| 1. | Are advisory opinions required for P visas? |
| Generally P visa applicants must obtain advisory opinion from a U.S. organization (for example, unions or labor groups) who can describe the applicant's achievements and is willing to attest that the applicant is internationally recognized.
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| 2. | Are dependents authorized to accompany P visa holders? |
| P-4 visas may be granted to dependents and spouses of P-1, P-2, and P-3 visas holders.
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| 3. | Are dependents eligible to accompany O visa holders? |
| O-3 visas are available for dependents of O-1 visa holders.
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| 4. | Are essential support personnel eligible to accompany O visa holders? |
| O-2 visas are available for support personnel seeking to accompany O-1 visa holders. In order to obtain O-2 visas for these individuals, the petitioner must establish that the O-2 support personnel is essential for the O-1 Visa holder to perform their job duties.
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| 5. | Are essential support personnel eligible to accompany P visa holders? |
| All P visa categories allow for visas for those who provide support to applicant(s) qualifying for P-1 through P-3 visas. The support personnel must be necessary to the performance, have the right qualifications and there must not be U.S. workers equally qualified to act as support staff.
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| 6. | Are O-1 visa holders required to maintain nonimmigrant intent? |
| O-1 visa applicants do not have to prove that they will not abandon their foreign residence.
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| 7. | Are there any special requirements for the O visa? |
| Before an O visa can be granted, the applicant must go through a special consultation process. The applicant must get a "advisory opinion" from an applicable union, labor, management organization, or peer group (a group of individuals in the alien's occupation or profession). An "advisory opinion" is a letter from an organization which states that the position the applicant will hold requires extraordinary ability and that the applicant has extraordinary ability.
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| 8. | What is a P-1 visa? |
| There are four categories of P visas. The first category, P-1 visas, are for internationally known athletes and entertainment groups. To qualify for this visa, athletes, athletic groups, and entertainment groups must be well-known in more than one country. An athlete or athletic team must not only be internationally known, but also have a contract with a United States sports league or team. An applicant who is a member of an entertainment group must have been with the group for at least one year and be entering the United States to perform only with that group.
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| 9. | What is a P-2 visa? |
| P-2 visas are available for individual or group artists or entertainers performing as part of an exchange program between United States and foreign organizations. The applicant and United States individual who will be exchanged must be highly skilled and have at least the same level of skill. Similar to a P-1 visa, the individual or group applicant must get an advisory opinion from a United States organization (for example unions or labor groups) verifying that the exchange program is currently in operation.
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| 10. | What is a P-3 visa? |
| P-3 visas are available for culturally unique entertainers or entertainment groups. Similar to the P-1 and P-2 visas, to qualify for a P-3 visa an applicant must obtain a statement from a United States organization (for example, unions or labor groups) saying that the activity is "culturally unique". "Culturally unique" refers to a type of art which is unique to a country, ethnic group, religion or other special group. If support staff is used from the home country of the applicant(s), the United States organization's statement must say that the support staff is needed and that United States workers are not qualified to assist the applicant.
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| 11. | What is an O visa? |
| O visas are available to applicants who can show they have extraordinary ability as demonstrated by sustained national or international prominence in their field for several years. The applicant must work in the following fields in the U.S. to qualify for an O visa: science, entertainment, art, education, business, or athletics.
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| 12. | What is required to qualify for an O visa? |
| To qualify for an O-1 visa, an applicant must provide documents proving extraordinary ability. Examples of proof of extraordinary ability include nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence, membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements, and articles written by or about the applicant. There are special requirements for artists and entertainers.
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