P1 Visa Help (USA)

what country are you from? there are different qualifications (like TN for canada and mexico) for different nationalities. also, apply WAY in advance. it takes the mormons in the INS/BCIS/whatever it is called now at least a year to process most applications.

There are probably two key factors in obtaining a P-1 visa. The first is that you generally have to be an athlete of international renown. Many athletes coming to the US don't feel they'll qualify in this area, so they apply for other types of visas, which technically aren't the ones they should have. The second thing is documentation. The Department of Justice and INS require strict verification of any and all claims made regarding international athletic status. That means letters from national federations, press clippings, proof of national / international ranking, etc. The more documentation of international stature, the better.

Depending on the athlete, I've had initial P-1 applications approved in anywhere from three weeks to as long as fifteen months (for a guy who ran a 2:07 marathon within 6 months of his arrival). Renewals are generally much more readily granted.

Hey I am a Canadian so what would be the best visa to pursue if I want to train south? What is TN? Who would be the best people to contact to get help?

Bump

I am also interested in this topic... anyone else training in the US who is foreign have any tips on getting permission from the scary Immigration dept.? I just want to run!

Any of you guys hang out with people of questionable reputations..??

A TN visa is available to Canadians and Mexicans. You need to have a job offer from a US employer and prove that the job qualifies under NAFTA. The types of jobs that qualify are generally high-demand professions requiring specific credentials - nursing, engineering, comp-sci, etc. Unfortunately, I don't think runners qualify.

There's some more info at

http://travel.state.gov/tn_visas.html

.

SJ

There should be a high demand for distance runners in the US.