viOLet forfeits WCS AM due to visa issues

On May 23 2013 04:42 Zealously wrote:
Fuckin' americans. This is really sad =/

+ Show Spoiler +

On May 23 2013 04:47 sitromit wrote:

The visa system in EU countries isn't any more lenient, you know.

Violet's problem is that he was living in the US last year without actually having residence and it seems to have caught up to him.

On May 23 2013 04:52 SCST wrote:


Thanks for bashing me, an American who has nothing to do with Violet's visa problems. Asshole.

On May 23 2013 04:54 MstrJinbo wrote:


This is a case where you might want to read what's in the spoilers.

On May 23 2013 04:47 sitromit wrote:

The visa system in EU countries isn't any more lenient, you know.

Violet's problem is that he was living in the US last year without actually having residence and it seems to have caught up to him.

On May 23 2013 04:52 SCST wrote:


Thanks for bashing me, an American who has nothing to do with Violet's visa problems. Asshole.

Your cute spoiler attempt doesn't change the fact that your nationality bashing, which is *suppose* to be against the rules here.

On May 23 2013 04:52 SCST wrote:


Thanks for bashing me, an American who has nothing to do with Violet's visa problems. Asshole.

Your cute spoiler attempt doesn't change the fact that you're nationality bashing, which is *suppose* to be against the rules here.

On May 23 2013 04:42 Zealously wrote:
Fuckin' americans. This is really sad =/

+ Show Spoiler +

On May 23 2013 04:55 SCST wrote:


Sweet, give everyone permission to start bashing people for nationality and then putting a spoiler tag ... *Spoiler* "just kidding haha....". We can all keep that in mind

On May 23 2013 04:52 SCST wrote:


Thanks for bashing me, an American who has nothing to do with Violet's visa problems. Asshole.

Your cute spoiler attempt doesn't change the fact that you're nationality bashing, which is *suppose* to be against the rules here.

On May 23 2013 04:57 Zealously wrote:


I thought the content of the spoiler made it clear enough that I don't have anything against americans, but against this particular system. On that same note, my following post attempted to clarify that the issue isn't limited to the U.S, but anywhere where problems like this can arise on a regular basis. But I guess if you're really looking for something to be offended by, my post was stupid. I apologise, and I've edited it to make sure no one else misunderstands me.

Hi guys viOLet's manager here, long story short when you spend too much time in the U.S. in the prior year, getting a VISA can be difficult.
Professional gaming is getting there but it isn't exactly a recognized profession with embassy officials. We are working with Blizzard and MLG to resolve this issue and he should be back over to the U.S. in early June. The U.S. Embassy is extremely strict regarding matters like this and we don't want to do anything that would jeopardize obtaining the correct VISA and allowing him to stay in the U.S. more permanently.
viOLet will be tweeting a statement regarding this later today. Most of all we want to apologize to the fans who support him. If your an avid follower of viOLet you know how much he loves the U.S. and wants nothing more to come back and be able to stay indefinitely.
Also to note viOLet has not been back in the U.S. since the NASL S4 finals that he placed 2nd in back in December of 2012.

On May 23 2013 05:19 Ace Frehley wrote:
Let him play on-line?

On May 23 2013 05:21 eight.BiT wrote:
Am I the only one annoyed he took another players spot before knowing if he could even travel? Come on...

On May 23 2013 05:21 Holdenintherye wrote:
WTF?!? How could he visa problems? Wasn't he living in the States before??

On May 23 2013 05:27 KiLL_ORdeR wrote:
Why don't they let him play his matches online since he can't travel to the states to play? I know wcs wants to do the whole live experience thing but it seems kind of silly to screw up a group like that because of visa issues =/

On May 23 2013 04:38 Zeon0 wrote:
Visa issues killing Esports!


really sad to see this, viOLet was a strong contenter for the title


source:
http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/violet-forfeits-wcs-america-premier-league-ro16-matches

On May 23 2013 05:27 KiLL_ORdeR wrote:
Why don't they let him play his matches online since he can't travel to the states to play? I know wcs wants to do the whole live experience thing but it seems kind of silly to screw up a group like that because of visa issues =/

On May 23 2013 05:34 Elroi wrote:
They are so anal with that visa business in the US. I went there for a conference two weeks ago. They handed me a form on the plane with questions about if I had kidnapped an american or if I was in any way associated with the German government between 1939 and 1945... (I am 26)

On May 23 2013 05:34 Elroi wrote:
They are so anal with that visa business in the US. I went there for a conference two weeks ago. They handed me a form on the plane with questions about if I had kidnapped an american or if I was in any way associated with the German government between 1939 and 1945... (I am 26)

On May 23 2013 04:47 sitromit wrote:

The visa system in EU countries isn't any more lenient, you know.

Violet's problem is that he was living in the US last year without actually having residence and it seems to have caught up to him.

On May 23 2013 05:39 Jibba wrote:

This isn't just a US issue. Anyone that's ever had to attain a residence permit or a work visa in a foreign country has probably gone through a long and tiresome process. I'm curious when they actually began the process for Violet.

In the meantime, the country/government bashing in this thread is getting out of hand. This is not a US-specific problem.

On May 23 2013 05:42 Sub40APM wrote:

Exactly. The Canadian form used to have "Are you a major war criminal? Yes/No"

On May 23 2013 05:34 Elroi wrote:
They are so anal with that visa business in the US. I went there for a conference two weeks ago. They handed me a form on the plane with questions about if I had kidnapped an american or if I was in any way associated withhe German government between 1939 and 1945... (I am 26)

On May 23 2013 05:41 Ace Frehley wrote:


Do they expect someone who kidnapped an american to write 'yes' there?

If it was me, I'd be itching to troll and answer yes there (probably wouldn't, though)

On May 23 2013 05:45 Ysellian wrote:


I believe the reason for those questions is that if you ever turn out to be "a terrorist" or "associated with the Hitler goverment" they can add one more offense to your case. At least that is what I believe.

On May 23 2013 05:42 Sub40APM wrote:

Exactly. The Canadian form used to have "Are you a major war criminal? Yes/No"

On May 23 2013 05:44 Gojira621 wrote:


im not surprised. There's a bunch of people here who take shots at america pretty much every chance they get, whether its shitting on NASL, MLG, the talent level, WCS America. Pretty much anything that happens in the states gets extra criticism from the community. I don't even think if NA players were winning major tournaments it would be any different. Oh well. Whatever.

On May 23 2013 05:45 TemujinGK wrote:



lol, sure, this never happened man.

On May 23 2013 06:22 Cracy wrote:

On more positive note - I was in the USA 2 times already and I loved it. To ALL AMERICANS: you have a beautiful country, don't seat all the time in front of the computer...

On May 23 2013 06:22 Cracy wrote:



I filled out the visa for last year - still it's hard to decide wether to laugh or cry seeing the questions in the form. Including similar to these above (kidnapping and human trading certainly, don't remember the II WW stuff)...
I just might get to the form and copy-paste you do questions.

On May 23 2013 06:42 zacharyIRL wrote:
Next time play in the Korean WCS and stop taking chances away from NA players. I say KARMA has arrived.

On May 23 2013 06:42 zacharyIRL wrote:
Next time play in the Korean WCS and stop taking chances away from NA players. I say KARMA has arrived.

On May 23 2013 06:49 Fionn wrote:


This makes zero sense. Violet was already living in America and saying how much he loved the United States before the idea of WCS North America was even thought of. Violet's more American than pretty much everyone left in the tournament, excluding the actual American, Suppy.

On May 23 2013 06:48 DannyJ wrote:


Well, Violet has a history of living and playing in NA since way before the WCS even existed. Makes it all the more stupid...

On May 23 2013 04:43 bongling wrote:
that sucks a bag of dicks

On May 23 2013 07:02 Canucklehead wrote:
State got third in violet's group. They should have just given his spot to state because he was already at mlg's studios due to the shoutcraft finals. MLG dropped the ball there because I don't see how anyone would have a problem with 3rd place in his group taking his spot. It's only logical.

On May 23 2013 07:00 Xorphene wrote:


What's stupid is that Violet's management didn't properly sort his visa whilst he was living, and working in the US for a year.

Stop flaming the USA visa system, its NOT to blame.

On May 23 2013 07:08 waitwhat wrote:
I believe MasterCard is a bit more lax on their approvals. If Visa declined him, maybe he should have applied for MasterCard instead...

GL viOlet, hope you get more financial support in the future to fund your tournament expenses and not rely on credit.

On May 23 2013 07:14 nimdil wrote:
USA generally suck with it's ridiculous Visa rules.

On May 23 2013 06:42 zacharyIRL wrote:
Next time play in the Korean WCS and stop taking chances away from NA players. I say KARMA has arrived.

On May 23 2013 07:13 sAsImre wrote:


gimme your talent that allows you to foresee blizzard plan and apply for visas before the event you're going to is even announced. It looks pretty sick. Or learn about the us (and most countries anyway) visa system before trying to be smart.

On May 23 2013 08:10 Xorphene wrote:


Considering he was living, working and earning in the USA for a year on a tourist visa....not hard to predict something like this would/could happen, and it's his management's responsibility to be on top of administrative problems like this.

On May 23 2013 07:36 chadissilent wrote:
Maybe WCS Americas should have been limited to citizens or residents of the Americas?

On May 23 2013 08:16 Sub40APM wrote:

Basically Violet was an illegal immigrant, was caught, and now could face serious repercussions. The US immigration authorities are pretty serious about these kinds of things. If he actually pays people to manage him and they dropped the ball this hard, I really hope he fires them. Not being able to attend any US event because of a possible 5 year ban from entering the US is a huge blow.

On May 23 2013 08:16 Sub40APM wrote:

Basically Violet was an illegal immigrant, was caught, and now could face serious repercussions. The US immigration authorities are pretty serious about these kinds of things. If he actually pays people to manage him and they dropped the ball this hard, I really hope he fires them. Not being able to attend any US event because of a possible 5 year ban from entering the US is a huge blow.

On May 23 2013 09:35 _SpiRaL_ wrote:
Probably only SUppy has spent more time in the US than Violet and he can't get in. Man that sucks so much,

On May 23 2013 10:51 RogerChillingworth wrote:
why not just "go the U.S. on vacation"?

On May 23 2013 11:04 fuzzylogic44 wrote:
Maybe they should have let him compete online from Korea against opponents in the studio? Better than forfeits

On May 23 2013 11:10 ROOTdrewbie wrote:
aww he must have ran into an anti e-sports guy going through customs =[

On May 23 2013 09:50 Proseat wrote:
He just posted a coupla messages on his Twitter, seems like he's taking it in stride:

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 44m
Hi there First I want to apologize to Blizzard,MLG, but most of all my fans. You know I have match tomorrow for Ro16 in MLG studio,

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 44m
but I can't go because of VISA troubles. I’m so sad my mental is broken… I’m really stuck, make me feel sick that I can’t compete.

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 43m
I trying to my best for other way it just take a little time, I do really apologize again very very sorry to Blizzard, MLG, and my fans..

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 43m
So sad it is all my fault, I really appreciate that Blizzard and MLG trying to help.

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 43m
I wish the WCS and MLG will be success ending this season!!! Sorry once again.

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 39m
Always bad happened when i have chance in my life when i doing reall well since war3 i got house burn, when i code S, was really sick now..

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 38m
i guess this WCS is really big and good chance for me so i was super excited im sure you too, being merican is so hard :p .. MURRRICA !!

김동환 김동환 ‏@AZUBUviOLet 37m
im never give up, please with me guys cheer for me i love my fans <3 Cya have a great day

On May 23 2013 11:55 iyasq8 wrote:
Cant he just marry Artosis or something?

On May 23 2013 12:12 Aveng3r wrote:
can we look at this as a reason that he probably should have been in the wcs korea bracket?

On May 23 2013 12:12 Aveng3r wrote:
can we look at this as a reason that he probably should have been in the wcs korea bracket?

On May 23 2013 12:37 entropius wrote:
I'm embarassed as hell of my government's xenophobia...

On May 23 2013 12:49 BronzeKnee wrote:

But the real problem here is that people who didn't live in the Americas, were allowed in WCS America.

On May 23 2013 12:16 WetSocks wrote:
Visa issues always suck so bad, I thought by living in the US for some time will assure you another visa.

On May 23 2013 12:53 TheButtonmen wrote:


FTFY, a small yet important fix.

On May 23 2013 13:55 Wolf wrote:
People REALLY underestimate visa issues and travel... It's so difficult to figure all of this stuff out. Just ask John Bain and he'll tell you. This is so sad.

On May 23 2013 12:37 entropius wrote:
I'm embarassed as hell of my government's xenophobia...

On May 23 2013 05:39 Jibba wrote:

This isn't just a US issue. Anyone that's ever had to attain a residence permit or a work visa in a foreign country has probably gone through a long and tiresome process. I'm curious when they actually began the process for Violet.

In the meantime, the country/government bashing in this thread is getting out of hand. This is not a US-specific problem.

First I want to apologize to Blizzard,MLG, but most of all my fans. You know I have match tomorrow for Ro16 in MLG studio, but I can't go because of VISA troubles.
I’m so sad my mental is broken… I’m really stuck, make me feel sick that I can’t compete. I trying to my best for other way it just take a little time, I do really apologize again very very sorry to Blizzard, MLG, and my fans.. So sad it is all my fault, I really appreciate that Blizzard and MLG trying to help. I wish the WCS and MLG will be success ending this season!!! Sorry once again.

Always bad happened when i have chance in my life when i doing reall well since war3 i got house burn, when i code S, was really sick now.. i guess this WCS is really big and good chance for me so i was super excited im sure you too, being merican is so hard .. MURRRICA !! im never give up, please with me guys cheer for me i love my fans Cya have a great day

On May 23 2013 15:27 Silvanel wrote:
Well, judging from Violets manager post the core of the problem is that US embassy do not recognize progaming as a true job, and therefore refused to issue work-permit (or however is necessary document called). That and the fact that Violet was working in US while legally being a tourist.

On May 23 2013 15:27 Silvanel wrote:
Well, judging from Violets manager post the core of the problem is that US embassy do not recognize progaming as a true job, and therefore refused to issue work-permit (or however is necessary document called). That and the fact that Violet was working in US while legally being a tourist.

On May 23 2013 05:03 TheButtonmen wrote:
Someone in WCS Americas has to forfeit because they couldn't get a visa to get into America.

If only there was someway to prevent this from being an issue.

On May 23 2013 05:49 rafaliusz wrote:
Well, US doesn't want to become another France/UK.

On May 23 2013 05:49 rafaliusz wrote:
I completely understand their visa system.

On May 23 2013 07:34 lost_artz wrote:

If people didn't abuse them we wouldn't need them in the 1st place.

On May 23 2013 15:44 Elroi wrote:

You have to be able to se the difference between country bashing and pointing out a specific problem that in this case hoppens to be an american problem - i at least have never had to go through anything like that before and i travet quite a lot.

On May 23 2013 16:21 RyLai wrote:
It's sad that this happens. Can't really say it's the country's fault though I do wish sometimes countries would make exceptions for this sort of thing. I'd say it's the manager's fault, aren't they usually the ones who handle this stuff? That's why professional athletes (to my limited knowledge so far) have never had this problem, at least not recently like in eSports. The managers of professional athletes actually work their asses off and give a damn about their clients.



Okay that's just fucking retarded... No wonder NA sucks dick at the highest level, because the fucking government doesn't recognize it as working.

On May 24 2013 02:52 Emzeeshady wrote:

what?

On May 23 2013 23:43 StreetWise wrote:
I see that I am in the minority when I feel that this is not really a bad thing. I know that no one likes to see Americans play, but I am not sad to see one less Korean, even though I like Violet. He should have competed in Korea. WCS should be like the World Cup. No one complains that the CONCACAF is generally weak.

On May 24 2013 04:23 hitpoint wrote:
Does State get his spot or just a 3 person group?

On May 24 2013 04:02 packrat386 wrote:


I think plenty of people who think that WCS ought to be region locked (including myself) can see that this is a bad thing. I think that region lock is important but that doesn't mean that I'm blind to the fact that Violet has obviously invested a lot in the tournament and now doesn't get a fair shot at the championship. I think its pretty callous to endorse this kind of thing out of wanting to see "one less korean"

Also @ starstruck, I don;t really think this is the place to debate whether or not WCS ought to be region locked. The uproar here is that a player had to give up his spot in a tournament because he wasn't legally allowed into the country, which sucks.

On May 24 2013 06:30 StarStruck wrote:


Then why are your combats keep bringing it up. The way I see it is three qualifiers. The namesake means nothing. Treat it like another MLG LAN tournament where the points add up to something like that of the MLG Championship in Providence and what do you know. There should be no beef. The name is misleading because there is no regions. Visas are normally a problem and in this case is substantial because of Violet's history here and they wanted to make everything proper, which unfortunately backfired.

On May 23 2013 18:56 csn_andrew wrote:
I posted this on reddit but I will post it here as well to shed some light on the matter.


"First I want to make clear viOLet and myself take full responsibility for not being able to obtain the VISA. However, I will let you know that I have done more research on this subject the past 3 months and we even hired an immigration specialist to assist him after he was denied the first time around back in January.

Also fishing for sympathy? I think you will see once viOLet tweets his statement that you will bite your tongue regarding that remark. He takes full responsibility for this and is very sorry for the effect it will have on WCS, MLG, and his fans.

(directed at someone on reddit)

viOLet was extremely well prepared for his interview and had all the necessary paperwork in order. What it comes down to is that Embassy Officials have an immense amount of power and can basically do what ever they please with no recourse to be taken against them. The process of getting any VISA whether it be a B1/F1/or O1 is not crystal clear. If you go and read VISA experiences on various travel websites you will see that there is no clear defined you need X,Y, and Z and your guaranteed to receive the VISA. There is some mandatory paperwork, and protocols/measures you can take which we prepared amply for but at the end of the day in extreme cases like viOLet's it can hurt your chances regardless.

Also, as I stated above, because viOLet spent more time in the U.S. in 2012 than he did in Korea, that flags him in the system and makes it even more difficult. Also you mention that he was the only Korean not able to come, let me shed some light on this.

For the past 2-3 years all the Koreans have been coming over to the U.S. on ESTA VISA waivers which technically isn't even the correct VISA to be competing for prize money. If customs were aware of this upon their entry it is likely they would get denied access to the U.S.

viOLet's situation is an extreme case because of how much time he has spent in the U.S. previously. The other Koreans come in for the weekend and go back on the Monday after, not creating any red flags with immigration. So before you blame viOLet for dropping the ball, that was in fact not the case at all.

Shit happens, sometimes out of our control."


viOLet's Statement: "First I want to apologize to Blizzard,MLG, but most of all my fans. You know I have match tomorrow for Ro16 in MLG studio, but I can't go because of VISA troubles.
I’m so sad my mental is broken… I’m really stuck, make me feel sick that I can’t compete. I trying to my best for other way it just take a little time, I do really apologize again very very sorry to Blizzard, MLG, and my fans.. So sad it is all my fault, I really appreciate that Blizzard and MLG trying to help. I wish the WCS and MLG will be success ending this season!!! Sorry once again."

On May 23 2013 23:43 StreetWise wrote:
I see that I am in the minority when I feel that this is not really a bad thing. I know that no one likes to see Americans play, but I am not sad to see one less Korean, even though I like Violet. He should have competed in Korea. WCS should be like the World Cup. No one complains that the CONCACAF is generally weak.

So before you blame viOLet for dropping the ball, that was in fact not the case at all.

Shit happens, sometimes out of our control.

On May 25 2013 01:14 Nerski wrote:


The only thing that I would say in response to this is pretty simple. Shit didn't happen out of your control, that's the wrong way to look at it going forward.

What did happen is someone who should of kept up with his visa stuff didn't, and now he's out of WCS because of it. This is an absolute failure by his management and team to make sure his stuff stays squared away. It says right on the website for ESTA waivers that your travel is 90 days or less, this isn't rocket science.

He was more or less working illegally in the US for months, he got flagged for it, now he is probably going to have a hard time getting a visa. Hopefully for him, the people who are managing hims screw up doesn't hurt him to much past this event. The moment he was going to stay longer then 90 days this should of been taken care of and clearly wasn't.

On May 25 2013 01:22 Conti wrote:

That might not quite have been the problem, actually. The ESTA stuff allows you to stay in the US for up to 90 days. But you absolutely could fly home after 90 days, stay for a week, and then return for another 90 days. I don't know if that's what violet did, but even if he did do that, and he strictly speaking didn't break any rules that way, he would still be flagged once it becomes obvious that he stayed longer in the US than he did in his home country.

Basically, the US doesn't like it when you're officially a tourist and still spend the majority of your time in the US, even if you're doing it strictly within the rules.

On May 25 2013 08:15 Serek wrote:


There's also the issue, which other people mentioned earlier in this thread, of whether he paid taxes on his income while in the US. That might have been another reason for refusal.

Quite frankly, I don't think we'll see viOLet back in the US for a while. Just look at how long it took TB to sort his visa stuff out.