Ready For Auditions?
Audition season is here! And with it, many preparations need to be made. Cover letters, Resumes, Headshots, Photos, Videos, Reels, Clothing, and on goes the list. But there is one crucial part of the process you cannot skip since time is of the essence. If you are auditioning to a U.S. dance school/company and are not a resident and/or citizen of the United States, you need to get a visa. United States Immigration Law may seem daunting at first. Especially when you have many other preparations to work on but that’s when I come in. I concentrate my practice in helping ballet dancers achieve their dreams of coming to the U.S. to dance. Being a dancer myself, I understand the field and know that right now you don’t have the mindset to concentrate on anything else. The majority of the ballet dancers coming to the U.S. to dance after having received the so wanted “YES”, after the audition, will come under the O1B visa category. To be granted this visa category you need to prove distinction in your desired field, that is ballet. To prove this, the U.S. government has detailed some requirements. The requirements detailed by the U.S. government to prove distinction in your field and become eligible for an O1B visa are: evidence of receiving a significant national or international award or prize, such as an Academy Award, and Emmy, a Grammy, or a Director’s Guild Award, or evidence of at least three of the following:
1. Has performed/will perform services as a lead/starring participant in productions/events with distinguished reputations as shown by critical reviews, ads, publicity releases, publications, contracts, or endorsements.
2. National/international recognition for achievements through critical reviews, other published materials by/or about the beneficiary in major papers, trade journals/magazines, etc.
3. Has performed in a lead, starring, or critical role for organizations and establishments that have a distinguished reputation evidenced by media articles, testimonials, etc.
4. Has a record of major commercial or critically acclaimed success.
5. Has achieved significant recognition from organizations, critics, government agencies, recognized experts.
6. Has commanded or will command a high salary/other remuneration in relation to others in the field.
The other important thing to remember is that this visa is not self-petitioned so it will be a good idea to communicate with your ballet company/school to see if they are open to the idea of sponsoring you. Finally, timing is very important. From the requirements above you can see that this is a very heavy evidence-based visa that takes time to prepare and there is also time to be accounted for the government response and Consular Processing so be aware and do not leave it for the end since time constraints will make the processing more expensive and definitely more stressful than it needs to be. Book a consultation with me and we can talk about what your options are so that your expectations are clear.
Good luck!
