petitioner information

When CoveyLaw files a visa petition, some U.S. entity needs to be the “petitioner” (sometimes referred to as “sponsor”). Often the petitioner is an artist’s employer—such as a record label, a theater company, or a venue—but sometimes the artist’s management, talent agent, or a visa agent wishes to be the petitioner, in which case CoveyLaw prepares the petition on behalf of that other entity.* Alternately, for a small fee, our affiliated nonprofit organization, Tamizdat can act as the “petitioner,” which can be advantageous for many artists.**

If you want Tamizdat to act as your petitioner, please write “Tamizdat” in field #1; you may leave the remaining fields blank.

Petitioner information

1. If the petitioner is a company, what is the name of the petitioning company?

2. What is the last name (surname) of the petitioner's primary contact?

3. What is the first name (given name) of the petitioner's primary contact?

4. What is the middle name(s) of the petitioner's primary contact?

What is the title of the petitioner's primary contact? (If none, please write "Authorized Signatory.")

5. Whose name, if any, should the petition be "in care of"?

6. What is the street address of the petitioner's office?

7. What is the room, apartment, or suite number of the petitioner's office?

8. What is the city of the petitioner's office?

9. What is the state of the petitioner's office?

10. What is the country of the petitioner's office?

11. What is the zip code of the petitioner's office?

12. What is the petitioner's primary contact's phone number?

13. What is the petitioner's primary contact's email address?

14. If the petitioner is a company, what is the petitioning company's EIN number?

15. If the petitioner is an individual who has no social security number, what is the petitioner's individual tax number?

16. If the petitioner is an individual, what is the his or her Social Security Number?

17. If the petitioner is a company, what kind of business is the petitioning company?

18. If the petitioner is a company, in what year was the petitioning company established?

19. If the petitioner is a company, how many employees does the petitioning company have in the U.S.?

20. If the petitioner is a company, what is the petitioning company's gross annual income?

21. If the petitioner is a company, what is the petitioning company's net annual income?

* Why would someone want to be the petitioner? Some agencies want to be the petitioner because that’s the way they have always done it. Others feel they want the visa to limit the artist to only working with the agency, which makes sense if the agency is paying for the visa.

** Why was this advantageous? There were two principal advantages to having Tamizdat act as the petitioner. First, by avoiding attorneys, Tamizdat’s clients avoided the costs typically associated with retaining legal counsel; fortunately, since CoveyLaw’s fees for performing artists are the same as Tamizdat’s, this issue does not affect CoveyLaw’s clients. Second, typically when an entity files as a petitioner—for example, an artist’s U.S. booking agency—the petition is filed such that the artist is limited to only working with the petitioner, so if the relationship with that petitioner/employer soured and the artist left the agent, their work authorization would be invalidated; by appointing Tamizdat as the petitioner, it’s possible to structure the petition with more than one employer so that the artist’s work authorization is not affected if they sever ties with their U.S. agent, label, or management.

Note: As of February 1, 2022, CoveyLaw’s affiliated nonprofit organization, Tamizdat, charges a $50 fee to act as the petitioner for an artist visa petition. The fee covers Tamizdat’s liability costs, and will also help defray the expenses of the research, education, and advocacy that it does to promote international performing artist mobility.