June 14, 2016
Los Angeles – The Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) – on behalf of our more than 140,000 members – join together today to applaud the passage of H.R. 3636, the Oversee Visa Integrity with Stakeholder Advisories (O-Visa) Act by the U.S. House of Representatives.
We thank the bill’s authors, Congresswoman Mimi Walters (R-CA) and Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), for their steadfast commitment to this legislation; House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers for their expertise and guidance; Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren for her unwavering support; and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy for moving this legislation to its final passage.
This bipartisan bill is an important step in providing a level of transparency that will help ensure the security and integrity of the USCIS-administered O-1B and O-2 visa program which admits foreign directors, members of the director’s team, and craftspeople with extraordinary ability to temporarily work in the U.S on motion picture production.
In recognition of the unique nature of the motion picture and television industry – when the O-visa program was first introduced, Congress established special requirements and evidentiary criteria for O-1B and O-2 visas. One requirement mandates that USCIS consult with appropriate private stakeholder organizations – including the DGA and IATSE as well as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – regarding the validity of visa applications.
While the vast majority of those seeking O-1B and O-2 visas use the programs appropriately, for years we have expressed our concerns that the USCIS has been approving fraudulent applications that have not been subject to any review, and has refused to even notify us when insufficient applications are approved over our valid objections – undermining the statutory mandate and preventing us from fulfilling our obligations to Congress in this very important area. By requiring the USCIS to give us notice of a final visa ruling, we will be better able to assist them in identifying fraud and abuse, as well as protecting our national security.