The P visa category is set-aside for athletes who compete individually or as part of a team at an internationally recognized level; and individuals who perform with, or as an integral and essential part of the performance of, an entertainment group that has received international recognition as “outstanding” for a “sustained and substantial period of time.”
Unlike H-1B and L-1 petitions, P petitions (including accompanying P-1S, P-2S, or P-3S petitions for essential support personnel) do not require that the petitioner be the actual employer of the alien. Instead, a U.S agent is permitted to file a petition for workers who are traditionally self-employed, such as artists and entertainers. The regulation provides that the agent/petitioner may be: (1) the actual employer of the beneficiary; (2) the representative of both employer and beneficiary; or (3) a person or entity authorized by the employer to act for the employer as its agent.