Most people don’t think about immigration law when they are watching sports. There is a reason for that – people shouldn’t need to think about immigration law when watching sports. Until a few days ago, however, USCIS’s policy had caused many sports leagues to worry about immigration law.
As American sports have gained popularity throughout the globe, American sports leagues have welcomed more foreign nationals into their ranks. In fact, 52 foreign nationals were on the starting day rosters of NBA teams this year and nearly 30% of Major League Baseball players are foreign nationals.
Most foreign national athletes enter the United States with a P-1 non-immigrant visa. Until recently the USCIS had only allowed the P-1 visa to be extended for a maximum of ten years. This limitation had caused numerous sports leagues heartburn because they feared foreign nationals might be forced to leave the United States while still in the prime of their careers.
Luckily, according the the AP, the USCIS has recently changed its policy to allow for the extension of the P-1 visa past the ten year limitation. Now there is certainly no reason to worry about immigration law while watching sports.