P Entertainers and Athletes

P visas are available to entertainers and athletes who cannot meet the standards to qualify under the O-1 category. P status is normally granted for a period of time to complete the event up to a period of one (1) year, with the exception of P-1 athletes. PI athletes may be granted status for a five (5) year period. Extensions of status are available. The P category is broken down into the following sub-categories:

1) The P-I category is set aside for:

a) Athletes who compete individually or as part of a team at an internationally recognized level, and;

b) Entertainers who perform with, or are an
integral and essential part of the performance of, an entertainment group that has received international recognition as outstanding for a sustained and substantial period of time.

2) The P-2 category is set aside for:

a) Artists and entertainers, individuals or groups, who seek to be admitted through a reciprocal exchange program between a foreign based and U.S. based organization which are engaged in the temporary exchange of artists and entertainers, and;

b) Essential support persons based on their support to an entertainer or entertainment group.

3) The P-3 category is set aside for:

Artists and entertainers, including groups, who will perform under a program that is culturally unique.

4) Consultation. The P visa also requires an advisory opinion by a "peer group."

5) The employer must state that it will pay the P worker's "return transportation abroad" in the event the P worker is terminated before the expiration of their visa status.

6) Persons who apply for a P visa at a U.S. Consulate must demonstrate that they have sufficient ties to their home country to compel their return abroad.

7) The P beneficiary's spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one (21) are eligible for P-4 status.

8) Holders of P-4 visas are not eligible to work.