4/3/2008 - House Approves Bill for Faster Processing of O and P Visas
On April 1, the House of Representatives approved the "Arts Require Timely Service ("ARTS") Act, which would require USCIS to adjudicate O and P nonimmigrant petitions within 30 days of receiving them. If this is not accomplished and the petitioner is a qualifying nonprofit entity, USCIS would be required to grant the $1,000 premium processing service (15-day adjudication) free of charge. The bill specifically excludes athletes applying for P visas, but says nothing about non-artists applying for O visas (which may be used for those in athletics, business, education or the sciences.
As with any other legislation, this needs to pass not only the House of Representatives, but also the Senate and then be signed by the President - all in the same form - before being signed into law.
At this point, this is not yet law and has no real impact. It remains to be seen whether this will become law, but if it does it should make it easier to plan artistic events. Quite often scheduled tours or shows which have already been promoted must be cancelled when an O or P visa for the artist can not be obtained in time. The rule should be especially helpful to artistic endeavors not generally considered "mainstream" or "commercial" and which are therefore under funded, thus unable to afford the extra $1,000 premium processing fee.
Organizations sponsoring O visas and non-athlete P visas, especially non-profit organizations. Artists seeking entry on O or P visas.