or following to join the alien beneficiary in the United States. Neither the spouse nor a child of the alien beneficiary may accept employment unless he or she has been granted employment authorization.

(E) Essential support aliens. Petitions for essential support personnel to P-1, P-2, and P-3 aliens shall be valid for a period of time determined by the Director to be necessary to complete the event, activity, or performance for which the P-1, P-2, or P-3 alien is admitted, not to exceed 1 year.

(9) Denial of petition—(i) Notice of intent to deny. When an adverse decision is proposed on the basis of derogatory information of which the petitioner is unaware, the Director shall notify the petitioner of the intent to deny the petition and the basis for the denial. The petitioner may inspect and rebut the evidence and will be granted a period of 30 days from the date of the notice in which to do so. All relevant rebuttal material will be considered in making a final decision.

(ii) Notice of denial. The petitioner shall be notified of the decision, the reasons for the denial, and the right to appeal the denial under 8 CFR part 103. There is no appeal from a decision to deny an extension of stay to the alien or a change of nonimmigrant status.

(10) Revocation of approval of petition-(i) General. (A) The petitioner shall immediately notify the Service of any changes in the terms and conditions of employment of a beneficiary which may affect eligibility under section 101(a)(15)(P) of the Act and paragraph (p) of this section. An amended petition should be filed when the petitioner continues to employ the beneficiary. If the petitioner no longer employs the beneficiary, the petitioner shall send a letter explaining the change(s) to the Director who approved the petition.

(B) The Director may revoke a petition at any time, even after the validity of the petition has expired.

(ii) Automatic revocation. The approval of an unexpired petition is automatically revoked if the petitioner, or the employer in a petition filed by an agent, goes out of business, files a written withdrawal of the petition, or noti

fies the Service that the beneficiary is no longer employed by the petitioner.

(iii) Revocation on notice-(A) Grounds for revocation. The Director shall send to the petitioner a notice of intent to revoke the petition in relevant part if he or she finds that:

(1) The beneficiary is no longer employed by the petitioner in the capacity specified in the petition;

(2) The statement of facts contained in the petition were not true and correct;

(3) The petitioner violated the terms or conditions of the approved petition;

(4) The petitioner violated requirements of section 101(a)(15)(P) of the Act or paragraph (p) of this section; or

(5) The approval of the petition violated paragraph (p) of this section or involved gross error.

(B) Notice and decision. The notice of intent to revoke shall contain a detailed statement of the grounds for the revocation and the time period allowed for the petitioner's rebuttal. The petitioner may submit evidence in rebuttal within 30 days of the date of the notice. The Director shall consider all relevant evidence presented in deciding whether to revoke the petition.

(11) Appeal of a denial or a revocation of a petition—(i) Denial. A denied petition may be appealed under 8 CFR part 103.

(ii) Revocation. A petition that has been revoked on notice may be appealed under 8 CFR part 103. Automatic revocations may not be appealed.

(12) Admission. A beneficiary may be admitted to the United States for the validity period of the petition, plus a period of up to 10 days before the validity period begins and 10 days after the validity period ends. The beneficiary may not work except during the validity period of the petition.

(13) Extension of visa petition validity. The petitioner shall file a request to extend the validity of the original petition under section 101(a)(15)(P) of the Act on Form I-129 in order to continue or complete the same activity or event specified in the original petition. Supporting documents are not required unless requested by the Director. A petition extension may be filed only if the validity of the original petition has not expired.

(14) Extension of stay-(i) Extension procedure. The petitioner shall request extension of the alien's stay to continue or complete the same event or activity by filing Form I-129, accompanied by a statement explaining the reasons for the extension. The petitioner must also request a petition extension. The extension dates shall be the same for the petition and the beneficiary's stay. The beneficiary must be physically present in the United States at the time the extension of stay is filed. Even though the requests to extend the petition and the alien's stay are combined on the petition, the Director shall make a separate determination on each. If the alien leaves the United States for business or personal reasons while the extension requests are pending, the petitioner may request the Director to cable notification of approval of the petition extension to the consular office abroad where the alien will apply for a visa.

(ii) Extension periods-(A) P-1 individual athlete. An extension of stay for a P-1 individual athlete and his or her essential support personnel may be authorized for a period up to 5 years for a total period of stay not to exceed 10 years.

(B) Other P-1, P-2, and P-3 aliens. An extension of stay may be authorized in increments of 1 year for P-1 athletic teams, entertainment groups, aliens in reciprocal exchange programs, aliens in culturally unique programs, and their essential support personnel to continue or complete the same event or activity for which they were admitted.

(15) Effect of approval of a permanent labor certification or filing of a preference petition on P classification. The approval of a permanent labor certification or the filing of a preference petition for an alien shall not be a basis for denying a P petition, a request to extend such a petition, or the alien's admission, change of status, or extension of stay. The alien may legitimately come to the United States for a temporary period as a P nonimmigrant and depart voluntarily at the end of his or her authorized stay and, at the same time, lawfully seek to become a permanent resident of the United States. This provision does not include essential support personnel.

(16) Effect of a strike-(i) If the Secretary of Labor certifies to the Commissioner that a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppage of workers is in progress in the occupation at the place where the beneficiary is to be employed, and that the employment of the beneficiary would adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. citizens and lawful resident workers:

(A) A petition to classify an alien as a nonimmigrant as defined in section 101(a)(15)(P) of the Act shall be denied;

or

(B) If a petition has been approved, but the alien has not yet entered the United States, or has entered the United States but has not commenced employment, the approval of the petition is automatically suspended, and the application for admission of the basis of the petition shall be denied.

(ii) If there is a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppage of workers in progress, but such strike or other labor dispute is not certified under paragraph (p)(16)(i) of this section, the Commissioner shall not deny a petition or suspend an approved petition.

(iii) If the alien has already commenced employment in the United States under an approved petition and is participating in a strike or labor dispute involving a work stoppage of workers, whether or not such strike or other labor dispute has been certified by the Secretary of Labor, the alien shall not be deemed to be failing to maintain his or her status solely on account of past, present, or future participation in a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppage of workers but is subject to the following terms and conditions:

(A) The alien shall remain subject to all applicable provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act and regulations promulgated thereunder in the same manner as all other P nonimmigrant aliens;

(B) The status and authorized period of stay of such an alien is not modified or extended in any way by virtue of his or her participation in a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppage of workers; and

(C) Although participation by a P nonimmigrant alien in a strike or other labor dispute involving a work stoppages of workers will not constitute a ground for deportation, an alien who violates his or her status or who remains in the United States after his or her authorized period of stay has expired, will be subject to deportation.

(17) Use of approval of notice, Form I797. The Service has notify the petitioner on Form I-797 whenever a visa petition or an extension of a visa petition is approved under the P classification. The beneficiary of a P petition who does not require a nonimmigrant visa may present a copy of the approved notice at a Port-of-Entry to facilitate entry into the United States. A beneficiary who is required to present a visa for admission, and whose visa expired before the date of his or her intended return, may use Form I-797 to apply for a new or revalidated visa during the validity period of the petition. The copy of Form I-797 shall be retained by the beneficiary and present during the validity of the petition when reentering the United States to resume the same employment with the same petitioner.

(18) Return transportation requirement. In the case of an alien who enters the United States under section 101(a)(15)(P) of the Act and whose employment terminates for reasons other than voluntary resignation, the employer whose offer of employment formed the basis of suh nonimmigrant status and the petitioner are jointly and severally liable for the reasonable cost of return transporation of the alien abroad. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "abroad" means the alien's last place of residence prior to his or her entry into the United States.

(q) Cultural visitors-(1)(i) International cultural exchange visitors program. Paragraphs (q)(2) through (q)(11) of this section provide the rules governing nonimmigrant aliens who are visiting the United States temporarily in an international cultural exchange visitors program (Q-1).

(ii) Irish peace process cultural and training program. Paragraph (q)(15) of this section provides the rules governing nonimmigrant aliens who are

visiting the United States temporarily under the Irish peace process cultural and training program (Q-2) and their dependents (Q-3).

(iii) Definitions. As used in this section:

Country of nationality means the country of which the participant was a national at the time of the petition seeking international cultural exchange visitor status for him or her.

Doing business means the regular, systematic, and continuous provision of goods and/or services (including lectures, seminars and other types of cultural programs) by a qualified employer which has employees, and does not include the mere presence of an agent or office of the qualifying employer.

Duration of program means the time in which a qualified employer is conducting an approved international cultural exchange program in the manner as established by the employer's petition for program approval, provided that the period of time does not exceed 15 months.

International cultural exchange visitor means an alien who has a residence in a foreign country which he or she has no intention of abandoning, and who is coming temporarily to the United States to take part in an international cultural exchange program approved by the Attorney General.

Petitioner means the employer or its designated agent who has been employed by the qualified employer on a permanent basis in an executive or managerial capacity. The designated agent must be a United States citizen, an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or an alien provided temporary residence status under sections 210 or 245A of the Act.

Qualified employer means a United States or foreign firm, corporation. non-profit organization, or other legal entity (including its U.S. branches, subsidiaries, affiliates, and franchises) which administers an international cultural exchange program designated by the Attorney General in accordance with the provisions of section 101(a)(15)(Q)(i) of the Act.

(2) Admission of international cultural exchange visitor—(i) General. A nonimmigrant alien may be authorized to

enter the United States as a participant in an international cultural exchange program approved by the Attorney General for the purpose of providing practical training, employment, and the sharing of the history, culture, and traditions of the country of the alien's nationality. The period of admission is the duration of the approved international cultural exchange program or fifteen (15) months, whichever is shorter. A nonimmigrant alien admitted under this provision is classifiable as an international cultural exchange visitor in Q-1 status.

non

(3) International cultural exchange program-(i) General. A United States employer shall petition the Attorney General on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for approval of an international cultural exchange program which is designed to provide an opportunity for the American public to learn about foreign cultures. The United States employer must simultaneously petition on the same Form I129 for the authorization for one or more individually identified immigrant aliens to be admitted in Q1 status. These aliens are to be admitted to engage in employment or training of which the essential element is the sharing with the American public, or a segment of the public sharing a common cultural interest, of the culture of the alien's country of nationality. The international cultural exchange visitor's eligibility for admission will be considered only if the international cultural exchange program is approved.

(ii) Program validity. Each petition for an international cultural exchange program will be approved for the duration of the program, which may not exceed 15 months, plus 30 days to allow time

for the participants to make travel arrangements. Subsequent to the approval of the initial petition, a new petition must be filed each time the qualified employer wishes to bring in additional cultural visitors. A qualified employer may replace or substitute a participant named on a previously approved petition for the remainder of the program in accordance with paragraph (q)(6) of this section. The replacement or substituting alien may be admitted in Q-1 status until the expiration date of the approved petition.

(iii) Requirements for program арproval. An international cultural exchange program must meet all of the following requirements:

(A) Accessibility to the public. The international cultural exchange program must take place in a school, museum, business or other establishment where the American public, or a segment of the public sharing a common cultural interest, is exposed to aspects of a foreign culture as part of a structured program. Activities that take place in a private home or an isolated business setting to which the American public, or a segment of the public sharing a common cultural interest, does not have direct access do not qualify.

(B) Cultural component. The international cultural exchange program must have a cultural component which is an essential and integral part of the international cultural exchange visitor's employment or training. The cultural component must be designed, on the whole, to exhibit or explain the attitude, customs, history, heritage, philosophy, or traditions of the international cultural exchange visitor's country of nationality. A cultural component may include structured instructional activities such as seminars, courses, lecture series, or language camps.

(C) Work component. The international cultural exchange visitor's employment or training in the United States may not be independent of the cultural component of the international cultural exchange program. The work component must serve as the vehicle to achieve the objectives of the cultural component. The sharing of the culture of the international cultural

exchange visitor's country of nationality must result from his or her employment or training with the qualified employer in the United States.

(iv) Requirements for international cultural exchange visitors. To be eligible for international cultural exchange visitor status, an alien must be a bona fide nonimmigrant who:

(A) Is at least 18 years of age at the time the petition is filed;

(B) Is qualified to perform the service or labor or receive the type of training stated in the petition;

(C) Has the ability to communicate effectively about the cultural attributes of his or her country of nationality to the American public; and

(D) Has resided and been physically present outside of the United States for the immediate prior year, if he or she was previously admitted as an international cultural exchange visitor.

(4) Supporting documentation-(i) Documentation by the employer. To establish eligibility as a qualified employer, the petitioner must submit with the completed Form I-129 appropriate evidence that the employer:

(A) Maintains an established international cultural exchange program in accordance with the requirements set forth in paragraph (q)(3) of this section;

(B) Has designated a qualified employee as a representative who will be responsible for administering the international cultural exchange program and who will serve as liaison with the Immigration and Naturalization Serv

ice;

(C) Is actively doing business in the United States;

(D) Will offer the alien(s) wages and working conditions comparable to those accorded local domestic workers similarly employed; and

(E) Has the financial ability to remunerate the participant(s).

(ii) Certification by petitioner. (A) The petitioner must give the date of birth, country of nationality, level of education, position title, and a brief job description for each international cultural exchange visitor included in the petition. The petitioner must verify and certify that the prospective participants are qualified to perform the service or labor, or receive the type of training, described in the petition.

(B) The petitioner must report the international cultural exchange visitors' wages and certify that such cultural exchange visitors are offered wages and working conditions comparable to those accorded to local domestic workers similarly employed.

(iii) Supporting documentation as prescribed in paragraphs (q)(4)(i) and (q)(4)(ii) of this section must accompany a petition filed on Form I-129 in all cases except where the employer files multiple petitions in the same calendar year. When petitioning to repeat a previously approved international cultural exchange program, a copy of the initial program approval notice may be submitted in lieu of the documentation required under paragraph (q)(4)(i) of this section. The Service will request additional documentation only when clarification is needed.

(5) Filing of petitions for international cultural exchange visitor program-(i) General. A United States employer seeking to bring in international cultural exchange visitors must file a petition on Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, with the applicable fee, along with appropriate documentation. The petition and accompanying documentation should be filed with either the service center having jurisdiction over the employer's headquarters or the service center having jurisdiction over the area where the international cultural exchange visitors will perform services or labor or will receive training. A new petition on Form I-129, with the applicable fee, must be filed with the appropriate service center each time a qualified employer wants to bring in additional international cultural exchange visitors. Each person named on an approved petition will be admitted only for the duration of the approved program. Replacement or substitution may be made for any person named on an approved petition as provided in paragraph (q)(6) of this section, but only for the remainder of the approved program.

(ii) Petition for multiple participants. The petitioner may include more than one participant on the petition. The petitioner shall include the name, date of