues consultation letters for artists and groups in which instrumentalists make up at least 50% of the personnel.
What must I provide to receive a consultation letter?
We need all of the following information to issue a consultation letter:
- Completed the AFM Consultation Letter Questionnaire form.
- Cover letter explaining who the musicians are, where they are from, and what qualifies them as culturally unique or internationally renowned.
- For P-1B and P-3 visas, please include a list of each musician and what instrument(s) they play.
- For P-1B visas, please also include the length of time each member has been with the P-1 group.
- Copy of completed USCIS Form I-129. (Revised: Form I-129, Edition, 04/01/2024)
- Copies of any written contracts between the petitioner and the alien beneficiary, including what wages will be earned; or, if there is no written contract, a summary of the terms of the oral agreement under which the alien(s) will be employed.
- Copy of the itinerary for the appropriate employment period.
- Support materials such as reviews, CD covers, programs, etc. which establishes the group or instrumental artist. Support materials must feature the instrumentalists—information on singers/actors/dancers only is not sufficient. Please do not submit more than 25 pages of support materials.
What is the fee for consultation letters?
The administrative processing fee for each consultation letter is:
- $300 for normal processing time (5 to 10 business days)
or
- $400 for expedited service (2 business days)
or
- $550 for super-expedited service — If AFM receives a consultation letter request by 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on a business day, a consultation letter will be ready by 5 p.m. the same day. Please use UPS Next Day Air. (Warning: FedEx is not reliable for early deliveries). If AFM receives a consultation letter request after 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on a business day, a consultation letter will be ready by 1:00 p.m. on the next business day.
For all consultation letter requests, the delivery time frame is suspended if the petition is deficient in any way and/or additional information is needed.
We cannot accept personal checks or credit cards for this fee. Corporate checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders should be made out to AFM Immigration Processing.
For P-2 visas, please contact our Canadian Office at 416-391-5161 or here for their fees.
AFM Immigration Department
1501 Broadway 9th Floor
New York, NY 10036
or e-mail to: afmvisa@afm.org
Email Application Steps
- Email a completed application and all of the required supporting documents to: afmvisa@afm.org.
- Send all materials as PDFs. Please do not send links.
- Please do not send more than 25 pages of press documents, etc. (The 25 pages does not include contracts, itineraries, and the I-129).
The maximum size allowed by the server for the entire email application is 20 MB.
Fees for petitions delivered by e-mail must be paid by corporate checks or money orders made payable to AFM Immigration Processing and sent to the AFM headquarters. The countdown for our review will start once the petition and the check have been received.