Visa Options for mMA Fighters, UFC Prospects, Training Partner, and Coaches
Over the past few years, Sherrod Sports Visas has obtained P-1 and O-1 visa approvals for athletes who have competed in the best mixed martial arts promotions in the United States. Our clients have recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championships (“UFC”), Titan Fighting Championships, Bellator, and more. While it is true that many promotions obtain P-1 visas for their athletes, there are a lot of limitations. Sherrod Sports Visas enjoys a great working relationship with many mixed martial arts promotions including the UFC and we support visa solutions outside of its purview.
Typically, most national MMA promotions will have a clause in their promotional contract that the athlete is responsible for securing the appropriate work visa in order to fight in the United States. Often, as a courtesy, promotions obtain the P-1 visa on behalf of its athletes even though they are not contractually obligated to do so. This is especially true in the UFC for superstar fighters such as middleweights Israel Adesanya and Darren Till, and lightweight Conor McGregor. However, due to visas becoming more difficult to obtain, promotions such as the UFC and Bellator are only obtaining P-1 visas for foreign fighters who actually have an event or fight in the United States. So, now even if a fighter is signed to the UFC, they may not receive a P-1 visa from the promotion if the athlete never has a fight in the UFC. Also, we are receiving requests from mixed martial arts managers and agents to obtain visas for fighters who are UFC prospects, but the UFC would like for them to obtain the P-1 visa prior to being signed to a fight or even the Dana Whites Contender Series.
Also, keep in mind that the UFC only procures P-1 visas for the athletes and nothing else. Thus coaches, training partners, family members, and essential support staff of the athletes must find their own visa solutions. In the past, the visitor B1/B2 visa has been helpful for visa issues of family, coaches, and support staff but is now becoming more difficult to obtain or maintain if too much time is spent coming to the United States. For these reasons, Sherrod Sports Visas is becoming a leading contact for combat sports immigration solutions for the best fighters and promotions in the world.
Sherrod Sports Visas Immigration Options for fighters:
P-1 visas with agent, brand, or manager serving as the petitioner
P-1S visas for coaches, agents, training partners, nutritionist, and other essential support staff
P-4 visas for spouses and children under 21 years old
O-1 visas for athletes who need more flexible work options than just fighting
O-2 visas for coaches, agents, training partners, nutritionist, and other essential support staff
O-3 visas for spouses and children under 21
EB-1A self-petition applications for permanent residence (also known as a green card)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good reasons to get my own P-1 visa, rather than have the promotion sponsor the visa?
Each P-1 visa is based on a contract, and the length of the visa depends on the contract length the petition is based on. In addition, when the contract that the visa application is based on ends, the visa will also end instead of continuing until the end of the validity period. Thus, if a fighter’s contract with a promotion ends, they are no longer on a P-1 visa after 30 days, and most national promotions including the UFC let USCIS know that the relationship has ended. There is also plenty of information from media outlets such as www.bloodyelbow.com that report on fighters being released from contracts.
Securing a P-1 visa with an agent, manager, or sponsor serving as the petitioner can help fighters maintain their visa status even if their relationships with a promoter ends. With an agent, the visa can survive termination of the employment contract with the promotion because the P-1 visa is not based on the relationship with the promotion, it is based on the agreement between the athlete and the agent/manager/brand serving as the petitioner. In addition, P-1 petitions sponsored by agents and managers can include a much more robust proposed itinerary to include possible bouts with multiple promotions and sometimes different sports.
The other benefit of obtaining your own P-1 visa is that promotions will be more likely to sign a fighter they know can already obtain work authorization in the United States. Due to visas becoming more difficult to obtain, promotions are becoming less willing to sponsor visas themselves and leave it to athletes to figure it out on their own.
How can I bring in coaches and training partners?
P-1 visa holders can support petitions for coaches, training partners, nutritionists, and other persons helpful to their performance through the P-1S visa process. The P-1S visa is designated for foreign nationals who provide essential support to P-1 visa holders. Right now, it is becoming more difficult to obtain visitor visas and to use visitor visas multiple times in a short period to come to the United States. The P-1S permits coaches and training partners to come and stay in the United States for the duration of the P-1 visa holder’s validity date. Note, that the first approval will only be for one year and then can be renewed for the remaining visa validity time.
P-1S visas can also be useful in some circumstances to bring in family members who are not spouses or children under 21. For example, we have been successful many times in getting parents approved as P-1S holders, which allows for siblings to come to the United States under P-4 visa status.
In order to qualify for the P-1S visa, the applicant would actually have to prove skills in a service that is beneficial to P-1 visa holders, but the eligibility requirements are much less than the P-1 visa and O-1 visa. In addition, lately, USCIS has requested P-1S visa applications to also include a consultation letter or peer review letter.
The P-1 and P-1S applicants do not have to have the same petitioner. P-1S petitions can be sponsored by a different person or entity than the P-1 approval. The athlete can use any U.S. person or entity to serve as an agent petitioner for P-1S visa applications.
How is the O-1A helpful for fighters?
For some fighters and combat sports professionals, the P-1 visa might not be an option. In these circumstances, an O-1A visa might be more appropriate to facilitate the desired outcome. The O-1A visa is appropriate for foreign athletes with extraordinary abilities and has a higher eligibility standard than the P-1 visa. O-1A visas may be more appropriate for athletes and coaches in the following situations:
If the beneficiary is a coach who does not have a relationship with a P-1 or O-1 visa holder
Athletes who do not have bouts already lined up and signed at the time of the petition
Athletes who only come to the United States to train but do not actually compete in the United States
Athletes and coaches who require more flexible work authorization than just competing
How do I become a permanent resident as a fighter?
Fighters can become permanent residents through the self-petition EB-1A process, which does not require a sponsor to serve as the petitioner. We recommend EB-1A petitions for fighters who are ranked in the top fifteen in the world in their weight class and fighters who have challenged to become a World Champion.