Yusuf Cat Stevens’ 2025 U.S. Tour In Jeopardy Due To Visa Delays

The U.S. dates of Yusuf / Cat Stevens upcoming tour around his new memoir Cat On The Road To Findout is “in serious jeopardy due to significant delays in U.S. immigration processing,” as per a social media post. The Cat On The Road To Find Out – An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, And Other Mysteries Tour is scheduled to take place throughout October.

The trek includes stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. These appearances are now up in the air due to visa issues. Read the full note from Yusuf/Cat Stevens below:

Yusuf Cat Stevens Tour On The Brink

The U.S. leg of Yusuf Cat Stevens’ Book Tour is in serious jeopardy due to significant delays in U.S. immigration processing. Despite our team’s exhaustive efforts, the required performance visas for Yusuf and his band have not yet been issued.

“We’ve prepared something truly special for my American audience, but this is out of our hands,” said Yusuf.

Fans are strongly advised to hold all travel plans until official confirmation is provided. We are working urgently with authorities and will share news the moment we have it.

Your understanding and patience are appreciated as we fight to keep the “Peace Train” on its tracks.

Waiting To Findout!

Unfortunately, this is not a novel situation for Yusuf/Cat Stevens. In 2004 while flying to Washington D.C. to meet with Dolly Parton, Yusuf’s flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine where he was detained and subsequently denied entry to the United States and flown back to the UK.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the George W. Bush administration cited “concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities.” The “Peace Train” singer had been deported from Israel in 2000 over allegations that he provided funding to the Palestinian organization Hamas, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) denied doing so knowingly.

“At the time I was reported to have done it, I didn’t know such a group existed. Some people give a political interpretation to charity. We were horrified at how people were suffering in the Holy Land,” he stated at the time.

Yusuf Islam claimed that his name had been flagged on a watch list in error because of a man with the same name but different spelling on the list, “Youssef Islam.” In the statement at the time, Yusuf said: “I remain bewildered by the decision of the US authorities to refuse me entry to the United States.”

In a statment in 2006, Yusuf said of the incident: “No reason was ever given, but being asked to repeat the spelling of my name again and again, made me think it was a fairly simple mistake of identity. Rumours which circulated after made me imagine otherwise.”