In this episode, Shai and Roderick break down the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Our co-hosts explore what kind of visa a championship French Formula 1 Driver, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, would have needed in order to race on the NASCAR circuit in the U.S. The visa categories they will explore in this episode include: O-1A, P-1A, and I-140 Extraordinary Ability. Plus, what would a currency designed for dogs and cats actually look like?

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

Today’s episode focuses on a quirky, feel-good comedy: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.  Shai and Roderick first consider the plot of the movie, which centers on NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, French Formula 1-driver-turned-NASCAR-driver Jean Gerard, and the wild ups and downs that Ricky experiences.  After sharing fun facts about the movie, Shai and Roderick zero in on Jean Gerard, Ricky Bobby’s main rival. He is a French national married to a German Shepherd trainer named Gregory, and a jazz aficionado.  Jean must have a visa in order to live and work in the US, and incidentally, so must his husband.

Shai and Roderick explain why they believe Jean would qualify for either the O-1A extraordinary ability visa or the less stringent P-1A athlete visa.  Both visas would allow options for Gregory to receive a visa, as well, though his visa as a dependent would not permit him to work in the US. The most suitable visa for Jean, Shai and Roderick agree, would be the O-1A visa, which would provide him with 3 years in the US with 1-year extensions available if needed.

Unfortunately, some of Jean’s objectionable behavior could result in visa problems for him.  Being fired would mean a loss of status and a 60-day window to find another visa sponsor or leave the US.

They would figure out if he wanted (as he claims in the movie) to eventually make his way to Stockholm, or if he would like a Green Card. Jean’s O-1A visa, they explain, would actually offer a good pathway for the I-140 extraordinary ability petition for a Green Card.

With concluding thoughts on NASCAR, poorly behaved kids, and currency for dogs and cats, Shai and Roderick wrap up the episode!

Links:

Learn more about the O-1A Visa.
Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: Talladega Nights.
Learn more about Shai Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.

In this episode, Shai and Roderick discuss the 1992 holiday blockbuster, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In this episode, Shai and Roderick explore the character known as Mr. Hector, played by Tim Curry. Mr. Hector is a UK national, the concierge at the Plaza hotel in New York and one of the main antagonists of Kevin McCallister, played by  Macaulay Culkin. Shai and Roderick will attempt to solve what Mr. Hector’s visa status may have been and will provide insight into what type of immigration advice they would give Mr. Hector if he visited them for a consultation.

The visa categories they will explore in this episode include L-1A, L-1B, and the I-140 multinational manager process. Plus, what happens when a hotel concierge gets a little too personal and a few takeaways from one of the “greatest” cameos of all time.

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

Welcome to The Hasta La Visa, Baby podcast, a deep-dive into the relationship between U.S. immigration law and fictitious characters from some of your favorite television shows and movies. Hosted by Gibney Immigration group attorneys Shai Dayan and Roderick Potts, each episode focuses on a particular character from a well-known show or film and guides listeners through an in-depth and entertaining exploration into the possible U.S. visa status that the featured character may have held while in the U.S. Listeners will learn about key immigration considerations through the prism of the fun and fictitious worlds presented in television and film.

For this first episode, Shai and Roderick focus on a movie that has established itself as an American classic: Home Alone 2! After summarizing the movie and running through a few fun facts about it, they shift their attention to the concierge at the Plaza Hotel: the UK national known as Mr. Hector. Mr. Hector is a pompous and sly bully who fixates on Kevin and on getting him into trouble. Mr. Hector’s accent gives him away as an Englishman (as accent and direct statement of nationality are the general ways to determine it!), and so he must have immigration status as a UK national working in the US.

Shai and Roderick’s view is that Mr. Hector most likely holds an L-1A intracompany transfer visa, which would require approval for both him and his company and secure him 7 years of working for the Plaza Hotel in the US. He could feasibly also have qualified for an L-1B intracompany transfer visa, which would have depended on his possession of specialized knowledge.

As far as potential problems and an immigration law consultation for Mr. Hector are concerned, Shai and Roderick first discuss the fallout that would result from Mr. Hector being fired for his shady behavior. He would lose his L-1 status and have a grace period of 60 days to apply for a changed status or to leave the US. This is, of course, assuming that he didn’t find himself in trouble with the law as well as in trouble with his company! In a hypothetical consultation with (a non-fired) Mr. Hector, Shai and Roderick expect he might want to know about Green Card applications, and they discuss his chances of receiving a Green Card as a multinational manager. The episode wraps up with a few final takeaways from the movie on everything from terrible parents to a whirlwind NYC tour and the career options of a sociopath!

Links:

Learn more about the L-1A Intracompany Transfer Visa.
Learn more about the movie featured in this episode: Home Alone 2.
Learn more about Shay Dayan, Roderick Potts, and Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP.
Connect with us at hastalavisa@gibney.com.

Please subscribe, rate, and make sure to tune in for our next episode!

© Copyright 2000- 2023, Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.