P1 Visa for Athletes, Musicians and Entertainment Groups
The P1 visa is a temporary visa of the US government that allows a foreign athlete or foreign entertainer part of an entertainment group, who are internationally recognized, to come to the United States in order to perform at athletic competitions or in the entertainment industry, respectively.
The P1 visa has two categories with its own eligibility requirements, periods of stay and rules – the P-1A visa category and the P-1B visa. The P-1A visa is for internationally recognized foreign athletes who are coming to the United States to perform at specific athletic competitions only. The P-1B visa is for foreign entertainers including musicians who are coming to the US to perform as a member of an international recognized entertainment group. Please note that individual entertainers not performing as part of a group are not eligible for the P1 visa.
“We use our expertise to advise you on all aspects of business immigration”
In order to be eligible to apply for a P-1A Visa for Athletes, you must meet certain minimum requirements below and come to the U.S. solely for the purpose of competing at specific athletic competitions:
- Be an individual athlete recognized internationally, or
- Be a member of a group or team that is recognized internationally, or
- Be a professional athlete coming to the United States to be employed by a team,
- Be an amateur athlete or coach to perform as part of a team or franchise that is located in the United States and a member of a foreign league or association, or
- Be a theatrical ice skater to perform in a specific theatrical ice-skating production or tour as a professional or amateur athlete who performs individually or as part of a group.
In order to qualify and apply for a P-1B Visa for Musicians and Entertainers who are members of an internationally recognized entertainment group, you must meet certain minimum requirements below:
- Come to the U.S. to perform as a member of an entertainment group,
- The entertainment group must be in existence for at least 1 year,
- The entertainment group must have received international recognition as outstanding in the discipline for a sustained and substantial period of time in more than one country, and
- At least 75% of the members of the entertainment group have had a substantial and sustained relationship with the group for at least 1 year.
There are special provisions for certain entertainment group applying for P-1B visa:
- Circus performers and essential circus personnel are not required to meet the 1-year requirement and the internationally recognized requirement. The circus performers and essential personnel can apply for the visa if they are coming to the U.S. to join a nationally recognized circus.
- Certain nationally known entertainment groups may have the internationally recognized requirement waived if they can establish, they have been recognized nationally as outstanding in its discipline for a sustained amount of time in consideration of special circumstances.
How to apply for P1 visa? To apply for an P1 visa, the U.S. employer, United States sponsoring organization, United States agent, or foreign employer through a United States agent must file the application with USCIS together with all required evidence to show that foreign nationals are eligible for the P1 visa for athletes, musicians and entertainment groups. If USCIS approves the P1 visa petition, it will issue a notice of action that can be used to apply for a visa at the US Consulate or Embassy in the beneficiary’s home country.
The beneficiary of a P1 visa can bring their spouse and children under the age of 21 to the United States on a P-4 visa. The spouses and children of a P1 visa holder are not allowed to work while living in the United States but are permitted to study and attend any schools or colleges. However, the spouse of a P1 visa holder can seek work visas or can qualify for other types of visas in the United States.
Contact us, your experienced business immigration lawyers in Miami, Florida USA to schedule an appointment for more information about the P1 Visa for Athletes and Entertainment Groups. Find out more about your USA visa options available to you!
Malescu Law P.A. – Business & Corporate Lawyers