O-1 is probably your most accessible visa option (outside of H-1B)

Post (source):

For a lot of you out there, O-1 should be your first plan and probably your most accessible visa option at this point (outside of H-1B).

The bar is lower (than say EB-1A or EB-2 NIW) but it still takes a lot of time and work to meet the criteria.

Here’s a clip from one of our weekly livestreams where I cover the basics of O-1 and the different scenarios under which you could qualify for an O-1 (link in the comments! - https://youtu.be/RZXXT4TihJo?si=6CCV0TAMq2qt2WLZ).

Just remember that you still need the involvement of your employer in the process, which can be a barrier to some of you out there as your company’s lawyer may not be open to employee-driven O-1s (probably because of the high rate of O-1 denials from the previous administration - still a fresh memory in the minds of many big firm immigration lawyers).

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This post is by Amber G. Davis. She started her career working at a boutique immigration firm before moving on to two different large immigration firms (one of which is one of the largest immigration firms in the world). She’s advised numerous high-tech companies of all shapes and sizes, from startups to top ten Fortune 500 companies, and from nonprofits to companies in the IPO process. She now runs Waypoint Immigration USA, representing only individual employees for EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, O-1, etc. and is well-known on LinkedIn with 8k+ followers.

Want to get in touch with Amber? You can reach her at amber.davis@waypointimmigration.org or through a LinkedIn connection note (Amber’s LinkedIn profile).