Tips for Foreign Actors Needing a U.S. Work Visa

If you have acting credits in other countries (such as your home country) and a temporary job offer in the U.S., then you can apply for an O-1 Visa, which is the U.S. work visa for individuals that can demonstrate an “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics which has been demonstrated by sustained national or international acclaim and who are coming temporarily to the U.S. to continue work in the area of extraordinary ability.” The O-1 Visa is one of the most popular visas for actors and other performers that want to work in the U.S.

For more info, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-1_visa and the excellent Artists from Abroad website, which calls itself “The Complete Guide to Immigration & Tax Requirements for Foreign Guest Artists.” You might also want to check out the visa-consultant and legal services at sites like http://www.hooyou.com/o-1/faq.html and http://www.actorsevolution.com/visa.php. And visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website for a list of additional visas.

Alternately, you could become a student at an acting school in the U.S., and use a student visa or J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa to enter the country.

While attending a U.S. acting program, you’ll hopefully make valuable contacts in the entertainment industry, and you may be able to intern for casting directors and agents and/or volunteer to act in no-pay student films and theater projects, so you can get some U.S. credits that can help you with your O-1 visa application later.

For instance, acting schools like the New York Film Academy are very experienced at helping actors obtain student visas if the actor is accepted into their acting program: http://www.nyfa.com/admissions/international_student.php

Casting directors, agents, and managers will not usually sponsor actors to get a U.S. work visa. There are two reasons for this:

1) Casting directors, agents, and mangers are technically not “employers” in most cases: On the one hand, agents and mangers represent actors, but they don’t hire them. On the other hand, casting directors recommend actors to producers/directors for acting gigs, but they are not the actual employer. For visa sponsorship, you’d ideally have a company hire you for a specific job; the employer can then act as the visa sponsor. Otherwise, you’ll want to try to apply for a work/visitor/exchange/student visa on your own.

2) Casting directors, agents, managers, and production companies are usually overwhelmed with actors in the U.S. that want to work with them, so it’s already difficult for most U.S. actors to get the attention of these individuals. For a foreign actor, the extra paperwork and legal ramifications involved with working with someone that doesn’t already have a U.S. work visa will likely make it even less likely that they’ll be offered a paid acting role or representation. So, again, you’ll ideally have a visa lined up before trying to find work in the U.S.

HOWEVER, you can still send your headshot, resume, and cover letter to casting opportunities, agents, casting directors, and managers in the U.S. There’s always a chance that they might decide that they really want to work with you – and at that point they might be able to help you get a visa by writing you a letter of reference that you can submit with your visa application.

Likewise, you'll want to make sure that you have a Multimedia Resume set up in the online talent database of legit casting websites like BackStage.com, to help your chances of being discovered, and to make it easier to apply to casting notices and breakdowns in the U.S.

Also, if you already have an agent or manager in your home country, you should also work with them to help you get your U.S. visa paperwork sorted out, and see if your agent/manager has any entertainment-industry contacts in the U.S. that could help you get acting work in the United States.

Although it’s very difficult for a foreign actor to get professional acting work in the U.S., keep in mind that there are lots of success stories as well. For instance, Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly was cast in the ABC thriller “Lost” before obtaining a U.S. work visa; she almost lost the role because it took so long for her visa is get approved, even after he was cast. However, in the end she ended up getting her visa and went on to become an international superstar.

-- Luke Crowe, National Casting Editor, Back Stage