P1 entertainer visa is for applicants coming to the US temporarily to perform as a member of an entertainment group that has been recognized internationally as outstanding in the discipline for a sustained and substantial period of time. At least 75 percent of the members of the group must have had a substantial and sustained relationship with the group for at least one year.
P1 entertainer visa applicant’s group must be internationally recognized and have a high level of achievement in a field evidenced by a degree of skill and recognition substantially above that ordinarily encountered. The reputation of the group, not the individual achievements of its members or the acclaim of a particular production, is essential. Individual entertainers not performing as part of a group are not eligible for this visa classification.
P1 entertainer visa applicants that are foreign circus performers and essential circus personnel are exempt from the one year requirement and the internationally recognized requirement. However, the P1 entertainer visa applicants must be coming to join a nationally recognized circus.
Certain nationally known entertainment groups may have the internationally recognized requirement waived if they can establish they have been recognized nationally as outstanding in its discipline for a sustained amount of time in consideration of special circumstances.
