Italian extreme metal group Hideous Divinity have scrapped their summer tour of North America due to the risk involved with procuring U.S. work visas.
The trek had been slated to take place in July and feature support from Cenotaph and Recorruptor (the pair of bands is currently exploring alternative options).
Hideous Divinity have issued the following statement:
“Dear North American fans, it is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce that we won’t be touring the US (and Quebec) this July.
“While preparing the petition to apply for our U.S. work visas, our lawyer informed us that the number of rejections in recent weeks has dramatically increased, and that our case would seriously risk being rejected. This caught us completely off guard, especially after many successful visa applications over the years, which gave us the opportunity to tour the U.S. several times. However, nowadays things seem to be significantly different. For those who don’t know, applying for a work visa costs between $6,000 and $8,000 (these are just the legal fees)—and if your petition is rejected, there is zero refund. That’s a risk we simply cannot take.
“We are heartbroken to disappoint those of you who were waiting for us, as we were truly looking forward to seeing you again. We’re hopeful that things will get better and easier—and when they do, we’ll most certainly be back.”
