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.