Tamizdat Inc

03/17/2026

🚨 Time is running out to urge Congress to sign the letter supporting artist visa processing improvements!

Contact your House representative TODAY using League of American Orchestras's ready-to-use email tool: https://americanorchestras.org/learn/advocate/contact-congress-today/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f135338%2fRespond

Help keep international artists on our stages!

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is legally required to process O and P artist visas within 14 days. The reality? Average processing times exceed 10 months.

A bipartisan effort is urging action to ensure USCIS meets its 14-day processing requirement.

Contact Congress by March 18 and help fix the artist visa backlog ➡️ https://americanorchestras.org/learn/advocate/contact-congress-today/

Thanks to our advocacy partners at the League of American Orchestras.



globalFEST
CoveyLaw
Tamizdat Inc

03/12/2026

Help keep international artists on our stages!

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is legally required to process O and P artist visas within 14 days. The reality? Average processing times exceed 10 months.

A bipartisan effort is urging action to ensure USCIS meets its 14-day processing requirement.

Contact Congress by March 18 and help fix the artist visa backlog ➡️ https://americanorchestras.org/learn/advocate/contact-congress-today/

Thanks to our advocacy partners at the League of American Orchestras.



globalFEST
CoveyLaw
Tamizdat Inc

03/11/2026

Join CoveyLaw & Tamizdat's March 18, 2026 monthly Office Hours webinar at 11am EDT for an overview of best practices for collecting evidence that USCIS reviews when adjudicating O and P petitions.

The requirements for O and P visas can be difficult to navigate, and frequent policy changes to how USCIS reviews evidence have only made the process more confusing for applicants and their employers. Attorneys Will Spitz and JR Strauss will help attendees navigate the maze, covering the types of evidence USCIS typically wants to see in O and P petitions, how to organize documentation that is responsive to the regulations, and strategies for generating new evidence to support future filings. They will also discuss common pitfalls and what to avoid when gathering evidence.

Suitable for anyone considering or currently working on an O or P petition and their employers.

Register for this webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xuA-Xl_WRNaVJ4wbK0-vrA

Submit questions in advance: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuv7_NkfcOvtXXS4xh7qC3n3NKrU5R_GP7isUYCurTPxljwg/viewform

02/11/2026

02/09/2026

🚨 REMINDER! There’s still time to register for February Office Hours this Wednesday!

This month, attorneys Amanda Gupta, Kimberly Xavier and Legal Manager Davina Wells will offer a breakdown of the US naturalization process, such as filing periods, eligibility requirements, new policies, the new 2025 civics test and common pitfalls that can relay a case.

Get your questions answered at our “Becoming a US Citizen: ‘Should I stay or should I go?’ webinar this Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. Register today using the link below!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3OBN0A1TS_avUjbHdlhtLQ #/registration

Join CoveyLaw & Tamizdat on February 11 at 11 a.m. for our monthly Office Hours webinar. This month’s topic, Becoming a US Citizen: “Should I stay or should I go” in 2026?, will offer a practical breakdown of the US naturalization process from pros and cons, filing periods and eligibility requirements to new policies and common pitfalls that can delay or derail a case.

Attorneys Amanda Gupta, Kimberly Xavier and Legal Manager Davina Wells will cover common issues that can arise during the process, the new 2025 civics test, and what happens after a determination is made on your application.

This webinar is perfect for anyone considering citizenship or navigating a complex case. Register now using the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3OBN0A1TS_avUjbHdlhtLQ #/registration

02/06/2026

Last month, Matthew Covey was recognized at the 2026 APAP Honors with the Sidney R. Yates Advocacy Award for outstanding advocacy on behalf of the performing arts. The award honors an individual or organization for sustained advocacy efforts at the national, state, or local level that has had a significant impact on the performing arts.

Here is a portion of his acceptance speech. It is a reminder of the importance of fighting for artist and cultural mobility, especially at a time when our leaders seek to isolate us from the rest of the world, and from a future that is rich with a diversity of voices and cultures.

(Cover Photo by Adam & Christy Kissick)

02/04/2026

Shifting visa policies, travel bans, rising costs, and processing delays are creating steep barriers to international arts exchange. With USCIS premium processing fee increases going into effect March 1, 2026 and extended timelines, many organizations face difficult choices and added strain.

APAP partners, including Artists from Abroad, League of American Orchestras, Tamizdat Inc, and CoveyLaw, are actively tracking changes, advocating for the field, and sharing practical tools.

We encourage you to explore the latest updates on the Artists from Abroad website, review Tamizdat’s Preparing for Immigration Enforcement resource, and read recent New York Times reporting on how recent changes are posing a looming crisis for the performing arts sector ➡️ https://apap365.org/visa-updates-and-immigration-resources/

Staying informed is essential to keeping global exchange possible.



Image: Insun Park & Generals performing at globalFEST 2026. Photo by Adam & Christy Kissick/APAP.

02/04/2026

Join CoveyLaw & Tamizdat on February 11 at 11 a.m. for our monthly Office Hours webinar. This month’s topic, Becoming a US Citizen: “Should I stay or should I go” in 2026?, will offer a practical breakdown of the US naturalization process from pros and cons, filing periods and eligibility requirements to new policies and common pitfalls that can delay or derail a case.

Attorneys Amanda Gupta, Kimberly Xavier and Legal Manager Davina Wells will cover common issues that can arise during the process, the new 2025 civics test, and what happens after a determination is made on your application.

This webinar is perfect for anyone considering citizenship or navigating a complex case. Register now using the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3OBN0A1TS_avUjbHdlhtLQ #/registration

01/23/2026

Last week the U.S. government announced that effective today, Wednesday January 21, 2026, it will indefinitely pause the issuance of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries. The new rules only impact immigrant visa applications (for those seeking permanent residence/green cards from outside of the US). Individuals seeking nonimmigrant visas (such as O, P, or B classification) are not impacted.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to helping our community navigate these tumultuous, inexplicable, and often cruel changes in U.S. immigration policy and practice. Professionals in the performing arts should feel free to contact TamizdatAVAIL if they have questions.

Keep an eye out for our Office Hours webinar archive, where we will post our “Who is banned? How new travel restrictions and bans impact US visa eligibility” webinar later today.

For more information about what we know about the expansion of travel restrictions, TamizdatAVAIL, and for our Office Hours webinar archive, visit the links below.

What We Know About the Jan 21 Travel Restrictions: https://tamizdat.org/jan-2026-travel-restrictions/

Office Hours Archive: https://covey.law/office-hours-archive/

TamizdatAVAIL (pro bono legal assistance): forms.gle/JPY4sP2A4gZAxYZ27

01/23/2026

Our very own Matthew Covey was recently interviewed by The New York Times for the article “‘An Unbelievable Mess’: Artists Are Stymied by Trump Travel Bans” by Ben Sisario.

In this article, international artists, arts presenters, immigration lawyers, and more share how travel bans and rising costs have left the American performing arts sector in crisis.

“We are seeing clear signs that international artists are turning away from the U.S. market in droves,” Covey said, “choosing to tour where they can travel more freely, feel safe and welcomed, and can hope to at least break even.”

Visit the link in below for the full article about the current issues facing the industry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/arts/music/trump-visas-touring-musicians.html

01/20/2026

We are proud to announce that Tamizdat is one of 60 organizations across New York State to be recognized with a NYSCA Reserve Fund Grant from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

The NYSCA Reserve Fund Grants program was established to help New York State-based nonprofit arts organizations to establish a reserve fund or build on an existing reserve fund. Eighty-five percent of the organizations will be establishing a reserve fund for the first time.

The fund recognizes and attempts to mitigate the volatility of the industry, including increased costs, decreased philanthropy, and unpredictable income. The benefits of establishing or adding to a reserve fund include, but are not limited to: the ability to weather new challenges, cover unexpected expenses, strengthen balance sheets to leverage new funders, and can be a key factor in strategic planning and capacity building.

Tamizdat will be using these funds to create an operational reserve that will help us guard against increasing volatility in our sector, building up the financial resiliency to ensure we are able to continue serving our communities for years to come.