NEVERMORE Pull Out Of Festival Appearance Due To Issues With US Work Permits

Nearly two weeks ago to the day, I asked the question, "Are festivals going to see more international artists dropping out of the lineup due to troubles securing visas?" – and Nevermore appears to be the first band to answer this question with a resounding 'yes.' Announcing via social media yesterday that the band would be unable to appear in September's ProgPower USA festival, they said that it was taking longer than normal to get a work permit for their new vocalist, Berzan Önen (Inner Urge, My Torment). Önen originates from Istanbul, Turkey.

The newest addition to the Seattle progressive unit is not the only new member (guitarist Jack Cattoi), and not the only new member who originates from Turkey (bassist Semir Özerkan) – he is, however, the only one who appears to have not resided in the US for a period of time ahead of working with Nevermore.

The band's statement reads:

“A MESSAGE FOR OUR US FANS

We hear your requests for a US tour loud and clear, and we want it to happen just as much as you do. The reason it hasn’t yet is simple – getting the work permit for our singer is taking much longer than anticipated. We’ll get it done, but unfortunately we aren’t quite there yet.

Sadly, it also means that we won’t be able to perform at ProgPower USA this year.

Sincere apologies to Glenn, the ProgPower USA crew and our US fans, and thanks for understanding.

New music is forthcoming, and we’ll finally be back on stages in the states performing it live in 2027. We owe it to all of you and promise we’ll make it worth the wait.

In light of all of this, we are actively booking more international shows for later this year. Announcements for those will happen soon.”

Alongside Dogma is alt-EDM producer and singer FKA Twigs, who had to cancel her own shows this time last year. She originally posted in a video to TikTok: "Today, I was informed that production did not fill out the correct paperwork in a timely manner for us to have our visas to come to the USA and perform. By no choice of my own, I will have to pull out of my New York, Chicago, and Toronto shows.”

Yet those two artists are just the tip of the iceberg – indie rockers Shred Kelly, alt-pop group PONY, and others who wish to remain anonymous as they proceed with their visa applications and fear retribution if they were to speak out have all faced visa delays, sometimes spanning months, with the timeframe of travel passing before their application is even looked at.

While the original application fee for performance-based travel visas was $450 and raised to $1,615 under the Biden administration in 2024, the Trump administration since taking office in early 2025 has made a point to become more thorough in their background searches of potential visa applicants by combing through their social media and search their internet footprint in order to identify 'high risk' individuals as deemed by the US State Department. This kind of research has in turn lengthened the visa process, with the wait time ballooning from a few short weeks to full on months, in the case of most major Canadian cities.

An immigration lawyer by the name of Matthew Covey talked to The New York Times about the possible impacts of the new visa guidelines and how he expected international artists to respond to the issue – he anticipated a 30% drop, and while there aren't exact figures, he doesn't seem entirely off. With festival season coming up, and dozens if not hundreds of international artists, stemming from all alternative genres, will be travelling to the US to perform at said festivals, will we start to hear of more cancellations and artists pulling out of line-ups? Most likely. Will we straight-up see less announcements in general? Probably.

Between visa uncertainties and the spike in application fees – with the now added option to expedite your visa application for a jolly $2,805 through "premium processing," added during the Trump administration as Rolling Stone's Alex Ashley points out – as well as the unpredictable nature of the Trump administration and their next move, there's too much financial unreliability lingering in the air. Added onto the fact that the IRS taking 30% gross income on every show and every dollar made by international artists, there's very little financial incentive for artists to travel to the US as is, let alone with the recent visa and immigration issues.

Imagine spending a minimum of $5,000 on visas – before lawyers, hotels, flights, luggage, crew, equipment – and then being denied at the U.S. border, detained, and sent home. That was the case for UK Subs in March 2025, when The Guardian reported the band were denied entry into the US, with suspicions around the reason for their denial being casted towards bassist Alvin Gibbs' vocal criticism of the current president.

Now, Dogma is in the same position – even though I can't say I'm entirely sympathetic for their management about the situation – but it begs the growing question… is this going to be the new normal for this summer? Are festivals going to see more international artists dropping out of the lineup due to troubles securing visas? Most likely.

Taken from DOGMA Has To Cancel Their US Tour Due To Visa Issues; Is This The New Normal? What's Happening?