Canadian Visa required to play? (unpaid gig for North by North West in June 2011)

[dodgy_ian]

Hi all,

Anyone got any ideas if my band would require Canadian working visas if we come over in June to play at North by North West? We're not getting paid for it.

I have heard horror stories of musicians with instruments being turned back by immigration in the UK because they don't have a visa etc, even for unpaid gigs....

Any info would be really greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ian

[Don C]

Hi Ian,

Here is the website of the AFM Canada
Click on the link and it should take you there even though, for reasons unknown, I can't get the address to show up here.

Home ::


The festival you are playing at should have all the answers to your questions, but if they don't, contact the head office of AFMCanada.
I know a P2 visa is required to perform in the US, but Canada is somewhat lax regarding this.
Best of luck to you.

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Don C

Canada is somewhat lax regarding this.

No it isn't! A Portland old-time band was turned back at the BC border recently - they told the border guards that they were coming up to visit but the gig was promoted on several of their personal MySpace pages!

It will be much harder for those guys next time...

[Don C]

Hi Jake, sorry to hear that.
I must admit that's a new one on me, don't know the story there.
But border guards do usually get really upset if they find that your not being truthful with them.

I know that a P2 visa is required for Canadians to work in the US but I'm quite certain that no visa is required for Americans to work in Canada at this time.
It's an inequity that Senator Tommy Banks has been working on for years, but the federal government continues to ignore the problem.

In my experience,the cost of a P2 visa to perform in the US can be as much as $200 - $400 for each person, making it quite expensive if your band is 7 or 8 people.
The P2 can take 3 to 5 months to get and is good for 3 months ( I think, it could possibly be 4 months now) and each engagement must be on the visa at the time of processing.
That having been said, there may be a small fee required at the border for performers entry, but no visa, unless they've changed something in the last couple of months.

Being that the OP is from the UK I would assume that it's not a big problem for them.

We had a Band here from the UK, and several from the US (with one of our TB members in one of them) for a festival last year.
I don't believe it was a problem for them at all.

[Plays_For_Dog]

I've crossed the border from WA into BC Canada several times at different crossings. The Canadian Border Patrol has always been extremely viligant in the purpose of my visit. I was always going snowboarding though, so no clue on the visa's for playing a free gig. I would assume they will require one based off my experiences.

[PaulCannon]

Somebody either at the festival or AFM Canada should have an answer for you. I just want to stress having has much paper work ready as you can think of.

I've done three big road trips into Canada for [educational] music festivals. I would pack a lot of stuff into my car, including four basses. It seemed fishy to me for two guys to have four basses, so I was always careful to bring documentation proving either ownership of the instrument or permission from the owner to bring the instrument across the Canadian border. We, of course, also brought passports, invitation letters from the festival and proof of vehicle ownership.

I've had my car searched twice coming into Canada. I think musicians are high on their list of suspicious persons, so be mindful of what you pack for your ride.

[salcott]

Canada must have a huge problem with musicians sneaking across the border and wreaking havoc. I went up in '88 to play the Montreal Jazz Festival-it took us four hours to clear C&I, even with ALL the paperwork including visas, the contract, and the letter inviting us to perform. One person in the band had been arrested for shoplifting 35 years previous; we had to come up with $500 bond to get him across the border, and as far as I know, the money still has not been refunded as promised.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot-the agent pulled out a big screwdriver and wanted to take the top off my bass for inspection-lucky me, I had a light and inspection mirror. He also insisted there HAD to be a serial number on a 200 yr old instrument; he decided that a repair tag with a date was such.
I never knew we were such dangerous people.

[anonymous122511]

Something else you might wanna think about is going home. I dunno what the process is getting your gear BACK into the US but leaving Canada the wise Canadian stops at Canadian Customs and fills out a little green card with all the instruments particulars. The Customs Agent corroborates the information and stamps the card. Then when you return there's no question as to where you acquired the stuff and whether or not you are liable for duty and or taxes. Worst case scenario is they charge you duty and taxes for items you already paid on. I've had it happen.

[Don C]

Originally Posted by jeff arddun

Something else you might wanna think about is going home. I dunno what the process is getting your gear BACK into the US but leaving Canada the wise Canadian stops at Canadian Customs and fills out a little green card with all the instruments particulars. The Customs Agent corroborates the information and stamps the card. Then when you return there's no question as to where you acquired the stuff

Yes, the little green card is very important.
I have one for each of my instruments, including my good bows as well.

I used to travel internationally quite a lot ( and still do on a limited basis) with my instruments, and with the green card there's never a problem.
We used to have to put Cameras, lenses, and electronics etc on the card as well, but in the computer age this has ceased to be necessary.

Is there a similar service with the US Customs dept ??