There are several different types of visas in the O category:
✅ O-1A- Individuals with an extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, or athletics.
✅ O-1B- Individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts or the extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry.
✅ O-2- Individuals who will accompany an O-1 individual to assist in a specific event or performance.
✅ O-3- Individuals who are the spouse or children of O-1s and O-2s.
The initial period of stay for O status is up to 3 years. An approved O petition will have a validity period commencing with the date of approval and ending with the date requested by the petitioner. This date is not to exceed the date which USCIS has determined to be necessary to complete the work-related event or activity the alien is in the United States to do. Again, this time period will not exceed 3 years and may certainly be less than that. Any requests for extensions of stay will be considered by USCIS and, once they have determined the time necessary to accomplish the initial event or activity, will be granted in increments of up to 1 year.
Under what circumstances may an O-1 Visa be sought?
As discussed above, O status can be sought by an employer in the US for an alien when a work related event or group of activities require he or she to travel to the United States on a temporary basis. The Code of Federal Regulations defines a qualifying event as “an activity such as, but not limited to, a scientific project, conference, convention, lecture, series, tour, exhibit, business project, academic year, or engagement.”In addition, a job which may not have a specific engagement or project that exactly fits the above definition may also count, if the job is the “activity” within the alien’s area of extraordinary ability. Activities such as these may include short vacations, promotional appearances, and stopovers which are incidental and/or related to the event.
Benefits of an O Visa:
O-1 status is distinguished from other employment related statuses because it is broader in scope than other visa categories, such as H or L. For example, H-1B status is limited to professionals and cannot apply to athletes or entertainers as can O-1 status. In addition, in our experience, many seeking non-immigrant status after the H-1B quota for that fiscal year has already been reached will apply for O-1 status, if they qualify. One of the benefits of the O visa is that it does not have an annual quota.Another important benefit of O-1 status is that it is a viable status to seek for aliens subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement of the J-1 exchange visitor program. Many people who hold or have held J-1 or J-2 status are not permitted to obtain an H or L visa status until they and/or the primary J-1 status holder has spent two years in their home country after the expiration of the J-1 status or a waiver of the two-year residency requirement is obtained. These individuals may obtain O status without fulfilling the two-year residency requirement or getting a waiver of the requirement. In such cases however, the alien may not change status to O-1 in the United States, but must obtain an O-1 visa in their home country after their O-1 application is approved by the USCIS.
Moreover, there is no limit to the maximum length of stay with an O visa because USCIS allows for constant 1-year visa renewals. Unlike H-1B visas, which usually lasts six years, or L-1A visas, which does not allow more than a seven-year stay, the length of stay under the O-1 status is determined by the length of time needed for the alien to perform his duties or activities with the petitioning employer. The USCIS will determine, based on evidence of the work-related event or activity, how long O status will be granted to the beneficiary. Thus, theoretically, there is no specific limit for O-1. In other words, an O-1 holder may stay in the U.S. with longer time than either a H-1B holder or L-1A holder does.
Additionally, O-1 has the advantage of having limited dual intent. With visas with limited dual intent, the visa holder has strong ties with his or her home country while maintaining the intention of possibility staying in the U.S permanently. With limited dual intent visas like O-1, the visa holder may travel in and out of the country at will with a pending I-140. However, unlike dual intent visas, limited dual intent visas does not allow for the visa holder to travel abroad freely with a pending I-485 for fear of abandonment. Although dual intent might be more beneficial, limited dual intent visas is still advantageous compared to visas without immigration intent, such as J or F.
In most cases, the petitioner (the U.S. employer) will be filing an O petition on behalf of a beneficiary that is outside of the United States and they will be seeking their visa through consular processing, not a change of status petition. To file an O Petition, a prospective employer or agent must submit a Form I-129 Petition for Non-Immigrant Worker with an O/P Supplement. The alien beneficiary may not self-petition in this scenario. If an alien is already in the U.S. in O-1 status and a new employer wishes to petition for them, the I-129 will also be used to request the necessary extension of stay. The petition must be filed by a U.S. employer or the U.S. agent of an employer (either U.S. or foreign). The petition MAY NOT be filed by a foreign employer who is NOT acting through a U.S. agent.
The I-129 petition will be filed with the service center that has jurisdiction in the area where the alien will work. If services will be performed in more than one location, it will be filed with the service center servicing one of the petitioner’s locations. If the beneficiary will work concurrently for more than one employer during the same time period, each employer must file a separate petition with the service center that has jurisdiction over the area where the alien will perform services. And if the O-1 changes employers, the new employer must file a petition with the USCIS service center that has jurisdiction over the new place of employment.
If the beneficiary will indeed be working for more than one employer during the same time period, the USCIS released a memorandum clarifying the procedure for filing an O-1 petition in that situation. If an O-1 petition is being filed by a U.S. agent on behalf of multiple employers:
- The supporting documentation must include a complete itinerary of the event or events.
- The itinerary must specify the dates of each service or engagement, the names and addresses of the actual employers, and the names and addresses of the establishments, venues, or locations where the services will be performed.
- The contracts between the employers and the beneficiary must be submitted, and
- The agent must explain the terms and conditions of the employment and provide any required documentation.
The total package of materials to be sent is as follows:
- Form I-129 with O/P Supplement;
- One of the following:
- An advisory opinion;
- Evidence that an appropriate consulting entity does not exist;
- A request for expeditious handling; or
- A request for a waiver of the consulting requirements.
- A company letter from the petitioning employer supporting the petition;
- Supporting Documentation to establish that the alien qualifies as an alien of extraordinary ability and that the alien is going to be employed in activities using his extraordinary abilities.; and
- Filing fee of $325.00
- Supporting Documentation
The supporting documentation is to establish that the alien qualifies as an alien of extraordinary ability, and that the alien is going to be employed in activities using his extraordinary abilities. For information on the qualifications for the different O-1 visas. Proof of the prospective employment is typically done through an employment contract combined with a written discussion of the work to be performed. For proof that the alien is an alien of extraordinary ability, the following types of documents can be submitted in support of an O Petition:
✅ Degree certificates and evaluation reports of the alien
✅ Publications, presentations, abstracts, invitations to conferences for the alien as well as citations of such publications
✅ Comments on the alien's work by others in the alien's field
✅ Requests for reprints of alien's publications
✅ Evidence of awards or honors received
✅ Evidence of membership in professional associations
✅ Documents of alien's participation, either individually or on a panel, as the judge of the work of others in the field
✅ Critical reviews, advertisements, press releases, publications contracts, or endorsements;
✅ Box office receipts or record, cassette, compact disk, or video sales
✅ Alien's Curriculum Vitae; and
✅ Recommendation letters from experts in the alien's field explaining his standing as an "alien of extraordinary ability"