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!