By Ngan Huynh on March 19, 2022 Recently, two MFA alumni have received highly competitive O-1 artist visas: Roshan Ganu and Dawn Yang. I had a chance to reach out to them both to get some insights about the O-1 application process, as well as learn about their art practice. The two artists were very kind in giving out advice to international students about the visa process while sharing what it was like to graduate during quarantine. This special feature will be divided into two parts since each artist has their own unique experience to share. Before we dive into the conversation, here's a list of some types of visas the artists will talk about that you might want to get familiarized with. The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) allows you to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. You must be enrolled in a program or course of study that culminates in a degree, diploma, or certificate and your school must be authorized by the U.S. government to accept international students. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). The O-1 Visa: Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement is for the individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements. There are two types of O-1 visas: O-1A and O-1B. Roshan Ganu - Multimedia Narrative Artist Roshan Ganu ’20, MFA, is a multimedia narrative artist originally from Goa-India, now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from MCAD with an MFA degree in Visual Studies. Mining objects and moments from her cultural memory juxtaposed with elements from her present reality, she creates a hybrid space where reality and fiction coexist. Ganu collaborated with Mia during their Virtual Family Days program by making animated videos with her character Chappal guiding visitors through artworks from Mia’s collection. She is a recipient of the MNiatures: Mini Operas Big Ideas grant by Minnesota Opera, the Next Step Fund Grant 2021 by MRAC, as well as the Artists Respond: Combating Social Isolation grant by Springboard For The Arts. Can you describe the O-1 Visa and the process for obtaining it? It's tricky because each one's practice is different. It would be more straightforward in the case of an H1B visa because you obtain that through your employer’s sponsorship. Application for the O-1 visa is based on each person's practice. It depends a lot on your portfolio, awards, and press. I would say 70% of the application and the process is based on your work and who you choose to be as an artist, then 40% is based on the lawyer. Having a good lawyer who understands your work and the O-1 process is very important. Other than that, the application form is the same for everyone. The difference is the story you present to Immigration, and how you convince them to give you a visa, just like one does for a grant. You’re making a case that you are amazing, you are worthy of the grant, sending across the message to the Immigration Department that “you need to give me the visa or you lose something/someone good”, and to support your point of credibility and excellence. Make sure you organize all of your materials for the application. These can include work or press awards, recommendation letters from the industry, and/or pure letters of recommendation. Some lawyers are documentation-heavy because they think quantity matters while others prefer quality with limited materials. You can also do it by yourself but it's just less stressful to have someone professional help you out. It's really important to put yourself out there and ask people to write these things for you. Start your process early, 2-3 months in advance. It's important to identify the people who can write you a letter so make sure to make lots of connections while you're in school. Hint: Studio visits really go a long way. How many other submissions were there? I have no idea—it's a large pool and I know it's a tough one. I don't know how many got approved/rejected but since it is portfolio and recognition based it makes it challenging. People who are not in the US can also apply for it, so in a way, it is a worldwide pool. What was the process like applying to be in the US in the first place (before the O-1 Visa)? I applied to be an International student in 2018, then I spent 2 years in the MFA program via the F-1 visa, with a 1-year work permit OPT after graduation. Britt will actually guide you through the process so make sure to get in touch with her as soon as possible. She took care of everything relating to immigration and studying abroad. Make sure that 1-2 months before school is over you must apply for OPT. Once your OPT is over, your F-1 visa expires, so you need to apply for the O-1 visa before that. How long does the visa last, and what will the process be for reapplying? You are eligible to renew the visa but the application for that is different for each person's situation. The O-1 visa is for a maximum of 3 years depending on when you apply and when you get approved. Immigration (USCIS) received my application on June 30 through regular processing and I waited until October for a decision, but there was no news. It was taking too long and I couldn't do anything about it, so I decided to go through the Premium Processing route which restarted the process. So when you submit the application, there's something called a premium fee, it's basically a rush fee for the application, usually, they will process it within 15 days with this fee. This year the fee was $2500 + FedEx charges. I paid the premium fee to have my application processed faster the second time. This was in mid-October and I received my result by November 1. I would recommend paying the premium fee if you're rushing in time or if you are anxious about waiting. Timeline is very important in the process of applying for an O-1 visa because the day has to be right after OPT and the 3-year duration starts counting right after you send in your application. Can you talk a bit about your art practice? What has it been like post-graduation? I am a multimedia narrative artist and I draw my narrative inspiration from an autobiographical space. I graduated when the world shut down in May 2020 which opened my eyes to the diverse ways in which we can use/view art. I learned during that time to look at art as a service not only for the world but for myself as well. Since I couldn't apply for any work due to the world shutting down, I tried to keep my engagement with people alive through my art practice. Through the quarantine, I started proposing opportunities to people and organizations instead of waiting for things to come to me. Do you plan to revisit MCAD and talk about your works? Absolutely! I would love to help students out with the visa process in general, but also I would love to talk about what it's like just to be here as an artist and ways to navigate it as a career path. Is there any advice you would like to give to international students? Different O-1 visas have different processes. My advice is to pursue what you like to do. The O1 visa process is all-consuming and you can get lost in doing things for the visa. But I would say choose what you want to do and what interests you, then navigate those interests into awards, presses, and recognition. Give your O-1 visa application a purpose rather than just applying for a visa. It's okay to check boxes and get things done but balance it out with things you want to do with things you need to do. Again, studio visits really go a long way. That's how you get moral support, hope, exposure, and feel grounded in the country. The MCAD community is very supportive in terms of immigration and visa. Also try to push yourself out a bit more to put your names out there by applying for an internship, apprenticeship, going to art exhibitions, etc. If possible, advocate for your passion to work for you rather than only focusing on achievement. Focus on something you like to do and are passionate about and work hard, achievements will come. Ganu's website Explore more about Roshan Ganu