The Artist Visa Blog
What About Letters of Recommendation?
One of the artist visa issues I get the most questions regarding centers around recommendation letters, or “referee letters” as some call them. These are extremely important parts of the application and why sometimes O-1 visas are known as “celebrity visas”. Do the referees write them? Should the applicant write them? What role does the lawyer play? Who should sign them? Here, I hope to clarify some of these questions and hopefully save you some time.
1. WHO SIGNS THE LETTTERS?
The signers of referee letters for O-1 visa or artist Greencard applications should be high ranking individuals in (hopefully) well known companies in your field. A recognizable letterhead can be very effective towards adding weight to your application.
2. WHERE SHOULD THE REFEREES COME FROM?
The referees can be anywhere in the world, they do not have to be in the United States, as some people believe. In fact, geographic diversity is a good thing.
3. WHO SHOULD DRAFT THE LETTERS?
I recommend that the letters be drafted or at least outlined by the attorney handling the O-1 visa or the artist visa application. This is because the lawyer knows what the regulations say and can mold the letters to fit within the criteria set forth by the law. I can’t tell you how many letters I have seen written by others that call the applicant “a team player”. This language is not helpful to the application and sometimes, can even damage it.
4. WHAT SHOULD THEY SAY?
The letters should stick to the important facts regarding the careers/portfolios of the applicants. Mixed in with these facts should be very strong descriptive language regarding the relevance of these highlights for obtaining the O-1 artist visa or Greencard.
5. HOW MANY DO I NEED?
I have heard all numbers ranging from 3 to 20. This really depends on the strength of the people signing the letters. This is why you should make a list of people before you even begin the process. Say for example one of your referees is the former lead singer of an extremely famous band. This plus 2 or 3 good letters should be enough as long as the supporting evidence is strong. However, if there is not one that particularly stands out then 5+ letters should be submitted. I normally like to submit five strong, longer letters rather than 10 short very general letters, as I have seen. In my experience this is best. In summary, there is no set number one should have, it really depends on the people signing them.
Until the next time, from the artist visa lawyer, have a great day!
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CV/Resume Help for Artist Visa Applications….
One of the most common problems I encounter when working on O-1 artist visas or Greencards is actually one of the most understandable; artists have trouble making their CV/resumes. Unfortunately for my line of work the CV or resume becomes one of the most important documents. Here’s a little tip, I will ALWAYS ask you for your CV at the very initial stage in the process, so it helps to have it ready. Here’s some other pointers that should help;
- don’t think of the CV as one you would use to apply for a job. The one page rule standard among job applicants definitely does not apply. The one I use and immigration sees is far less official, so list everything (I want to emphasize everything).
- “Everything” obviously includes work history and education, but also any media or press your work has received, shows you have performed, leading roles you might have played, awards and of course, where your work has appeared. Having this included will make for a good start.
- Feel free to be as creative as you choose when making your CV, just as long as another person can follow it. Artists should be allowed to express their creativity in the artist visa process and the CV is a good place to begin.
- The CV/resume should compliment your portfolio and vice-versa, more on portfolios next time my friends, have a good night and best of luck!
Artist Visa Thoughts From Immigration Lawyer
As you might have guessed, this site is focused on artist visas, also known as “celebrity visas” or “genius visas”. While most workers are set on obtaining their H1-B visas before numbers run out, the O-1 visa is often overlooked and misunderstood. BusinessWeek recently featured an excellent story about O1 visas.
O1 visas are awarded to immigrants with extraordinary abilities in the arts, sciences, education, business, or athletics. The program, for what are officially called O-1 visas, began in 1990 as lawmakers sought to separate these applicants from the pool of those seeking H-1B visas, the visa program for skilled immigrants used by many technology companies. While H-1B applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and possess some specialized skill, O-1 visas are allotted to a more elite crowd: those who can prove to U.S. immigration officials that they are the very top in their fields.
Misunderstandings often occur when you read the immigration laws that apply. The codes make reference to a “Nobel Prize” equivalent. This is enough to scare off even the most qualified individuals. However, in practice USCIS takes careful note of the supporting evidence, recommendation letters and overall look of the application. This is often why artists are often successful in this O-1 visa applications when linked up with a good immigration lawyer or attorney. I will elaborate more on this in later postings.
To give you some recent numbers, according to the U.S. State Dept.—which makes the grants to successful applicants—9,014 O-1s were awarded in 2008, up 40% from 2004. Among current O-1 visa holders are Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, Canadian author Jennifer Gould Keil, Israeli concert pianist Inon Barnatan, and members of the New York dance companies Merce Cunningham and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane. This gives you an idea as to the diverse specialties of the arts that incapsulate this “artist visa”. More to come…
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Welcome to the Artist Visa blog! Here I will post latest happenings and advice for artists wanting to live and work in the United States, including guidance on O-1 visas, artist visas and extraordinary ability greencards. I will also showcase individuals or events that catch my eye and, of course, communicate with you. Also, feel free to email me!
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