One of the most common visa types our law firm prepares is the O-1 for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement. The O-1 is a temporary work visa granted in three-year increments with one-year extensions—allowing individuals of extraordinary ability to work in the United States for a single employer or sponsor. We’ve written a great deal about the O-1, from highlighting common misconceptions to imagining an O-1 consultation with a certain undersea character; however, one common misconception we have not spent a lot of time correcting is the assumption that O-1 visas are only for “artists.” While many artists are covered under this visa category, the defining characteristic of the O-1 is actually “extraordinary ability,” a distinction that can be made in nearly any field or industry.
Read moreO Visas for the Film and Television Industry: 10 Common Questions (and Answers)
So you’re a German production company looking to shoot a feature film in the United States, or an Australian actor who has been hired for a recurring role in an American television series. You’ve done a little research, possibly read our previous post on special considerations for film and television visas or common O-1 misconceptions, and now you realize that you and/or your production team are in need of O visas. (Almost any foreign national working on commercial or entertainment film or television projects in the US, for any length of time, will need an O-1 or O-2 visa.)
Read moreImmigrants in the Arts: Australian Playwright and Director Bryan Davidson Blue
One of our firm’s main practice areas is the O-1B nonimmigrant visa and EB-1 immigrant petition based on evidence of the beneficiary’s extraordinary ability in the arts. Many of our clients are international artists from all over the globe, seeking a means to expand their work into the United States, and specifically to move to and work in (either temporarily or permanently) one of the world’s great cultural capitals: New York City. One of the best ways to prepare for such a big move, in addition to speaking extensively to a qualified and experienced immigration attorney, is to read the accounts of those who have already gone through the process.
Read moreUnderstanding the O-1 Criteria: A Mermaid of Extraordinary Ability
One of the main visa types we deal with at our firm is the O-1 nonimmigrant visa for individuals of extraordinary ability. We previously dealt with some common misconceptions about this visa type and now, to explore it in a little more depth, we offer a fictional meeting between a potential client and her lawyer, discussing her potential petition for O-1 classification.
This isn’t, however, just any potential client. The Little Mermaid is a classic fairy tale about a mermaid princess with a beautiful voice, who falls in love with a human prince at first sight and sells her voice to a sea witch in order to follow him onto land and make him fall in love with her. In an attempt to make the story a little less tragic, and help illustrate the requirements for an O-1 visa, we’re imagining up a scenario in which the Little Mermaid meets with a lawyer to more sensibly discuss her temporary immigration options, rather than immediately going to such drastic measures.
Read moreMy Immigration Story
Growing up, I never felt incredibly “American.” Though I never heard a family member speak a language other than English, and we had no relationships with relatives in the “old countries,” three of my four grandparents were first generation Americans and there was always a great deal of talk of being Swedish (on my father’s side) and Norwegian (on my mother’s).
Read more5 of the Best Plays About the Immigrant Experience
Immigration has been a subject of art and storytelling for as long as stories and borders have existed. One of the most fundamentally dramatic human experiences, the act of moving one’s whole life to another country or continent brings with it a wide range of emotions, opportunities, and obstacles, which are the natural stuff of great theatre.
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