Are You “Extraordinary” Enough to Get an Artist Visa?
By: Yueqi Yang
Tags: Artist, NYU, Immigration, Visa, Breaking News

Justin Bieber, a Canadian singer, works in the U.S. under the artist visa O-1B. (Adam Sundana on Flickr via UpstartCity)

Becoming a global celebrity, like Justin Bieber and Hugh Jackman, drives many artists to America to pursue their dreams. But getting the same type of work visa as the Canadian singer and the Australian actor is not easy.

Today, more than 30 international students at New York University attended a presentation, hosted by the Office of Global Services, on how to get an artist visa in America. Mostly from film, music and design departments, they aspire to build a career in the country after graduation.

The O-1B visa, a temporary work visa for artists, will allow them to stay. To attract creative talents to the country, the U.S. government issues this visa to those with “extraordinary ability” in art, motion picture or television industry, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

But how is “extraordinary” defined? A classic example is winning the “Academy Award, Emmy Grammy or Director’s Guild Award,” said Jane Lee, an immigration lawyer and the speaker of the event.

Upon hearing the answer, the audience laughed.

“We are all common people,” Lee continued. “I have clients who are normal designers that have talent, so don’t be scared of this.”

The application for artist visa, though selective, is not entirely out of reach, she explained. The number of people admitted to the U.S. via O-1 work visa, a broader category that includes artists, educators and athletes, almost tripled in the past decade. In 2014, the U.S. admitted 83,001 such talents, according to data from the USCIS.

Applicants need to fulfill three out of eight criteria listed by USCIS to demonstrate their achievement in the industry. The proof includes publications, movie ratings, expert recommendation letters and commercial acclamation, etc. A three-year itinerary is also required. For example,a designer may indicate the plan to attend the New York Fashion Week twice a year. A film-maker applicant needs to be credited at the end of the movie and the name can’t just be “Spotlight-holder Number One,” Lee said.

For those who are currently below the “extraordinary” standard, Lee recommended them to build up stronger credentials before applying. Connecting with industry experts and joining guilds to get endorsement letters might help, she said.

Yet, some professions, like writing, see lower acceptance rates than others, such as graphic design.

Chantal Balestri, a second-year graduate piano student from Tuscany, Italy, said she wanted to stay in the U.S. after graduation. In 2014, 3,253 Italian artists were admitted through an O-1 visa to America. But she is concerned about the “bureaucracy” of getting a work visa, which she has already experienced first-hand: To get the authorization for her current part-time job as a piano teacher for children, she had to get fingerprinted and submit her health records and transcript.

Balestri also worried about the impact of a potential Trump presidency, which may “get all of us out of the country,” she said.

Rinat Tsodyks, another piano student and a first-year graduate from Israel, also wanted to stay in the U.S. “Basically all musicians came here for the same reason — big country, more opportunities,” she said.