Warning to all Filipino entertainers who want to perform in US

On Thursday, March 6, 2003, Regine Velasquez safely entered the U.S. for her up-coming five-city concert tour with Martin Nievera. However, another Filipina entertainer, who apparently attempted to enter a few weeks earlier, was sent back to the Phi-lippines by INS (BCBP). Her crime? She attempted to enter the U.S. on a visitor’s visa in order to perform at a concert. The INS somehow found out about the concert, and asked her, at the airport, if she was intending to perform, which she denied. That constituted fraud. So, her visitor’s visa was cancelled, and she was banned for life from even visiting the U.S.

Many entertainers are under the mistaken belief that it is "OK" to come to the U.S. and perform on a visitor’s visa. That is not the case. If you are coming to the U.S. to perform, you must get an entertainer visa. If you perform on a visitor’s visa, you will be violating your visitor’s status. If you tell the Immigration Officer at the airport that you are only going to be "visiting", but you are actually intending to perform, you are committing fraud.

Many entertainers are recruited by small-time producers, who simply do not want to go through the trouble or expense of obtaining entertainer visas. Indeed, obtaining an entertainer visa is time-consuming, and can cost thousands of dollars in filing fees alone. So, these producers, looking to cut corners and save money, assure the performers that it is "OK" to perform on a visitor’s visa. They coach the entertainer to tell the INS, at the airport, that they are just coming for a "visit", and to deny that they will be performing. In the meantime, the producer is putting out newspaper ads and fliers promoting the concert, which is brought to the attention of the INS. So, when you arrive in the U.S. and say you’re "just visiting", INS may already have a flier of your concert at the interview booth.

Remember, if you, as an entertainer, are caught by INS, it is you who will suffer the consequences, not necessarily the producer. The producer may simply abandon you and look for the next talent to book. You are then left with a cancelled visitor’s visa, blacklisted, and perhaps forever barred from coming to the U.S.

Simply put, if a producer does not want to obtain an entertainer visa for you, you are taking a big chance with your own future, if you use your visitor’s visa to perform.

In Regine’s case, she (and her entire entourage) did get their appropriate entertainer visas, thanks to the U.S. Embassy, and were able to enter the U.S. without a hitch, thanks to the INS (BCBP). It goes without saying that the concert would not be possible without the Embassy and INS/BCBP, and because of the Embassy and INS, thousands of Filipinos in the U.S.will be able to have a great time, and a taste of "home" for a few hours at the concert.