How to get to the US during C-19
At a time when international travel, music and performing arts are pretty much non-existent, you may be wondering why we’ve written this post. Contrary to popular belief, it IS still possible to get to the US of A to work.
Firstly, if you’re one of those lucky people who is still in possession of a valid US visa you can enter using this visa if you travel via a country which the USA deems ‘safe’ (meaning you don’t need to quarantine), so long as you’ve been there for at least 14 days. Parts of the Caribbean and Mexico are currently good options for this, so potentially you could enjoy a two-week holiday before heading Stateside. Visa issuance for O’s and P’s is currently not happening in the UK and Europe – although some interviews have taken place, 221gs have been issued. It seems that unless you have confirmed shows it a no go.
Secondly, you may be eligible for the National Interest Exemption. To qualify for this, you must demonstrate the reason for your trip is beneficial to the US economy / people in some way. Its quite subjective, and the visa will be issued at the discretion of the US Embassy.
If you have an immediate family member who is a US citizen eg, spouse, child, parent, then good news! You will be able to travel regardless. Entry for medical treatment, or for a medical emergency eg, if a loved one is seriously ill or has passed away, also seem to be given the green light.
Another way of entering the US which is where you receive clearance from CBP prior to travelling. This works in a similar way to NIE but is as yet untested by us and ultimately quite risky.
If you’d like to explore any of these options is more detail, please do get in touch and we’ll help in any way we can. Please be aware though, at the time of writing, anyone returning to the UK from the USA is required to self-isolate for 14 days. Covid rules are constantly changing and being updated, so if you’re unsure about any particular rules or requirements let us know and we can hopefully put your mind at ease.
As we mentioned in our last post, October 2nd 2020 is the date that USCIS will be significantly increasing petition filing fees. The O visa will increase from $460 to $705 whilst the P will increase from $460 to $695. They are also bringing in a limit of 25 beneficiaries per petition, forcing larger touring parties to file multiple petitions and pay multiple fees. The premium processing time frame is also changing from 15 calendar days to 15 business days. This is a huge blow to the industry and also for those who were already struggling to break America due to the prohibitive costs involved. USCIS apparently review their fees every other year and concluded that the current amounts charged don’t cover the costs involved in processing the applications. Projections have apparently shown that USCIS would receive $1.1 billion less in revenue in the second half of the fiscal year than had been forecast. O’s and P’s are not the only categories affected. There has been a wider shake up of US immigration policy and changes have been made across the board, including business and immigrant visa applications.