P VISAS Continued:
ATHLETES, ENTERTAINERS, ARTISTS, EDUCATORS, SCIENTISTS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE

P-2 Visa: Essential Personnel

This visa is for those who are coming to the United States temporarily to perform either individually or as part of a group and is part of a reciprocal exchange program between one or more organizations in the United States and one or more such foreign organizations. These organizations must provide for the temporary exchange of artists and/or performers between United States and another country. There are only a few of these types of program established.

P-3 Visa: Culturally Unique Performer or Group

The P-3 visa is for an individual performer or group of performers coming to the United States temporarily for the sole purpose of teaching, performing, or coaching a culturally unique program. The unique cultural program that the non-citizen is entering for does not have to be sponsored by any governmental, educational or cultural agency. In addition, the program may be for commercial or noncommercial purposes. Further, if the applicant is part of a group, the group may be formed specifically for this program, and does not need to exist for some period of time prior to the tour.

An applicant or group for a P-3 must include with their petition:

Documentation, such as newspaper or journal articles, stating that the applicant's or group's performance is culturally unique;
Statements from recognizes experts confirming that the applicant's or group's teaching, performance, or coaching is unique or a traditional art form; and
Proof that all of the applicant's or group's performances will be culturally unique.
P-4 Visa: Spouses and Children

Spouses and children who are accompanying or coming to join a P visa holder may use the P-4 visa to enter the United States. Non-citizens holding a P-4 visa may not work while they are in the United States.

Time Limits on P Visas

Applicants for the P visa must maintain a foreign residence which they do not intend to abandon, and they must be seeking to enter the United States only temporarily. The applicant's sole purpose must be to perform in a competition, performance, or event in their field. The P visa holder may stay for only a limited amount of time within the United States. However, there are regulations which allow a P visa holder to apply for legal permanent residence status while having a P visa. Individual athletes can receive a P-1 visa which is valid for up to a five-year period. Athletic teams or performance groups, though, may receive a P-1 visa which is valid only for the period of time it will take to complete the event, performance, or competition. This period time may not exceed one-year. Extensions for P visas may be obtained for up to one-year at a time in order to complete or continue the event, performance, or competition which the applicant entered for. For individual P-1 athletes, their visa may be extended for a second five-year term, but they cannot stay more than ten (10) years total in the United States.

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