Shifting enforcement practices, particularly at the border, and the overall political climate in the United States has caused some Australian artists and their teams to reconsider U.S. tours and change travel plans. Many more are concerned and confused.
Please join this critical information session hosted by Sounds Australia & Creative Australia with guests Will Spitz (attorney at CoveyLaw), and Matthew Covey (attorney and executive director of Tamizdat), to help us get a clearer picture of what to expect at the U.S. border and beyond.
Date:
Tuesday 3rd June, 2025
Time:
9:30 AM Western Australia
11:00 AM Northern Territory
11:30 AM Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania
Location:
Online, a link to attend the session will be sent to the email used to register 48 hours prior to the event. Registration is essential and can be done here.
Speakers:
Will Spitz (CoveyLaw)
Will Spitz leads CoveyLaw’s performing arts division, focusing primarily on preparing O and P visa petitions for artists entering the U.S. temporarily to perform. He also provides pro bono services to foreign artists and arts professionals as a volunteer attorney at Tamizdat, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes international cultural exchange. He has presented and moderated panels on artist mobility issues at conferences including Amsterdam Dance Event, South by Southwest, Folk Alliance International, M for Montreal, Mundial Montreal, Indie Week, Mondo, CMJ, Ireland Music Week, CINARS, Breakout West and the American Immigration Lawyers Association ACES Conference. Will is also a musician who has played in various rock and electronic bands, as well as in the New York Balinese gamelan ensemble Gamelan Dharma Swara.
Matthew Covey (Tamizdat)
Covey is an arts worker, attorney, and activist who has spent his career helping artists build bridges between international communities. He has been a touring musician, talent buyer, agent, manager, and is a leading global advocate for artist mobility. He is a founding board member of Tamizdat, a Brooklyn-based NGO committed to legal research, education, and advocacy regarding US-bound artist mobility and visa issues. He is the founding partner of CoveyLaw, a Brooklyn-based law firm that addresses the legal needs of the international cultural community. Covey speaks internationally on immigration, equity, and law at legal and cultural convenings. He is also a member of the board of directors of On The Move, the Brussels-based Artist Mobility network, and Howard Zinn’s Voices of a People’s History, a New York-base organization that uses performance and education to amplify underrepresented voices in history.