Tag Archives: O-visa

O Is for Extraordinary

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O Is for Extraordinary

One of the purposes of the US immigration system is to attract the best, brightest, and most talented foreign nationals to ply their professional trade in the United States. It also tries to make the process as smooth as possible for these individuals. The O Visa encapsulates those ideas, providing up to three years of work authorization for extraordinary individuals. The visa is versatile. The NBA (National Basketball Association) tips off this week, the NHL (National Hockey League) dropped the pick this month, the MLB (Major League Baseball) is in full swing with the World Series, and MLS (Major League Soccer) kicks off its playoffs this week. The O Visa can be used for professional athletes. Artists of all kinds of eligible, a definition that can be expanded to include such professions as sommelier and chef. Scientists, doctors, and businesspeople are other common professions that utilize the O Visa.

 

The visa is meant for the extraordinary individuals in a field, which is adjudicated by USCIS through the fulfillment of criteria. It cannot be petitioned for individually, meaning there must be a sponsoring employer. The employer should have some sort of itinerary or contract to show that the foreign national will be needed for the amount of time requested on the visa (there are renewal options). The visa usually requires a letter from the appropriate labor organization or trade union in the profession, attesting that there is no objection to the foreign national obtaining the visa. The visa’s viability is contingent upon the beneficiary’s continued employment with the petitioner. A benefit to the visa is that it is usually adjudicated in a short amount of time. A drawback is that it does not allow for work authorization for the spouse of the principal O Visa holder, though it does allow for enrolling in classes.

(Inter)National Basketball

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NBA Noche Latina

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is paying homage to its Latin players and fans with its ninth annual Latin Nights program. The celebration is a league-wide event, best displayed by certain teams that change their jerseys into semi-Spanish. For example, Los Lakers, Los Spurs, Los Suns, El Heart, Los Bulls (though you wonder why they are not Los Toros and the Suns are not Los Soles). Special uniforms are made for the games in which those jerseys are used and they are popular sellers. The teams are specifically chosen for cities with large Spanish-speaking populations, such as Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, and Phoenix.

Cultivation of A Tradition

This is a tremendous tradition that the NBA has cultivated and a true acknowledgment to basketball’s global power and the NBA’s attraction to immigrant players. At the beginning of the 2014-2015 season, the league boasted a record 101 international players from 37 different countries. The NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs have nine international players by themselves and have embodied the spirit of teamwork that basketball promotes through their unselfish play. There were only 45 international players just fifteen years ago in 2000 and 21 in 1990.

Two reasons for the increase in international players is the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the success of the USA Men’s “Dream Team” in 1992 as American Ambassadors. Soccer may be the global game, but basketball is not far behind it, as the NBA is available to watch all over the world and international players have increased the attention that international fans pay to the game. Even in the United States, the fact that the NBA visibly celebrates its Latino fans with jerseys and some Spanish through special Latin Nights is a testament to the NBA’s loyal immigrant fan-base and Latin heritage.