How to Get US Visas for Entertainers, Artists, Athletes & Creators

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Credit Hours:

1.50

Specialty Area:

None

Credit Type:

General

Original Air Date:

April 22, 2020

Credit Eligible In:

California

You may be able to self apply for credits in states not listed. BHBA provides CLE accreditation as described above. Email for accreditation information in your state.

What does an artist, performer or athlete from a different country have to do to be able to work in the United States in accordance with immigration laws? With this All-Star panel we seek to introduce the typical immigration options available to entertainers — namely, O and P visas. We will discuss the requirements of each, including timelines, deadlines, and fees, from multiple perspectives, as well as common pitfalls to avoid, especially in the current hostile political climate. We will also discuss the effect Coronavirus COVID-19 has had on it all.

LA is the entertainment capital of the world. We have hubs for movies, TV, music, sports, books, and stage. But the perfect artist / writer / actor / athlete / entertainment professional can come from anywhere.

A lot of work goes into the creation of content, but sometimes the perfect person for the job is just over the border. Become a better entertainment lawyer to foreign clients by learning what to expect from the immigration process, how to avoid surprises, and what you can do to make it all go as smoothly as possible.

Laya Kushner

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Kushner & Kushner PC

Zoe Kevork

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Kevork Law

Zoe Kevork is a Canadian and US immigration and entertainment attorney with 12 years experience on both sides of the border. Since 2010, she has been the Managing Partner of Kevork Law building a reputation for success, efficiency and personal attention. Ms. Kevork specializes in entertainment-based immigration issues specifically and entertainment transactional matters generally. With her immigration clients, Ms. Kevork celebrates a 98% success rate across all areas. On the entertainment side she has represented production companies, writers and producers at various stages of contract negotiations and film development.

Fabricio Lopez

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Adjunct Professor of Ethical Lawyering and Business Immigration Law at Loyola Law School

Lopez is principal counsel of immigration and child labor law for the Walt Disney Company, where he’s worked for nearly twenty-five years. While being required to attend college a second time was frustrating at the time, Lopez says it set him on the right path. “Going back to college made me a better lawyer because I had access to a well-rounded US education I wouldn’t have otherwise received,” he explains.

Robert Perkins

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Managing Attorney Law Offices of the Immigration Professor

Our Immigration Attorney Robert Perkins graduated Magna Cum Laude from Beloit College in 1986 and received his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. He then started practicing law at the prestigious international firm of Denton’s (at the time called Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal). In 1994, he established his own law firm, focusing exclusively on immigration law, which involves visas, green cards, U.S. citizenship, and anything else immigration related.

Mr. Perkins has represented hundreds of clients in deportation defense cases including asylum, cancellation of removal, criminal waivers, and more. He also has represented a variety of tech and other firms in business immigration matters including H-1B, H-2B, E-2, R-1, O-1, PERM, EB-1, and more.

Mr. Perkins has filed many family-based petitions for clients as well as U visas and VAWA petitions. His particular passion is litigating cases against USCIS and ICE across the United States for unlawful detention, abuse, civil rights violations, and more.