Bring in Coaches, Trainers, and Support Staff under the P-1S and O-2 visa Category
P-1S and O-2 visas can be the perfect option for foreign coaches, trainers, cheerleaders, nutritionists, and other essential support staff to come to the United States. Both of these options can be useful tools for athletes and support staff who need to stay in the U.S. but for some reason are not able to support a P-1 or O-1 petition as an individual for themselves. P-1S and O-2 visas do not have the work authorization flexibility of a P-1 or O-1 visa, but the eligibility requirements are much less restrictive and easier to meet.
Circumstances, where the P-1S and O-2 visas are helpful, include the following:
foreign talent whose own credentials do not meet USCIS policy as an internationally recognized athlete or a sports performance support professional with extraordinary ability
current P-1 visa holders who have visas that are about to expire within the year and do not have any competitions or events signed with an internationally recognized organization or league coming up
athletes and coaches who have been released from their employment contracts and their work visa is subsequently terminated
individuals who support a member of a team but are not directly employed by the team also
members of P-1 or O-1 visa holders who are not the spouse or children of the beneficiary
training and sparring partners of P-1 and O-1 visa holders
P-1S and O-2 visas are special work visas for the support staff of P-1 and O-1 visa holders such as athletes and creatives. These visas are typically issued for one year but can be approved for the full length of the P-1 and O-1 validity date of the primary beneficiary. In order to be approved for this work visa, the applicant must prove that they support the principle with evidence of the following attributes:
appropriate qualifications to provide required services
experience providing support the principal P visa holder
the support is not readily available in the United States
consultation letter and/or peer review
Who can serve as the sponsor of P-1S and O-2 visas?
the direct employer of the P-1 or O-1 visa holder
a sponsoring organization
U.S. agent representing multiple employers
U.S. agent representing a foreign employer
The great thing about P-1S and O-2 visas is that the petitioner does not have to be the same entity as the sponsor of the principal visa holder. For example, if a foreign athlete is signed to the National Basketball Association or the Ultimate Fighting Championships, neither one of these organizations has to be involved in the process if this athlete wants to bring in their own personal coach. The athlete can use another person or company to serve as a U.S. agent to sponsor the new P-1S or O-2 visa to bring the desired person to the United States. This often works well for extended family members of athletes who support their careers.
These visas help athletes, teams, and sports leagues bring in specialized talent to assist individuals or organizations. By having just one P-1 visa, multiple P-1S visas can be approved, including for and the families of the P-1 visas holders. P-1S and O-2 visas can last as long as the P-1 or O-1 visas they are applied to.
Appropriate solutions for P-1S and P-1:
Foreign coaches for individuals or teams
Training partners for athletes
Cheerleaders
Analysts
Managers
Agents
Nutritionists
Medical trainers
and more
Success Stories from Sherrod Sports Visas:
We successfully petitioned for the father of an O-1 basketball player to serve as personal coach for his son. The O-2 father was able to bring in his wife and kids as derivatives.
World championship-level boxer obtained a P-1S for a foreign coach using his cousin as a sponsoring agent. The athlete was a foreign employer using his cousin as an agent, which is permitted under the regulations.
The mother of a foreign figure skater was able to obtain a P-1S visa through her daughter’s P-1 visa as a nutritionist and yoga instructor.
Multiple combat sports athletes were approved as sparring or training partners in some of the best training facilities in the United States.
Feel free to contact Sherrod Sports Visas to find out more about how to use the O-2 and P-1S visa status to bring essential support staff to the United States.