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COVID-19 resources for our members living overseas

Tip Published Monday 27 April 2020

For our Australian and New Zealand members living overseas, whether temporarily or permanently, it is a very difficult time to be away from home during the COVID-19 situation. And it's all compounded by the challenges facing music creators worldwide right now.

Government Sources

It’s important to keep up to speed with the Government’s notifications regarding aid and help for your specific needs.

Australian Consulate-General
LA - website | Facebook | Twitter
New York - website | Facebook
Chicago - website | Facebook

Australian High Commission
London - website | Facebook | Twitter

NZ Consulate-General
LA - website | Facebook
New York - website
Honolulu - website | Facebook

NZ High Commission
London - website | Facebook | Twitter

Australian Embassy in Germany - https://www.facebook.com/AusEmb.DE
Email - [email protected]

New Zealand Embassy in Germany - https://www.facebook.com/NZBerlin
Berlin Embassy Team: +49 30 20 62 10 (from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm)
After Hours Consular Emergencies: +64 99 20 20 20
Email address: [email protected]

For US-Based Members:

Helpful Links Regarding Immigration and Financial Aid

Advice for US Visa Applicants and Temporary US Residents:

All enquiries about US visas and your status in country should be directed to the relevant US authorities. If you are in Australia please contact the US Embassy in Canberra, or one of the US Consulates in Sydney, Perth or Melbourne. If you are in New Zealand please contact the US Embassy in Wellington or the US Consulate in Auckland.

If you are already in the United States, please contact the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on +1 800 375 5283, or the Department of State’s Visa Services on +1 202 485 7600.

For Australians in the US looking to apply online, extend or change their non-immigrant status (including E3 visa holders) please visit this link: https://www.uscis.gov/i539online.

If you can’t contact USCIS and are delayed beyond your departure date (e.g. due to airline cancellations or you are unable to apply to USCIS to extend your stay because USCIS offices are closed) you should keep documentation in order to present to US authorities in future should the need arise, and seek the advice of a migration lawyer.

We would also encourage you to consult your employer or sponsor and speak with an immigration attorney to see what options may be available to you.

US Department of State: suspension of routine visa services
In response to significant worldwide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State is temporarily suspending routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. Embassies and consulates have cancelled all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020. As resources allow, embassies and consulates will continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services.

ESTAS
All enquiries about ESTAs should be directed to the relevant US authorities. If you are travelling in the United States under the Visa Waiver Program and are concerned about your status in country, contact the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on +1 800 375 5283. You can also speak with an immigration attorney to see what options may be available to you. More information.

Financial Assistance

Australia Council for the Arts - COVID 19 grants and updates
Creative New Zealand’s COVID 19 Response

For alternatives to government financial aid, you can check out the following links to organisations who are helping support those who reside here in the US. You may need to have a formal membership to some of these organisations, please make sure you read the criteria and guidelines each organisation has outlined:

Medical assistance

Mental health and wellbeing

FOR NASHVILLE-BASED MEMBERS

Mobile Crisis Line - tel: 615 726 0125 (24 hours)
Crisis Intervention Center - tel: 615 244 7444 (24 hours)
Porter’s Call - counseling service based in Nashville, exclusively for artists
tel: 615 591 6622
Entertainment Health Services - tel: 615 800 2634
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - Davidson County & TN Crisis Line - 1 855 274 7471
The Refuge Center for Counseling - Sliding scale of fees from $25-$120 a session, depending upon income
tel: 615 591 5262

For UK-Based Members

  • If you’re currently here in the UK on a visa that is set to run out, please check the Home Office website or contact them directly for more information if you’ve been given a visa extension due to limited availability of flights to leave the country.
  • It’s also helpful to check in with your local Australian or New Zealand High Commissions and Embassys online to see if any notifications directly affect your immigration status.
  • The UK government has now released its financial support schemes to help support individuals being effected by a loss of income. Most songwriters and composers will fit into the category for “Self-Employed” or “Freelance” aid so please make sure you’re following the guidelines correctly in order to claim
  • While we’re here to help as best we can, we’re not experts on matters concerning aid and immigration so it’s important to contact the relevant Government departments, accountants, immigration lawyers or any other specialist that can help your specific need.
  • We will aim to update this information as regularly as possible, so if you are aware of any changes here, please let us know so we can update and help keep everyone informed.

Immigration and financial assistance

For alternatives to government financial aid, you can check out the following links to organisations who helping support those who reside here in the UK. You may need to have a formal membership to some of these organisations so again, please just make sure you read the criteria and guidelines each organisation has set.

Mental health and wellbeing

For those who may require emotional support and advice through these very strange and difficult times, there are some helpful resources here in the UK that are set up to help support those in the music industry.

For Germany-based members

  • If you’re currently in Germany on a visa that is set to run out, please contact the immigration office in your relevant state for more details on how to obtain an extension to stay.
  • Both the Australian and New Zealand High Embassy are updating their social media accounts regularly updating their social media accounts so please follow to keep updated or contact the consulate directly.
  • The German government has now released its financial support schemes to help support individuals being affected by a loss of income. Most songwriters and composers will fit into the category for “Self Employed” or “Freelance” aid so please make sure you’re following the guidelines correctly in order to claim.
  • It is apparent that the Governments rules and guidelines are changing regularly so we encourage you to check in regularly to see if any changes directly affect you.
  • While we’re here to help as best we can, we’re not experts on matters concerning aid and immigration so it’s important to contact the relevant Government departments, accountants, immigration lawyers or any other specialist that can help your specific need.
  • We will attempt to update this information as regularly as possible so if you are aware of any changes here, please let us know so we can update and help keep everyone informed.

Immigration and financial assistance

Special thanks to both our APRA Ambassador in Berlin, Jane Arnison and Lilli Rollenhagen from KKT with their advice in putting this together.

Mental health and wellbeing

For those who may require emotional support and advice through these very strange and difficult times, there are some helpful resources in Germany that are set up to help support those in need

Other things you can do:

Keep the royalties flowing: Claim what's yours

This is a good time to catch up on admin tasks to ensure you’re not missing out on any payments. It's important to note that the rules may be different for each country you work in so please follow the guide links below to ensure a claim can be made.

What to do first? Register your songs and compositions before submitting reports and claims.

Performing overseas? Submit your setlists!

Read up on our tips on submitting Overseas Live Performance Reports and then use the online form to submit all of your dates and setlists for processing. It’s important to note that each country has specific rules around timings and evidence required.

*Tip – if you don’t know your IPI number, it’s on the homepage of your APRA account below your name. Also, please log in to your APRA account and make sure all songs are registered with us before processing a return.

Is your music used in a TV or Radio advertisement (jingle)? Report it.

We really want to pay you for your work being used! Go to our Overseas Jingle Report online form and submit all the relevant details that are needed within the territory we are claiming from. For more information on what each country requires, please check the guide attached

*Tip – In the case where Key Number (or Clock Numbers) are needed, they can be obtained by contacting the advertising agency you’ve worked for.

Has your music been used in a Feature Film, Short Film, TV series or Documentary?

If your music is used in a television show or film, broadcast usages are generally paid automatically, but you can report this usage via our Overseas Broadcast form and we can look into it for you.

If your music is used in a locally produced Australian broadcast program, please read our guide about cue sheets.

Are your details up to date?

To make sure we can stay connected and to ensure we're paying you on time, please update you contact details and your bank details on file so we can pay you faster and reduce the amount of queries we get surrounding missing payments.

You can log into your APRA account to:

  • change your address AU | NZ
  • change your banking details

*Tip – we require ALL details here to process your returns so if you’re unsure of things like your bank address or SWIFTBIC code, please contact your bank and they can give you this information.

For anything else, please contact us directly and we will attempt to get back to you as quickly as possible.

Mark Moffatt, Nashville [email protected]
Bella Morris-Clarke, LA/NYC [email protected]
Adam Townsend, UK/Euope Rep [email protected]
Writer Services Rep [email protected] or [email protected]

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