O2-Visas: Entertainment Support Staff

Background

O-1 applicants in the entertainment industry are frequently accompanied by one or more individuals who assist the applicant with particular events or performances in the U.S. These individuals may include:

• Publicists
• Agents
• Bodyguards
• Stage Crew
• Stylists
• And others.

About the O-2 Visa

If an O-1 applicant wishes to cross the U.S. border with these individuals, the O-1 petitioner must also file an O-2 visa application on behalf of each person. Without an O-2 visa, entertainment support staff will not be able to accompany or provide services to an O-1 applicant in conjunction with his or her presence in the U.S.

Requirements

To qualify for the O-2 visa, the same petitioner must establish that each O-2 applicant has substantial experience performing critical skills and essential support services for the O-1 applicant. Where an O-2 applicant wishes to assist an O-1 applicant with a motion picture or television production in the U.S., the submitted evidence should establish that significant production has already taken place outside the U.S. and will continue inside the U.S. The evidence must also show that the O-2 applicant’s continued participation is essential to the production’s success.

As with O-1 visas, O-2 visa recipients are granted up to a three-year initial period of stay. Once the O-1 and O-2 visa petitions are approved, the O-2 beneficiary can apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate for his or her visa, if one is required.