Requesting a Visa Support Letter

In This Section

The D.C. office of the League of American Orchestras offers pre-petition peer consultation letters to both member and non-member orchestras.  These letters, and technical assistance regarding the visa process, are an included benefit and are free of charge to organizational members of the League of American Orchestras. Each non-member request for a letter of consultation must be reviewed in advance and, if accepted, will be subject to a $250 processing fee. Peer consultation letters from the League of American Orchestras are sent via email as a PDF.

Peer consultation letters are an optional addition to visa petitions and do not take the place of the required labor consultation that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requires from the appropriate labor organization.  Peer consultation letters offer valuable support for O and P artist visa petitions and the League is recognized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a qualified organization for the purposes of issuing such letters. For complete information on the visa and withholding process for foreign guest artists, please visit the Artists from Abroad website. 

Note: The typical turn-around time for League letters of consultation is 5 days or less. If this is a time-sensitive petition, please call the D.C. office at 202 776 0214 or email advocacy@americanorchestras.org to verify that someone will be available to produce the letter within the desired time.

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Both Members and Non-Members should send the following to advocacy@americanorchestras.org:

1. A copy of the I-129 Form and O&P Supplement Form
2. A copy of the visa petition’s cover letter to USCIS stating:
   • Name of the contact person at your orchestra
   • Artist’s name (and, if different, the name stated on the USCIS petition)
   • Date of engagement
   • Artist’s function or role in the engagement
   • Name and/or address of the USCIS service center to which the letter should be addressed
3. A biography of the artist and supplementary information fulfilling the USCIS criteria including but not limited to:
   • Any awards or honors won by the artist
   • A list of orchestras or cities in which the artist has performed
   • Discography, television or radio appearances, or other notable appearances
   • Information regarding training, particularly for young artists
   • In some cases, it may be necessary to state why this particular artist is crucial to your orchestra’s concert, season, or particular production (particularly for support personnel)
   • Include critical reviews documenting recent public performances by the artist.  If reviews are unavailable, include evidence of how the artist is regarded in the press or by colleagues or employers.  (If the reviews are foreign, include translations for both the League and USCIS)
   • Or, comparable evidence to those items listed above.

Please e-mail copies of materials — not originals — to advocacy@americanorchestras.org

**Large PDF files may need to be broken into parts

Questions?

Contact advocacy@americanorchestras.org.