BUSINESS
Dani Oliva is an artist advocate , speaker , and attorney focused on helping talented creators thrive in the music business . Follow him @ olivaesq and learn more at www . olivaesq . com .
By Dani Oliva
Navigating Work Permits for Recording & Writing Sessions in the U . S .
You may have heard of acquiring a P2 work permit for
touring or playing a conference in the U . S ., but did you know you can apply for a P2 work permit to record or write in the U . S . as well ? Well you can ! You may have recently secured or plan to secure a writing or recording session .
Congrats ! I ’ m pumped for ya . Now let ’ s get you to the U . S . A .!
Note that a P2 work permit can be valid up to one-year . If you ’ ve ever tried to navigate the Canadian Federations of Musicians ( CFM ) website to determine what documentation you need , you may be overwhelmed . I ’ ll give you an easy break-down .
But first , do not delay ! If you ’ re at a point in your career where you have plans to write or record in the U . S ., apply for a work permit as far in advance as possible . Talk to your team . Speak to your manager ahead of time and let them know what you need to avoid hefty expedited fees .
Check Travel Restrictions & Requirements If you plan to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic , check government websites to ensure that business travel is permitted and review up-to-date quarantine information :
Government of Canada : travel . gc . ca / destinations / united-states U . S . Embassy in Canada : ca . usembassy . gov U . S . Department of State : travel . state . gov
Preparing for Your P2 Application Get a P2 application packet from CFM ! They can email you a packet or you can download the forms you need on their website .
Make sure you have a valid passport and contact your local musician ’ s guild . Become a member and pay the related fees for guild membership . Membership is required in order to apply for a P2 work permit .
Hot Tip : Dues ( or fees ) for being a member of a musicians ’ union are cheaper if you apply for membership through a guild outside of Toronto . For example , live in or around Hamilton ? Apply for the Hamilton musicians ’ guild instead of Toronto and save some money ( and say hey to Brent for me !).
Recording If you ’ re recording in a studio in the U . S ., you fill out the same P2 forms that you find online on the CFM website ; however , the information on the contracts you include with your P2 packet are different . You need :
• an itinerary ( CFM / AFM form )
• a contract ( CFM / AFM T2C form )
• and an agreement on letterhead that includes : your recording dates , compensation outline ( if any ), full recording studio address , and signature of two parties – the U . S . agent or U . S . studio owner and artist . Contact information of the signing parties needs to be included .
If you need help finding these forms or have questions , the CFM can help !
Writing Sessions If you ’ re a songwriter and will be in the U . S . for writing sessions , you only need :
• a signed and dated letter indicating days of work , compensation , and street address of work on letterhead from a U . S . entity .
This is sufficient according to CFM / AFM . If your dates aren ’ t set , CFM / AFM needs a specific date range and approximate frequency of work .
Best of luck with your visa application ! If you ’ re traveling during COVID-19 , please take all necessary precautions and be safe !
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