Saturday, April 21, 2012
Kicking the Star Out of Stardom
The AP reports on how one of India's top film stars has now had to undergo a second multi-hour stop when entering the US.
# posted by Greg Siskind @ 7:03 PM
NY Times: Artist Applications Decline 25% in Response to Frustrations in Visa Process
I represent a lot of artists and am glad the Times
is covering this topic. USCIS Director Mayorkas has been holding town
hall meetings and expressing concern, but, really, little seems to be
getting better.
The case of Mr. Álvarez is not an isolated one. In the decade
since the attacks on the twin towers, American visa procedures for
foreign artists and performers have grown increasingly labyrinthine,
expensive and arbitrary, arts presenters and immigration lawyers say,
making the system a serious impediment to cultural exchanges with the
rest of the world.
Some foreign performers and ensembles, like the Hallé orchestra
from Britain, have decided that it is no longer worth their while to
play in the United States. Others have been turned down flat, including
a pair of bands invited to perform at the South by Southwest festival
in Austin, Tex., last month, or have ended up canceling performances
because of processing delays, as was the case last month with the
Tantehorse theater troupe from the Czech Republic, which was booked to
perform in suburban Washington.
Overall, according to Homeland Security Department records,
requests for the standard foreign performer’s visa declined by almost
25 percent between 2006 and 2010, the most recent fiscal year for which
statistics are available. During the same period the number of these
visa petitions rejected, though small in absolute numbers, rose by more
than two-thirds.
# posted by Greg Siskind @ 12:23 AM
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# posted by Greg Siskind @ 7:03 PM
I represent a lot of artists and am glad the Times
is covering this topic. USCIS Director Mayorkas has been holding town
hall meetings and expressing concern, but, really, little seems to be
getting better.
The case of Mr. Álvarez is not an isolated one. In the decade since the attacks on the twin towers, American visa procedures for foreign artists and performers have grown increasingly labyrinthine, expensive and arbitrary, arts presenters and immigration lawyers say, making the system a serious impediment to cultural exchanges with the rest of the world.
Some foreign performers and ensembles, like the Hallé orchestra from Britain, have decided that it is no longer worth their while to play in the United States. Others have been turned down flat, including a pair of bands invited to perform at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., last month, or have ended up canceling performances because of processing delays, as was the case last month with the Tantehorse theater troupe from the Czech Republic, which was booked to perform in suburban Washington.
Overall, according to Homeland Security Department records, requests for the standard foreign performer’s visa declined by almost 25 percent between 2006 and 2010, the most recent fiscal year for which statistics are available. During the same period the number of these visa petitions rejected, though small in absolute numbers, rose by more than two-thirds.
# posted by Greg Siskind @ 12:23 AM
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