U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified guidance on how the agency determines whether an O-1B beneficiary will be evaluated as a person of extraordinary ability in the arts or as a person of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry when a case has elements of both.

USCIS explained that individuals of extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry may be eligible for O-1B classification. The updated guidance “will help officers and petitioners determine whether a beneficiary falls into the arts category or the motion picture and television category” and “will help with cases that have elements of both classifications, such as actors, directors, composers, or set designers who work in both motion pictures and television and live theater. It will also help officers and petitioners understand where streaming internet productions fall in these categories,” USCIS said.

Among other things, the guidance notes that analysis of whether a production is within the motion picture or television industry (MPTV) is not limited to whether it will air on a television screen or in a movie theater, as the industry has grown to encompass some online content. “While static web materials and self-produced video blogs and social media content generally do not fall into the MPTV category, USCIS considers streaming movies, web series, commercials, and other programs with formats that correspond to more traditional motion picture and television productions to generally fall within the MPTV industry's purview,” USCIS said. Accordingly, USCIS “may properly consider work on such productions to fall under the O-1B (MPTV) classification.”

Details:

  • USCIS alert, Jan. 13, 2022,  https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-provides-clarifying-guidance-on-o-1-nonimmigrants-in-arts-vs-motion-picture-and-television
  • “Policy Alert: Determining the Appropriate O-1B Classification for Persons of Extraordinary Ability in the Arts or Extraordinary Achievement in the Motion Picture or Television Industry,” USCIS, Jan. 13, 2022,  https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20220113-ExtraordinaryAbility.pdf
  • USCIS Policy Manual, Chapter 4, O-1 Beneficiaries,  https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-m-chapter-4  

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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