Tamizdat

Supporting the international mobility of artists through assistance, advocacy, and education.

Tamizdat is a nonprofit organization that facilitates and advocates for international cultural mobility and exchange. Driven by the conviction that the international mobility and exchange of culture is fundamental to a healthy and progressive civil society, Tamizdat seeks through its program activities to assist the international performing arts community in addressing problems presented by international borders, and U.S. immigration policy and procedure.

Artist Mobility Updates

U.S. VISA FEE INCREASE BLOCKED BY COURT
October 5, 2020
It’s been a dizzying few months in the world of U.S. immigration. The latest whiplash-inducing event occurred last Tuesday night when a court blocked USCIS’s planned fee increases and other unwelcome [read more...]
UPDATE to Tamizdat’s Guide to New Public Charge Rules & Unemployment Benefits/Maintenance of Visa Status
September 21, 2020
What Artists Need to Know About the Status of the New Public Charge Rules & Unemployment Benefits/Maintenance of Visa Status 1.5 NOTE: This advisory, dated September 16, 2020, supersedes all [read more...]
Update regarding US visa fee increases and travel restrictions
September 9, 2020
USCIS fee increases and other changes Effective October 2, USCIS is raising the filing fees for most visa petitions and applications. The fee for O petitions, which is currently $460, will increase [read more...]
Tamizdat creates Know Your Rights Guide to Protesting for Non-U.S. Citizens
August 31, 2020
In the U.S., the rights of freedom of speech and freedom to assemble are at the foundation of artistic expression, and at the core of our right to publicly protest for political and social change. [read more...]
UPDATE to Tamizdat’s Guide to New Public Charge Rules & Unemployment Benefits/Maintenance of Visa Status
August 26, 2020
What Artists Need to Know About the Status of the New Public Charge Rules & Unemployment Benefits/Maintenance of Visa Status 8/19/2020 – this advisory supersedes all prior “public charge” [read more...]
New Public Charge Rules Suspended During Pandemic
July 30, 2020
The federal courts ruled that the use of public healthcare and other public benefits will not trigger the new “public charge” rules during the COVID-19 national health emergency. In his order, Judge [read more...]
Tamizdat publishes a guide to the legalities of live streaming.
June 2, 2020
In collaboration with JioSaavn, Big Room, CoveyLaw, and Folk Alliance, Tamizdat has published “The Legal Landscape of Live Streaming.” (click link to download PDF) This essential guide [read more...]
Tamizdat supports artists at risk under new public charge rules.
May 6, 2020
Last February the U.S. government implemented new rules expanding the its power to deny visas to foreign nationals who have used or whom they think are likely to become reliant on public support [read more...]
TamizdatAVAIL now provides pro bono legal assistance with live streaming questions.
May 4, 2020
As the performing arts are rapidly transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, artists and arts professionals are pivoting to new media to stay connected with audiences and with each other. But as we turn [read more...]
TamizdatAVAIL provides pro bono guidance regarding public charge rules.
April 28, 2020
In February the U.S. government implemented new rules expanding the U.S. government’s power to deny visa petitions and applications of certain foreign nationals whom they think are likely to become [read more...]
Trump backs off from plan to suspend issuing visas, but may temporarily suspend issuing green cards.
April 22, 2020
The White House incited widespread panic Monday, April 20, when President Trump tweeted that he planned to suspend the issuing of all visas and green cards. Tuesday, April 21, however, he backed [read more...]
Trump tweets that he will halt immigration.
April 21, 2020
On Monday, April 20, President Trump tweeted that he intends to suspend legal immigration to the U.S. indefinitely. In typical fashion, the White House has declined to issue any details, preferring [read more...]
Advocacy on COVID-19-related artist visa issues
April 1, 2020
With the broad endorsement of the international performing arts community, Tamizdat and the The League of American Orchestras are sending an advisory to USCIS and Department of State, requesting [read more...]
FAQ: Artist mobility to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic
March 28, 2020
The impact of the COVID-19 virus is having a massive impact on artist mobility. USCIS is still processing petitions, but US embassies are not processing visas. Premium Processing is suspended. For [read more...]
FAQ: Artist mobility to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic
March 12, 2020
The impact of the COVID-19 virus is having a massive impact on artist mobility. USCIS is still processing petitions, but US embassies are not processing visas. Premium Processing is suspended. For [read more...]
Artist mobility FAQs regarding SXSW’s Cancellation
March 9, 2020
With the cancellation of SXSW, artists and industry are scrambling to adjust their plans. Not surprisingly, we are hearing lots of questions about what people can and cannot do. The following FAQ is [read more...]
U.S. expands travel ban, impacting immigrant artists
February 2, 2020
President Trump’s 2017 Presidential Proclamations limited travel to the U.S. by nationals from seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, with restrictions on North [read more...]
Iranian artists subjected to heightened scrutiny at U.S. borders
January 6, 2020
Presumably in response to world events of the last few days, we are seeing reports of U.S. Customs And Border Protection officers subjecting Iranian nationals and individuals of Iranian descent to [read more...]
USCIS’s new visa petition form blocked by federal court
October 18, 2019
In the kind of legal whiplash that has become the norm, USCIS’s new form for filing for an artist work visa petition has been stayed by a Federal Court injunction. October 2, USCIS released of [read more...]
The mobility of UK-bound EU performers will not immediately be impacted by Brexit.
October 18, 2019
In the recent weeks, the UK Home Office has offered assurances that under a unilateral decision (not reliant on a deal) the mobility rules governing UK-bound EU performing artists will remain [read more...]