Hi All-- Regrettably, Leandro Palou and Andrea Misse have also had to cancel their May 3-8 engagement in Los Angeles. They sincerely regret this inconvenience. It was absolutely unavoidable and is in no way their fault, but rather due to the mess at the U.S. Embassy and their resulting inability to pick up their (already approved) work visas in time for their May workshops in the U.S. We will try to reschedule their L.A. visit sometime in the fall. This just emphasizes that all tango organizers in the U.S. MUST make sure that the teachers for whom they organize have their work visas approved and issued well ahead of the dates on which they are expecting to enter the country. The days of teachers just breezing in like tourists without any visa are OVER, folks. They are going to have to apply for work visas, declare their income, pay taxes, etc. Even getting a tourist visa is becoming very difficult, as one has to prove that they have sufficient motivation to return to Argentina when the visa is up and not overstay illegally. That means proving sufficient family ties, employment, property interests (like owning a house), bank accounts, credit cards, etc. On the plus side, this will help stop the proliferation of "world-renowned" unknowns who in fact have never taught in Buenos Aires but are coming here claiming to be "tango teachers from Buenos Aires" because they can't get any other work down there. Everyone applying for a work visa has to prove that they have a track record as a tango professional, with documentation of past teaching, performing, etc. and recommendations. The intrepid and wonderful Lisa Battan (aka "the immigration attorney to the tango stars") has elaborated on this before and can do so with much more detail and knowledge than I can. I urge everyone to be in contact with her (sorry, Lisa--I know you're swamped already!) or another well informed immigration attorney before committing to organize for anybody. Regards, Linda Valentino
