This testimony is an important example of the on-going work Arts Presenters is doing to promote global cultural exchange and improve the visa process for artists. In an effort to assist you we work in coalition with the Performing Arts Visa Task Force, which includes other key national arts service organizations, and regularly meet with officials at the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and members of Congress to further our goals. This particular hearing raised visibility in front of a new audience in Congress that deals specifically with the business sector and generally has not heard or understood our issues.