Sherrod Sports Visas

P: 310-209-8545

e: info@sherrodsportsvisas.com

Attention Sports and Entertainment Industry

We alert stakeholders and foreign talent needed in both the sports and entertainment industries regarding updates and safeguards for nonimmigrant visa petitions impacted by Coronavirus COVID-19. 

Immediate changes are expected as USCIS, Customs and Border Control, and the Whitehouse have announced measures that will impact the ability of foreign nationals with extraordinary ability to obtain new visas and use existing visas to come to the United States. Restoring public health is the top priority of the Trump administration over business interests, and persons not already in the United States may experience difficulties. 

Our Sports and Entertainment Immigration lawyers reviewed the terms of the European travel ban and searched for trends with USCIS consular offices around the world. For the benefit of the industry, we are presenting the following issues and best practices moving forward.

Europe Travel Ban 

Donald Trump has placed a travel restriction on twenty-eight European nations for non-Americans who have visited the Schengen area within 14 days of attempting to enter the United States.

The countries impacted by the travel ban are as follows: United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Germany, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Belgium, and Austria. The ban applies to non-Americans who have been in the Schengen border-free travel area within 14 days of traveling to the U.S.

The travel restrictions should last at least through the month of March until the world finds out more about the COVID-19 outbreak. 

USCIS Office Concerns

Several USCIS Consular offices are closing for the foreseeable future in countries such as India.

Many more consular offices are canceling visa appointments and requiring that visa holders reschedule when appointments are available again. USCIS so far is not asking for another MVR fee to be paid for the appointment change. In some circumstances, USCIS will allow emergency appointments to be requested at certain consular offices. 

Domestically, some field offices, immigration courts, and citizenship ceremonies are closed and/or canceled. 

Suggest Best Practices

We are advising any foreign-born athlete or entertainer who is currently in the United States under visitor visa status to change to a P-1 or O-1 visa if possible. This is because it may be difficult to return to the United States until the travel bans are lifted and appointments become available for new visas. 

We are advising foreign-born athletes and entertainers outside of the United States to still continue to apply for visas while USCIS remains working. If there is a halt in processing, USCIS will potentially have to honor or pay back premium processing fees. In addition, there will be a rush of petitions to be adjudicated once the travel restrictions are lifted and persons with work visas will likely receive special treatment over persons coming on a visitor visa.