That's enough for us to prepare your petition for the USCIS in the US.
We will review the information you have submitted and get back to you shortly about the next steps.
Meanwhile, (unless youčre Canadian) you need to get ready to deal with your local US consulate.
Once your visa is approved in the US, you'll need to complete an interview at a US consulate. Following a successful interview, you will be granted a visa, which will be placed in your passport.
Unfortunately, every US consulate has different policies and procedures. What might be simple in Lisbon might be impossible in Tokyo. It's always a good idea to check your local consulate's website for information about their procedures du jour. However, a few parts of the process are consistent: once your petition has been approved in the US, you will need to arrange an interview with the consulate. This is usually done through a special phone line that charges by the minute. You'll need to go into the interview and submit the local application, and assuming all goes well, you should have your visa and passport back in 2 - 10 days. (Please note: If you are from a nation the US government views as a security risk, or if you have a criminal record, this whole process can be significantly different, and you should talk to us about the process immediately).
Unfortunately, scheduling an interview is not something that we can do for you: it needs to be done locally by the artist or their management. Getting an interview at the time you need will probably not be a problem, but in some situations, and at some consulates, it could be the hardest part of the process. Some consulates are remarkably accommodating for artists; others make life very difficult. Your best defense against a last minute crisis is to contact your local consulate as early as possible in the process. You may not want to (or be able to) schedule an interview at this time (this is because: 1. some embassies require that the visa be approved before they will schedule your interview, and 2. normally you can't complete the interview until after the visa is approved, and since you can rarely be sure when a visa will be approved, it's risky to schedule in advance of approval), but it's good to get a sense of what you're up against. Most importantly, it's important to communicate with Tamizdat about the consular interview, so we can work together to anticipate and hopefully avert a last minute crisis.
Before your interview, you'll need to prepare your application. To do this, you'll need several things.
You'll need to go on to the website of your local US embassy or consulate and complete the DS-160 form.
This online form is very "buggy" so leave plenty of time to complete it, and save your work frequently. (A few consulates still use the old DS-156 and DS-157 forms. If you encounter these, let us know). Tamizdat will supply you with notes to help you prepare these forms.For Canadian Citizens: US consulates in Canada no longer process P or O visas. You are required to have the I-797 approval notice with you when you cross the border (either in the airport or at a land border crossing), and the officials will process your visas at that time, while you wait. Whether or not the original I-797 is needed seems to depend on the crossing, the individual official, or, indeed, the mood of said official.
For residents of the United Kingdom: because so many of our clients come from the United Kingdom, Tamizdat has established a partnership with a London-based visa expedition firm. For a reasonable fee, these good folks can lead you through the process of dealing with the US Embassy in London. They can schedule your interview, complete your forms for you, and generally grease the wheels. In the vast majority of situations, their aid is not necessary for the budget-minded. However, if you have a complex situation, or if you would prefer to pay someone rather than sort it out yourself, their excellent services can be invaluable. Please contact us for more information about Tamizdat's London partner.