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NEWS: Loverin Tamburin Band Barred From Entering United States


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CCTakato



Joined: 24 Jul 2015
Posts: 514
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:47 am Reply with quote
And now Japan knows how messed up the American immigration system is.
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Grand_Adm1ral



Joined: 28 Sep 2015
Posts: 3
Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:02 am Reply with quote
CCTakato wrote:
And now Japan knows how messed up the American immigration system is.


Or, rather, the competence level of GS employees. I have learned to generally expect these types of results. Just another day in our wonderful bureaucracy.
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Aquaregia99



Joined: 19 Jan 2014
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:29 am Reply with quote
I'm not terribly familiar with visa issuance, but it sounds like a miscommunication about the requirements for working in the United States (maybe the embassy thought it was a non-work related visit).

Feel bad for the performers having to fly here and back in such a short time period and the people who wanted to attend their performance.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1748
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:32 am Reply with quote
..and both of you have no idea as to how the immigration system in the US works. I do.

While there are many incompetent and lazy government employees (I work with many of them), this is not the fault of the officers working at the airport. This is the consular office's fault and Loverin's management. The U.S. Consulate could have issued the entire band a P (Performer) visa, which would apply to the entire group and for this performance. I'm curious to know how the band's management applied to the US consulate in Japan. Did they say "We are going to perform a concert for which we will receive monetary compensation" or did they merely state that they were going to attend AWA?

The key factor in this case is "Is the band receiving payment and, if so, is that from a US or foreign source"? If the band was performing for free, they would have likely have been admitted. If they were receiving payment from a foreign source, while questionable, I could see a waiver being granted. But as it sounds as if the convention is the one paying for them to perform, they're inadmissible without a visa.

The interesting thing is that most foreign guests, including those performing at conventions, usually come in under the visa waiver program. This is just one of those cases where they were caught.

Note to conventions - Get your ducks in a row when it comes to foreign guests. You. Should. Know. Better.
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Grand_Adm1ral



Joined: 28 Sep 2015
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Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 1:44 am Reply with quote
Cutiebunny wrote:

..and both of you have no idea as to how the immigration system in the US works. I do.

While there are many incompetent and lazy government employees (I work with many of them), this is not the fault of the officers working at the airport. This is the consular office's fault and Loverin's management. The U.S. Consulate could have issued the entire band a P (Performer) visa, which would apply to the entire group and for this performance.


Well said. I apologize - I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of our immigration system. I am, however, quite familiar with the general incompetence of GS...

Cutiebunny wrote:
Note to conventions - Get your ducks in a row when it comes to foreign guests. You. Should. Know. Better.


Good point, they should have communicated with their guests.
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rankothefiremage



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 517
Location: Michigan
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:13 am Reply with quote
Wouldn't this be the fault of the people running the con?

For not making sure that everyone has their paperwork in order to have the show go on?
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championferret



Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 765
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:06 am Reply with quote
These guys managed to come to SMASH in Australia last month just fine, too. I dont think our security has reached the extremity of the US yet but it's still pretty draconian.
Must be disappointing for them...I wonder if they'd been to the US before, because that would be a hell of a bad first impression otherwise. Sad
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
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Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:11 am Reply with quote
This is why it is important to have a visa when you can.
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sakurablossom143



Joined: 30 Mar 2007
Posts: 201
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:00 am Reply with quote
Hmm...and they are supposed to appear at my local convention next year... I wonder how things are going to work out.
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SaitoHajime101



Joined: 31 Mar 2013
Posts: 283
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:11 am Reply with quote
Let's keep in mind that they were turned back in Toronto, not the US. I'm pretty sure there's a different set of rules and red-tape when passing through another country before their final destination.
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SquadmemberRitsu



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1391
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:59 am Reply with quote
Wow, that's a shame. I saw them play live at SMASH last month (And back in 2013 when they last came to Australia) and they were really good. They're one of those bands whose live performances sound way better than the actual recordings.

I feel bad for them. Plus I know they're not the most popular band on Earth, but having seen them play live I feel bad for all the people missing out on seeing them because of this.

I assume it'll be okay since they didn't run into any trouble when they came to Australia, but here's hoping that they don't hit any snags while travelling to other countries.
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Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:37 am Reply with quote
Had the conventions took time to inform Loverin Tamburin about how they needed a visa to enter the U.S., this mishap could have been avoided.
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
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Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:38 am Reply with quote
Mr. Oshawott wrote:
Had the conventions took time to inform Loverin Tamburin about how they needed a visa to enter the U.S., this mishap could have been avoided.


Even if that's the case, sometimes foreign celebrities might think that visas don't apply to them.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1748
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:26 am Reply with quote
SaitoHajime101 wrote:
Let's keep in mind that they were turned back in Toronto, not the US. I'm pretty sure there's a different set of rules and red-tape when passing through another country before their final destination.


They were turned around by the US, actually.

It's no secret that most flights coming directly from Canada to the US are cleared by US Authorities in Canada. That means that all passengers are examined by both immigration and customs officials, also known as Customs and Border Protection, prior to their arrival in the US. As the article states, it was the US that decided to not let them in, not Canada. In order to make it to their connecting flight from Canada to the US, the band would have already have been granted entry to Canada. Canada would have no reason to deny them entry as they were solely in transit through Canada, and that's something you can use the visa waiver program to accomplish as long as both countries are a member of that program.

As for the convention's management fault in all this - Someone, somewhere along the way, was aware that a visa needed to be issued. I'd be more inclined to believe that Loverin's management knew about it as the band had visited other countries in the past and likely had to obtain the proper documentation prior to performing. Many US conventions are not aware of the legal requirements either because they have no one who is familiar with the law on staff, don't want the additional expense of hiring a lawyer to navigate the system for a couple guests or they don't want the additional expense paying for a visa.

Perhaps this will serve as a wake-up call for conventions to be more attuned to these matters instead of constantly skirting the law by relying on the visa waiver program. Either way, this looks bad for AWA and may affect their chances of bringing over other Japanese guests in the future.
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nhat



Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 922
PostPosted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 11:13 am Reply with quote
CCTakato wrote:
And now Japan knows how messed up the American immigration system is.


This have nothing to do with immigration. If you think the US immigration is messed up, look at JP or some EU nations
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