P Visas For Coaches And Trainers

When an athlete is granted a P visa to come to the United States to compete, they frequently require the services of their coach or trainers. It can be essential to an athlete’s performance to have these individuals accompany them.

Support Personnel

A trainer or coach may be able to obtain a P1-S visa if they are considered essential support personnel. Individuals who may be considered essential support personnel include coaches, trainers, referees, nutritionists, translators, scouts, and other team officials. A single professional athlete may require multiple individuals as essential support personnel. The individual must be considered necessary for the performance of the athlete who is traveling to the United States. Support personnel can travel with a P-1 athlete as long as they can demonstrate that:

• The individual is an integral part of the athlete’s performance
• The individual performs support services that cannot be easily performed by a worker in the United States

Required Documentation

In order to obtain P-1S visas for coaches and trainers, the P-1 visa athlete’s employer must complete a Form I-129 for support personnel and include the following documentation:

• A copy of the written contract between the employer and the support personnel outlining the essential services provided and the nature of the employment
• A written statement clearly describing the support person’s necessary skills and essential functions. The statement should include information about how the support person has provided essential benefits in the past and the amount of experience they have working with the P-1 athlete or employer.
• A written evaluation or strategy session from an appropriate labor organization demonstrating expertise in the support person’s specialty.

An individual granted a P-1S visa can stay in the United States for as long as it takes to complete the activity, event, or performance for up to one year in order to assist the P-1 athlete. Extensions may be granted, but the maximum stay is ten years.

Contact An Experienced Visa Attorney

When you are applying for a visa, you want to make sure that you are putting together the most complete application possible. An experienced immigration attorney can help you put together a successful application. At Serving Immigrants, Inc., we have the experience and the knowledge to help you put together a complete visa application. Contact us online or call us at (305) 907-6151 to schedule a strategy session.