A few weeks ago, Los Angeles' authorities arrested Andrew Boryski (Boryski)
and charged him with running an immigration consulting scam. Boryski,
a Canadian citizen, was charged with 32 criminal counts for cheating aspiring
foreign actors out of thousands of dollars. Boryski presented himself
to his victims as an immigration consultant who could arrange O-1 Visas for
aspiring actors.
Boryski did not file an immigration consultant bond with the California
Secretary of State and he is not an attorney since he was not licensed
to practice law.
For more details about this story, please visit the following website
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/canadian-talent-consultant-andrew-boryski-411169
If you are a foreign actor and are seeking an O-1 Visa, please read the
following so that you do not become a victim of immigration fraud:
O-1 Visa
An O-1 Visa is a type of nonimmigrant work visa that is granted to individuals
who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences arts, education, or
athletics.
Or if in motion picture or TV production, the person must have a demonstrated
record of extraordinary achievement. This extraordinary achievement must
be proven through extensive documentation.
U.S. Employer Requirement
It is required that an O-1 Visa application be handled by a U.S. employer.
In other words, the individual actor may not self-petition. The U.S. employer
must petition for the individual beneficiary. The U.S. employer can be
a company or an agent.
Job Offer Requirement
It is also required than an O-1 Visa individual beneficiary be planning
to go to the U.S. for
proposed work. Thus, there must be an actual itinerary showing the different events
or productions the actor will be working on or an actual job offer.
Aspiring Actors
An "aspiring" actor would not qualify for an O-1 Visa since the
definition of an "aspiring" actor is a person who has not yet
established him/herself as an actor.
As mentioned above, to qualify for an O-1 Visa, the individual must be
coming to the U.S for proposed work. Generally, since an "aspiring"
actor has not yet established him/herself as an actor, this "aspiring"
actor will not have proposed work.
Immigration Consultants
When applying for an O-1 Visa or any other type of immigration benefit,
it is best that you obtain the advice of an immigration attorney. In most
cases, an immigration consultant is not an attorney. Thus, if you seek
the help of an immigration consultant, you risk that you will be exposed
to immigration fraud.
An immigration attorney should be able to show you his license to practice
law and should be able to show you his/her bar number. If an immigration
consultant hesitates to show you his/her license to practice law or bar
number, you should be wary about giving your personal information to this person.
If you are an actor or an aspiring actor and you would like more information
about the topics mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact the
Law Offices of Michael M. Felix at (562) 464-6934. By calling our office
you will have the opportunity to speak to an immigration attorney.