Artist Visa and Persons of Exceptional Ability
US Artist Visas are the most sought after visas among Israeli artists and People of extraordinary ability in the fields of art, sports, science and business.
The state of Israel is filled with talented people that have reached the height of their potential in their field in either Israel and/or abroad. Though Israel produces outstanding artists, in itself it serves as a little stage and sometimes inhibits artists from succeeding in pushing forwards to international awareness, due to the paucity of resources or because it is small and its artists do not always succeed in presenting their abilities outside of its borders.
In Contrast, the United States is one of the leading countries in the field of art, particularly in the areas of acting and music. The huge potential for personal development and breaking through to the international market depends largely on gaining exposure in the US stage.
There are two main categories, available to artists who are interested in working in the United States:
- An O Visa, for Artists Persons of Exceptional Ability who wish to travel to the US for a limited period of time for the purpose of participating in a specific project or another temporary employment, including a concert tour.
- EB1 Visa, for People who are outstanding in their field and who wish to immigrate to the United States based on their brilliant success in their field and a deep national or international awareness acquired during the course of their career.
Both Categories have similar requirements, however an immigration visa is naturally the more challenging visa to acquire, as there is a higher threshold of evidence to prove the excellence in their field and to demonstrate that the success is not transient.
Under certain conditions, the time needed to handle a request for an O visa can be especially short and if you can manage to obtain all the evidence and expert opinions needed from abroad, it may be possible to complete the process within a few weeks. In contrast, an Outstanding Artist immigration visa (EB1) may make one or two years until a decision is reached, depending on the circumstances.
There is a legal requirement to reach a particularly high threshold of excellence (on a scale of winning an Oscar or Nobel Prize), however the law concerning work permits in the field of arts stipulates different alternatives to proving excellence and if you can prove 3 alternatives mentioned in the law you may apply for the visa based these alternatives.
Due to the complex requirements in an application for an artist visa (including the requirement to obtain an expert opinion from an organization in the field in the US), it strongly recommended to consult with an attorney that specializes in artist visas before attempting to apply.
For Further information regarding Exceptional Ability Visa’s contact us.