Archive for the ‘Law and Disorder: Performing Arts Division’ Category

THE ARTIST VISA UPDATE FROM HELL as of July 17, 2018

Tuesday, July 17th, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq., Robyn Guilliams, Esq., and Christopher Dowley, Esq. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer…because we are just about the ruin it. So be prepared for some serious sunburn, chiggers, sand fleas, and food poisoning as we give you the latest updates:     I.    NEW USCIS POLICY ALLOWS VISA PETITIONS […]

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SOME CANTANKEROUS MUSINGS ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO SPEED UP USCIS INCOMPETENCY

Thursday, March 1st, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. For those of you who are unaware, on February 28, 2018 U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), both former chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have introduced the Arts Require Timely Service Act (ARTS Act); a bill that would require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide […]

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CAN A U.S. ORCHESTRA REFUSE TO PAY A NON-U.S. MUSICIAN?

Tuesday, February 27th, 2018

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Dear Law and Disorder: I am a musician on an O-1 visa that my agent got for me. It covers multiple engagements. Last September, I was hired to be a section musician with an orchestra. They have been paying me up until now, but now they are saying that legally they […]

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The impact of Trump’s revised travel ban won’t have much impact on the arts!

Wednesday, September 27th, 2017

Just a quick update for those of you wondering about the arts implications of the revised travel ban: Aside from adding North Korea and Venezuela (with the latter not actually be a “real” ban) to the list, everything else is pretty much the same as it was…with everyone in the world regardless of citizenship continuing […]

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THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A TRIBUTE BAND

Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. We hope everyone had a great summer. Sorry we haven’t posted in a while, but we’ve been a bit “pre-occupied” with in the world of artist visas. It seems something changes every time Trump breaks wind. So, let’s take a break and go address two completely non-visa related questions that […]

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WHY ARE ARTISTS BEING DENIED ENTRY INTO THE US? HOW DID IT COME TO THIS AND WHO DO WE BLAME?

Friday, March 17th, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq.    By now, you should all be aware that the incidents of artists and performers from a wide range of nationalities arriving in the United States as visitors (either on visitor visas (B-1/B-2) or through the visa waiver/ESTA program) and being refused entry are growing at an alarming rate. These […]

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What In The World Is Going On With Artist Visas as of March 7, 2017?

Saturday, March 11th, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. Here we go again… On March 6, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order regarding US immigration to replace the previous Executive Order of January 27, 2017. The new Order takes effect on March 16, 2017 and expressly revokes the January 27, 2017 Order (which had been subject to […]

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IS SXSW Being Opportunistic of Oblivious?

Friday, March 3rd, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein The following situation was recently brought to our attention and we felt obligated to comment: http://www.avclub.com/article/sxsw-threatens-international-artists-deportation-p-251394?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=ShareTools&utm_campaign=default https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/mar/02/sxsw-immigration-told-slant-contract-trump-travel-ban http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sxsw-responds-to-artist-immigration-controversy-w470167 Since this issue arose, the festival’s Managing Director has issued multiple “updates” and “clarifications” that are disingenuous or, at best, ill-informed. First, he contends that the contract provision regarding non-work visa violations is […]

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What In The World Is Going On As Of February 2, 2017?

Wednesday, February 1st, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq.    On January 30, 2017 we posted an update to clarify what was going on (at least as of Sunday, January 29, 2017) with regard to President Voldemort’s now infamous January 27, 2017 Executive Order and how it impacts the arts. As you may imagine, as the result of lawsuits […]

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WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

Sunday, January 29th, 2017

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. Except for those of you who may have been exploring other dimensions for the past few days, almost everyone else on the planet has been following the flurry of recent developments in the US as our country falls into the slipstream of chaos. We felt it was important to clarify […]

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