In late June, the Department of State announced that nonimmigrant visas, such as the O and P visas used by artists, are inherently exempt from the restrictions of the Administration’s travel ban which bars people entering the United States from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen.

The State Department announcement follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision to lift a lower court’s injunction on the ban. In this decision, the Court stated that individuals accepting a job offer from an American company may be considered to have a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States” and, thus, not be subject to the travel restrictions. The final decision for visa approvals rests with consular officials. You can find the State Department’s announcement and learn more about the exemption of O and P artist visas on Artist from Abroad.