Performing Arts Alliance: Coalition of Performing Arts Advocates

	USCIS Promises Major Visa Improvements According to senior officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), processing times for regularly-filed artist visa petitions will not exceed 14 days. In a meeting with public stakeholders on July 20, the agency also promised significant improvements to the quality of artist visa processing will soon be underway as the agency undergoes a major effort to revise its policy and training programs for the two service centers that process the O and P visas used by artists travelling to the United States for performances. These comments come in response to requests from the nonprofit performing arts community and following significant intervention by leaders in the House, Senate, and the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Performing Arts Alliance (PAA) has been advocating for improvements in partnership with national colleagues in the Performing Arts Visa Working Group.
	Arts Community Submits Comments to USCIS On May 11, in response to concerns expressed by the PAA and the broader national performing arts community, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opened a public comment period on one aspect of the artist visa process: the amount of time allowable between multiple engagements in a single visa approval period. The PAA, in partnership with the Performing Arts Visa Working Group, submitted detailed comments to USCIS. Please click here to read the full comments.
	Performing Arts Alliance Files Net Neutrality Comments with FCC On April 26, the Performing Arts Alliance filed public comments with the FCC in support of Net Neutrality. Please click here to read the full comments.
	Conference Season is Here! Member organizations of the Performing Arts Alliance will soon gather for their annual conferences, providing each performing arts community the opportunity to discuss issues unique to their disciplines. Please find a listing below of PAA member organizations linking to their conference pages. Association of Performing Arts Presenters New York, NY - January 7-11, 2011 Chorus America Atlanta, GA - June 16-19, 2010 Dance/USA Washington, DC - June 16-19, 2010 League of American Orchestras Atlanta, GA - June 15-19, 2010 National Alliance for Musical Theatre New York, NY - October 23-24, 2010 National Performance Network Dallas, TX - December 9-13, 2010 OPERA America Los Angeles, CA - June 9-12, 2010 Theatre Communications Group Chicago, IL - June 17-19, 2010