To support the Trump Administration’s COVID-19 reopening policies, Chad F. Wolf, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, signed an order exempting some foreign professional athletes (and their staff and dependents) who compete in certain leagues, from the COVID-19 travel restrictions that are in place for 30 countries: China, Iran, Ireland, the U.K, and the 26
Amy L. Peck
USCIS Denials in Extraordinary Ability Category on the Rise
- Is it a significant achievement to make it onto a national sports team?
- Would winning a top-ten spot in a European championship constitute an award for excellence?
- Would being one of a duo who were U.S. junior ice dance champions constitute an internationally recognized prize?
These are questions USCIS has answered in the negative in…
Will Student-Athletes on F-1 Visas be Affected by the Fair Pay to Play Act ?
The Fair Pay to Play Act, California SB 206, would allow college-level student-athletes in California to market their name, image, and likeness without affecting their amateur status. How may the new law, which is in the final phases of approval, affect international student-athletes?
Foreign students enter the United States on F-1 student visas. The terms…
Visas For eSports Gamers On The Rise
Professional athletes who are “internationally recognized” are eligible for the P-1 visa and eSports (video games) at the professional level have become such major athletic events that eSports players have been granted these visas more and more often. https://www.collegeandprosportslaw.com/labor-law-and-sports/the-esports-industry-the-top-ten-labor-and-employment-law-issues/
In 2013, the USCIS for the first time recognized an eSports player as an athlete and…
Visa Options For Athletes
In these days of “extreme vetting,” entering the United States as a business visitor (B visa or Visa Waiver status, with an ESTA approval) can have its hazards – especially for athletes who need to enter the United States quickly and have no time to spare. [Link to blog on extreme vetting: http://www.globalimmigrationblog.com/2017/05/state-department-proposes-supplemental-questions-for-visa-applicants/ ]
Earlier…
Supreme Court Declines To Consider Antitrust Case Against NCAA
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a decision holding that NCAA athletes did not have to be paid beyond the cost of attending college. NCAA v. O’Bannon, Nos. 14-16601, 14-17068 (9th Cir. Sept. 30, 2015), cert. denied, No. 15-1167 (Oct. 3, 2016).
A U.S. district court had decided the NCAA’s use…