At the Florida theme part, July 2009. Photo by Bart Hanlon/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Ever hear of a “Disney visa?” If you haven’t, a fascinating article in the Florida Law Review explains that and more about what it terms “The Wonderful World of Disney Visas.”
And what a world it is.
An excerpt from the abstract, posted this morning in the ImmigrationProf Blog, sets it up:
International workers play an important role in perpetuating the carefully crafted fantasy that to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is to be transported to far-off destinations around the globe.
This article examines how Disney has filled its need for these workers in two ways. For one, Disney has used a blend of chutzpah and ingenuity to forge new federal law establishing the Q visa. Additionally, Disney has dexterously used the existing J visa, along with an on-resort academic program, to bring international workers to Florida as students.
Using humorously Disney-esque chapter titles, author and University of North Dakota law professor Kit Johnson tells the story of how Disney essentially created a visa category to fill its casting needs. From the article:
The Q visa is the cornerstone of international hiring at Walt Disney World. The visa’s parentage is unquestioned—it is commonly known as “the Disney visa”—but the history of how the visa came to be has never been fully explored.
…The story of the Q visa is nothing short of a fairy tale—for Disney. For those seeking immigration reform, it may be more of a cautionary tale about the ability of an unusually skilled advocate to mold the law in order to benefit a single entity.
Now cue the “It’s a Small World” theme song: Continue reading
