# Martial Arts Visas: Athletes and Instructors | P-1A, O-1A, EB-1A

> Altius Immigration Law PLLC is a U.S. immigration law firm in Washington, D.C., serving clients in all 50 states. Principal attorney: André Matias. Practice areas: green cards, family-based immigration, employment-based and temporary work visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1, P-1), investment visas (E-2), adjustment of status, and citizenship & naturalization.

Source: https://altius.law/martial-arts-visa-lawyer/

Summary: US visas for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate, Muay Thai and kickboxing athletes and instructors: competing on a P-1A, teaching on an O-1, and the EB-1A.

##### Sports Immigration

This page is for martial artists coming to the United States, whether to compete or to teach. The visa categories are the ones every athlete uses, the [P-1A](/temporary-visas/p-1-visa/), the [O-1](/temporary-visas/o-1-visa/) and the [EB-1A green card](/eb-1a-green-card-athletes/), and in these arts the choice turns on the work you will actually do. Altius Immigration Law is led by André Matias, an Olympian, and handles visas for martial artists and instructors through its [sports immigration](/sports-visa-and-immigration-lawyer/) practice.

## Competing or teaching: the question that decides the visa

**The P-1A is for competing.** Under the P-1A regulation, the athlete must be "coming to the United States to participate in an athletic competition which has a distinguished reputation and which requires participation of an athlete or athletic team that has an international reputation" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(A)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). A job teaching classes at an academy is not an athletic competition, and the P-1A rule does not describe instructors.

**The O-1 can cover teaching, on the right record.** The O-1 is for a person with "extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics" shown by "sustained national or international acclaim," coming "to continue work in the area of extraordinary ability" ([8 CFR 214.2(o)(1)(ii)(A)(1)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). The regulation does not say whether a champion competitor's acclaim carries over to instructing. In its Policy Manual, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) treats "an acclaimed athlete coming to be a coach" as a question of shared skills, knowledge or expertise; the P-1 guidance has no equivalent passage ([USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part M, Chapter 4](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-m-chapter-4)). The petition still has to show the acclaim in the work the person will do here. An instructor without that record may not fit the O-1, so the offer should be reviewed before it is accepted.

**Belt rank and lineage fit only indirectly.** The seven P-1A evidence items do not mention belt rank ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(B)(2)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). For the O-1, where the listed criteria "do not readily apply to the beneficiary's occupation, the petitioner may submit comparable evidence" ([8 CFR 214.2(o)(3)(iii)(C)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). The regulation names no martial-arts credential, so a black-belt certification, a lineage or an instructor credential offered under that rule needs expert letters explaining what it shows.

**The P-3 is narrow.** The P-3 is for "artists or entertainers" coming for the purpose of "developing, interpreting, representing, coaching, or teaching a unique or traditional ethnic, folk, cultural, musical, theatrical, or artistic performance or presentation" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(6)(i)(A)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). The petition needs expert statements on the authenticity of the skills and evidence that "all of the performances or presentations will be culturally unique events" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(6)(ii)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)), and approval lasts up to one year ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(8)(iii)(C)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). The category is written for artists and entertainers, not athletes, so a martial-arts P-3 would need to be framed as a cultural program rather than a sport.

**For staying,** a competitor or instructor with a sustained record may qualify for the [EB-1A green card for athletes](/eb-1a-green-card-athletes/), a separate petition with its own evidence.

## Four arts, four structures

Each art is organized differently, and the organizations below are where the evidence comes from.

- **Brazilian jiu-jitsu.** The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) publishes athlete and academy rankings, certifies black belts, and runs the World championships ([IBJJF](https://ibjjf.com/)). The list of national governing bodies kept by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has no entry for jiu-jitsu ([USOPC](https://www.usopc.org/NGB-IMS)).
- **Karate.** The World Karate Federation (WKF) ran its 2025 World Championships as a qualification tournament in Paris on October 17 to 19 and a final phase in Cairo on November 27 to 30 ([WKF](https://www.wkf.net/world-championships)). The U.S. national governing body on the USOPC's list is the USA National Karate-do Federation ([USOPC](https://www.usopc.org/NGB-IMS)).
- **Muay Thai.** The International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) received full recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 138th IOC Session on July 20, 2021 ([IFMA, July 20, 2021](https://muaythai.sport/ifma-granted-full-recognition-at-138th-ioc-session-in-tokyo/)). USA Muaythai describes itself as "the sole US National Federation for IFMA & Recognized under the USOPC" ([USA Muaythai](https://usamuaythai.sport/we-are-usa-muaythai/)); the sport does not appear on the USOPC's list of national governing bodies ([USOPC](https://www.usopc.org/NGB-IMS)).
- **Kickboxing.** The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) publishes official results, including its 2025 World Championships ([WAKO](https://www.wako.sport/official-results)). The USOPC's list has no kickboxing governing body ([USOPC](https://www.usopc.org/NGB-IMS)).

National-team competition at a world championship answers the P-1A criterion for "international competition with a national team," a ranking answers the criterion for athletes "ranked if the sport has international rankings," and a world title can be evidence of "a significant honor or award in the sport" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(B)(2)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)).

## Competing at a U.S. tournament

Major events are held in the United States: the IBJJF lists the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship 2026 for December 10 to 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada ([IBJJF](https://ibjjf.com/)).

- **Unpaid amateurs.** Under the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual, an amateur "who will not be paid" and competes in an athletic event may use a B-2 visitor visa, even with expenses reimbursed; a performer "who is normally compensated for performing" cannot ([9 FAM 402.2-4(A)(7)](https://fam.state.gov/fam/09FAM/09FAM040202.html)).
- **Prize money only.** The State Department allows a B-1 for professional athletes paid nothing from a U.S. source "other than prize money," whose principal place of business is abroad and whose salary accrues abroad ([9 FAM 402.2-5(C)(4)](https://fam.state.gov/fam/09FAM/09FAM040202.html)). Check whether the event pays prize money before relying on that route.
- **Contracts.** The P-1A asks for a tendered contract only "if such contracts are normally executed in the sport" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(B)(1)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). If you enter events rather than sign a contract, the petition should explain how competitors in your art are engaged.

A competitor entering events run by different organizers in the same period faces the rule that each employer files separately unless an agent files ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(2)(iv)(B)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)), and an agent may file for workers "who use agents to arrange short-term employment on their behalf with numerous employers" ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(2)(iv)(E)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). Altius does not act as an agent petitioner itself; it works with agent-petitioner services and can refer you to one.

## Professional Muay Thai and kickboxing

Professional striking bouts are regulated by state athletic commissions; Nevada's rules are a useful example. In Nevada, a contest of "kickboxing, Muay Thai, Thai boxing or another variation of kickboxing" follows the official rules of its sanctioning organization, submitted with the promoter's permit application under the Nevada Administrative Code ([section 467.009](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-467.html)). The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) publishes unified rules for Muay Thai and for professional and amateur kickboxing ([ABC, Unified Rules](https://www.abcboxing.com/unified-rules/)).

In Nevada the corner is capped at three seconds (the assistants who work the corner), or four with the state athletic commission's approval for a main event, world title or special event ([section 467.635](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-467.html)). A trainer in that corner may qualify as **P-1S** essential support: USCIS lists coaches and trainers among support personnel whose services "cannot be readily performed by a U.S. worker" ([USCIS, P-1A Athlete](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/p-1a-athlete)). For an O-1 fighter, the equivalent is the **O-2** ([8 CFR 214.2(o)(1)(ii)(B)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)).

## The consultation letter

The [P-1A page](/temporary-visas/p-1-visa/) explains the consultation letter further. A P-1 petition needs a written advisory opinion, or a letter of no objection, from a labor organization with expertise in the sport, unless none exists ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(7)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). USCIS's index of consultation sources, updated September 11, 2026, lists no organization for jiu-jitsu, karate, Muay Thai or kickboxing ([USCIS, Address Index for I-129 O and P Consultation Letters](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/address-index-for-i-129-o-and-p-consultation-letters)). A P-3 consultation should "evaluate the cultural uniqueness of the alien's skills" and say whether the events are cultural in nature ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(7)(v)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). For an O-1 instructor, the consultation can come from a peer group of practitioners of the art, including one or more individual experts ([8 CFR 214.2(o)(3)(ii) and (o)(5)(i)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)).

## College

The participation report of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has no entry for karate, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai or kickboxing ([NCAA participation report, updated September 19, 2024](https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/sportpart/2024RES_SportsSponsorshipParticipationRatesReport.pdf)). A student reaches paid work through a professional bout agreement, a prize-money event or a teaching job, and each needs its own category.

## Pitfalls specific to martial arts

- **An instructor filed as an athlete.** A P-1A for someone whose U.S. job is teaching classes does not match the regulation's test of competing in a distinguished competition ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(4)(ii)(A)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)). Choose the category by the work.
- **Rank presented as a ranking.** A belt is not an international ranking. Present it as comparable evidence with expert support ([8 CFR 214.2(o)(3)(iii)(C)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)), and use federation rankings where they exist.
- **A P-3 for a regular teaching job.** Every P-3 performance or presentation must be a culturally unique event ([8 CFR 214.2(p)(6)(ii)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/214.2)); a regular class schedule at a commercial academy is hard to fit.

## What we need from you

- What you will do in the United States: compete, teach, or both, with the offer, contract or event entry
- Your competition record, rankings and titles with the IBJJF, WKF, IFMA, WAKO or a professional promotion
- Your belt certifications, lineage and instructor credentials
- National-team selections and letters from your federation
- Press coverage and letters from recognized experts in the art

[Schedule a Consultation](/scheduling/)

---
Book a consultation: https://altius.law/scheduling/
Phone: +1 (202) 794-9140
Website: https://altius.law