EG ImAPet says BnTeT’s visa issues would’ve taken “a year” to fix

Gen.G has officially completed its inaugural Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup by acquiring Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand, though the organization still faces one significant obstacle before full integration.

The December 22 announcement confirmed persistent speculation that Gen.G targeted TYLOO’s Indonesian star player for their final roster position. The organization celebrated the acquisition through its official Twitter channels, ending weeks of roster speculation.

BnTeT established his reputation over two and a half years with China’s premier CSGO organization, TYLOO. Throughout this period, the 24-year-old professional consistently delivered exceptional performances despite his team’s overall inconsistent results.

This signing validates circulating reports that Gen.G identified BnTeT as their preferred fifth member. The organization previously secured four players from teams undergoing significant transitions. Cloud9 transferred Major champion Timothy “autimatic” Ta alongside teammates Damian “daps” Steele and Kenneth “koosta” Suen to Gen.G on December 7.

ImAPet, NRG avoided BnTeT due to visa issues

In a concerning social media post, daps utilized Twitter to introduce his new teammate while disclosing that his previous organization, NRG, had evaluated signing the Indonesian competitor before ultimately acquiring Tarik “tarik” Celek. daps informed followers that BnTeT would unite with the remaining Gen.G members in late January “pending certain conditions.”

According to current Evil Geniuses coach and former NRG coach Chet “ImAPet” Singh, these complications likely relate to immigration documentation. Singh addressed misinformation about BnTeT and NRG within a Reddit discussion regarding daps’ tweet, explicitly identifying visa problems as the primary obstacle.

Singh verified to WIN.gg that, during that period, resolving BnTeT’s visa complications would require extensive processing time:

“It required approximately twelve months to address the [visa] complications, so the timeline proved incompatible with our competitive requirements,” Singh explained.

NRG successfully recruited tarik from MiBR in February 2019 as an alternative solution.

International competitors typically enter the United States utilizing two primary visa categories. The P1 visa specifically accommodates athletes competing within US territories. The inaugural P-1 visa designation was awarded to Danny “Shiptur” Le back in 2013, establishing the precedent for esports professionals.

Securing P1 visas presents considerable challenges for gaming organizations. Unlike judicial proceedings, immigration authorities maintain no established precedent when evaluating esports competitor applications. Should the recruiting organization lack sufficient establishment or government officials determine the applicant fails P1 criteria, visa approval faces potential denial.

Visa complications have triggered multiple significant disruptions within competitive Counter-Strike recently, including compelling Finn “karrigan” Andersen to depart midway through the CS Summit 5 championship match. Another documentation issue prevented Evil Geniuses’ Vincent “Brehze” Cayonte from participating in segments of EPICENTER 2019.

These immigration documents create substantial operational hurdles for global esports entities and their competitors. Currently, Gen.G’s operational headquarters location remains undisclosed, though if BnTeT encounters ongoing visa complications, spectators might observe autimatic and teammates competing within Asian or Oceanic regions should the organization finalize its competitive structure.

Gen.G’s roster looks strong after BnTeT addition

BnTeT developed his competitive profile across thirty months with Chinese organization TYLOO. During this timeframe, the 24-year-old professional demonstrated consistent individual excellence notwithstanding TYLOO’s overall competitive struggles.

This acquisition definitively confirms circulating speculation that Gen.G prioritized BnTeT for their final roster position. The organization previously acquired four competitors from two separate teams experiencing organizational transitions. Cloud9 transferred Major champion Timothy “autimatic” Ta together with teammates Damian “daps” Steele and Kenneth “koosta” Suen to Gen.G on December 7.

Following the Cloud9 core integration, Gen.G pursued Team Envy and emerging CS talent Sam “s0m” Oh to occupy the fourth position within the organization’s inaugural Counter-Strike lineup. s0m’s inclusion in Gen.G received official confirmation on December 9.

With four roster positions filled, speculation intensified regarding BnTeT as Gen.G’s subsequent objective. Counter-Strike journalist Jarek “DeKay” Lewis published social media confirmation on December 19 indicating the transfer had reached completion.

Through the BnTeT acquisition, Gen.G obtains a skilled rifler and secondary in-game leadership support for daps. BnTeT maintains recognition for his rifle proficiency and demonstrates exceptional composure during high-pressure competitive situations.

Recently, Gen.G encountered challenging qualification attempts to secure placement in the 2020 IEM Katowice closed qualifiers. Competing alongside Hunter “SicK” Mims, the squad exited the initial North American Katowice open qualifier following defeat against Just for Fun, an organization comprising professional CSGO free agents and former professionals including competitors like Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik.

The subsequent open qualifier for IEM presented contrasting results as Gen.G confronted Just for Fun again, redeeming their previous defeat by securing the best-of-three confrontation 2-0 and guaranteeing placement in the Katowice 2020 closed qualifiers.

With the official declaration, Gen.G now maintains a complete competitive roster mere weeks before confronting their inaugural comprehensive evaluation with all five members secured. Gen.G plans participation in the IEM Katowice 2020 closed qualifiers commencing January 7 and concluding January 9.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » EG ImAPet says BnTeT’s visa issues would’ve taken “a year” to fix Gen.G completes CSGO roster with BnTeT despite visa challenges that derailed NRG's earlier interest