sports visa

cena

Are the sports visa hard to get?

I have recently done level 2 in coaching through the international ice hockey federation. Just waiting on my results to come back.

silja

For a coach? If you can find an employer, not so much.

cena

silja wrote: »

For a coach? If you can find an employer, not so much.

Ya for coaching.

ProudDUB

Sports coaches can get PIa visas if they are part of the support team for nationally and internationally recognized athletes, that are living/working/training/playing in the US, on P1 visas of their own. (For example, Robbie Keane is over with the LA Galaxy on a P1 visa. If he has any coaches or trainers over there with him from Ireland, they would be there on P1a visas.) Former athletes can get them too, if they want to move into coaching.

Coaches can get O1 visas, if they posses "extraordinary ability" or achievements in their field, that are not widely available in the US. These must be verified by the accredited sports organizations in their home country.

P visa criteria: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/p-1a-internationally-recognized-athlete

O visa criteria: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-individuals-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement/o-1-visa-individuals-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement

So it's like any other US work visa really. It all starts with finding someone willing to hire you & do the necessary donkey work to get you over there. If you can get an athlete, team or sporting organization to hire you, you take it from there. Am not sure if just possessing a coaching badge would be enough to meet the criteria of having "extraordinary" abilities. Nor are ice hockey coaches in short supply in the US.

However, there are a lot of hockey players from Russia and Easter Europe playing in the NFL. So if you spoke any of the languages from those countries, that could be a back door route into the coaching profession.

cena

ProudDUB wrote: »

Sports coaches can get PIa visas if they are part of the support team for nationally and internationally recognized athletes, that are living/working/training/playing in the US, on P1 visas of their own. (For example, Robbie Keane is over with the LA Galaxy on a P1 visa. If he has any coaches or trainers over there with him from Ireland, they would be there on P1a visas.) Former athletes can get them too, if they want to move into coaching.

Coaches can get O1 visas, if they posses "extraordinary ability" or achievements in their field, that are not widely available in the US. These must be verified by the accredited sports organizations in their home country.

P visa criteria: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/p-1a-internationally-recognized-athlete

O visa criteria: http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-individuals-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement/o-1-visa-individuals-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement

So it's like any other US work visa really. It all starts with finding someone willing to hire you & do the necessary donkey work to get you over there. If you can get an athlete, team or sporting organization to hire you, you take it from there. Am not sure if just possessing a coaching badge would be enough to meet the criteria of having "extraordinary" abilities. Nor are ice hockey coaches in short supply in the US.

However, there are a lot of hockey players from Russia and Easter Europe playing in the NFL. So if you spoke any of the languages from those countries, that could be a back door route into the coaching profession.

I did the course along with the Irish ice hockey association and there head coaches

iusedtoknow

cena wrote: »

I did the course along with the Irish ice hockey association and there head coaches

it's going to be same no matter what. You now need to find a post where they are going to pay the $10K-$15k to sponsor you after they have done the labour certification to ensure that there are no qualified people in the US (or Canada as it a lot easier for Canadians to the move to the US) that can do the same job.

ProudDUB

Yeah, but do you have (no offense for asking) the "extraordinary ability" in your field? That is their phrase not mine. Just having the qualifications wouldn't be enough. You'd probably have to show your coaching ability, by naming off world class athletes that you have personally coached or trained.