Immigration for Sports & Entertainment Part I

While immigration has been a hot topic for the last several years, there is rarely any discussion about business immigration; that is, the expansion of jobs, creation of novel ideas, and furtherance of the international market into America to develop an even more robust economy at home. And even though the most recently drafted Senate immigration bill addressed business immigration by expanding visa classifications, lowering investment hurdles for individuals to seek lawful permanent residence status (aka, a green card), and creating other nonimmigrant classifications, that bill was not taken up by the House, and so it sits as a benchmark for what could be. Even so, there is an even more nuanced subsection of business immigration that is so rarely touched upon, and that is sports and entertainment immigration.

In this course, Michael Cataliotti, a New York City-based business immigration and entertainment attorney, introduces you to sports and entertainment immigration, that fun-filled world in which international artists, musicians, athletes, and entrepreneurs seek to enter the United States. Beginning by presenting an overview of sports and entertainment immigration, Michael then transitions into the most frequently utilized nonimmigrant visa classifications, ultimately taking each one up individually. Of course, a visa must be appropriate for both the petitioner and beneficiary, and so the type of clients the practitioner can expect to encounter is discussed, as well as considerations unique to certain industries the practitioner may encounter. This course also provides tips and considerations for both the private practitioner and in-house counsel.

Learning Objectives

I.     Identify what business immigration is, the necessary parties and with whom there is an attorney/client relationship

II.    Understand the visa classifications applicable to the sports and entertainment industries

III.   Ascertain which classifications will be most suitable to a client’s needs 

IV.   Recognize some of the more nuanced, but necessary, considerations related to specific industries