May 16, 2008

Possible New P-4 Visa for Fashion Models

The House Judiciary Subcommittee approved a bill that would reclassify the visa category for fashion models.

This bill, H.R. 4080, would amend the current nonimmigrant visa category for fashion models from H-1B to P-4, a new visa category. The move to the P classification would mean fashion models would be categorized with artists and athletes. The proposed P-4 classification defines the category as a fashion model who is of distinguished merit and ability and who is seeking to enter the United States temporarily to perform fashion modeling services that involve events or productions which have a distinguished reputation or that are performed for an organization or establishment that has a distinguished reputation for, or a record of, utilizing prominent modeling talent.


Now the bill will be debated by the full House Judiciary Committee. Once it is cleared through the Committee, it will move to the House of Representatives for a vote.