George Ernst of Hall Booth Smith. Courtesy photo
An update earlier this year from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) relating to O-1B petitions will have knock-on effects for the movie and TV industries.
It’s an update that clarifies the correct standard of adjudication when a beneficiary has both elements of an O-1B artist and O-1B MPTV classification—meaning situations where a foreign national will be working in the U.S. as an artist, but some of their work will be in motion picture and television industry (MPTV). The USCIS has also updated its definition of what constitutes an MPTV production as new forms of media are developed, especially in consideration of emerging online content.
