The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3636, the O VISA Act, by a voice vote.

House passage of the O VISA Act is a big win for IATSE members. The bill requires the United States Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) to inform IATSE of the disposition of petitions and approval of O visas for foreign film crew members.   This transparency is important because USCIS has ignored significant fraud and abuse in the O visa program, and this unaddressed fraud and abuse has often allowed foreign productions shooting in the U.S. to import unqualified, non-union workers who undercut IATSE standard wages and benefits.  

Through its strong bipartisan support of H.R. 3636, the House of Representatives has declared its agreement with IATSE concerns about USCIS failure to address fraud and abuse in the O visa program.  

IATSE would like to thank Congresswoman Mimi Walters (R-CA) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) for sponsoring H.R. 3636 and supporting IATSE members.