O-1 · Work visa
A work visa based on what you’ve achieved. There is no lottery, no cap. You have the freedom to build your own company, work on the projects you choose and bring your family with you. One of the fastest routes to working in the U.S.
Attorney-led petitions, prepared with the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick.
A work visa, not a Green Card
Your own U.S. company, an employer or an agent
1-year extensions, no cap
At our dedicated law firm
*Firm's past results; not a guarantee of future outcomes.
* Law firm results. Past outcomes do not guarantee future ones.
Why the O-1
Build your own company or join a U.S. team. You choose who sponsors you: your own startup, an agent, or an employer.
You don't wait for a yearly lottery and there is no limit on how many O-1s are issued. When you meet the criteria, you file.
Your spouse and children join on O-3 and can live and study across the U.S.
Who qualifies
The O-1 rewards a strong, recognized track record, not a specific degree or a big-name employer. What matters most is how your achievements are documented.
Many people assume the O-1 is only for Nobel Prize winners or celebrities. In reality, founders, researchers, engineers, and creatives may already qualify without realizing it.
Startup founders and entrepreneurs
Research scientists and academics
Engineers and technical leaders
Artists, filmmakers and creatives
Recruiters and business leaders
Athletes and sports professionals
O-1A or O-1B? O-1A covers the sciences, business, education, and athletics. O-1B is for the arts and for film or TV, actors, directors, designers, musicians, and other creatives. Which one fits your field is confirmed at your evaluation.
Reviewed by an immigration attorney
Not a quiz with a score. An immigration attorney reads every answer and tells you where you stand.
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Is it a fit?
May be a good fit if...
May not be a good fit if...
How USCIS evaluates it
You either hold a major internationally recognized award, or you meet at least three of the eight USCIS criteria. Here is what each one tends to look like.
Recognized prizes for excellence. For example: notable industry awards or competition wins.
Selective bodies that admit on achievement. For example: fellowships or invitation-only associations.
Coverage about you and your work. For example: features in major or trade press.
Assessing peers in your field. For example: reviewing papers, judging competitions, or panels.
Work others in your field have taken up. For example: a product, method, or research with real impact.
Authored work in serious outlets. For example: journal papers or major industry publications.
A key role at a respected organization. For example: a founding or senior role at a distinguished company or lab.
Pay clearly above your field's norm. Shown through contracts or reliable evidence.
Which criteria your record meets, and how they are evidenced, is confirmed for your case by the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick. A strong petition assembles this into one clear, well-documented argument.
The O-1B for the arts and film or TV is evaluated under its own, separate criteria. During your evaluation, we'll determine which framework applies to your case and identify the strongest evidence for your petition, so you don't have to determine it on your own.
How it goes
Your attorney starts with strategy setting, mapping what your strongest petition needs to look like, so that as you gather evidence you know exactly what to strengthen. Most O-1 petitions are then ready to file within about six weeks of your first evaluation, and government timelines take over from there.
Timelines depend on timely document collection. Once your documents are in place, the firm prepares the petition in about two weeks. USCIS and embassy times are set by the government.
Your attorney maps what your strongest petition needs to look like, and which criteria to build.
You gather your documents, evidence, and reference letters, guided by the strategy, so nothing important is missed. This is the part that most affects your timeline.
Legal drafting and petition assembly by the firm, once your documents are in place.
With premium processing, USCIS takes action within 15 business days. Premium processing is an optional paid service; without it, standard processing times vary and are typically measured in months.
Once approved, you complete the visa step at a U.S. embassy. The attorney will prepare you for the visa appointment, so you feel ready and prepared.
The finished petition
Your O-1 is a complete, attorney-built petition: a clear legal argument, your evidence mapped to each criterion, and expert opinion letters, assembled into one package. Here is what one looks like.
0:18What a finished petition looks like
"It was one of the fastest O-1 processes I've heard of. We got all our documents together in less than two months, and my results came back in eight days."
Madhumitha · O-1A
From our attorney
Anna Fadul, Attorney at the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick, answers the questions founders ask most - the things worth knowing before you file.
Anna · Attorney
Anna · Attorney
Anna · Attorney
Learn more before you decide
Founders
Self-sponsorship
Evidence
Common questions
Not in the strict sense: USCIS requires a petitioner. In practice this is less of a barrier than it sounds. If you have your own U.S. company, it can be the petitioner, even if you are the founder and majority owner. If you work with several clients, an agent can petition for you and cover multiple engagements in one filing. The right structure depends on your situation, and it is one of the first things we settle with the attorney at the start of your case.
Either one major internationally recognized award, or at least three of the eight USCIS criteria. Most cases rely on the three-of-eight route, and the strongest petitions typically document four or five criteria rather than stopping at three. This gives the officer room to disagree on one and still approve. A common surprise for clients is that criteria like a critical role at a respected organization or pay above the norm in your field count just as much as press or awards. Our free evaluation done by the attorney tells you which criteria your record already meets and which ones are within reach.
They cover different fields and are judged by different criteria. O-1A is for sciences, business, education and athletics, so founders, engineers, researchers, executives and athletes file here. O-1B is for the arts, film and television, so musicians, designers, directors, actors and visual artists file here. Some profiles sit on the border, for example a creative director at a tech company or a game designer, and choosing the right category can change how strong the case looks. If your field is not obvious, the attorney will advise which one gives you the better position.
Yes. Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive O-3 visas that follow your O-1, with the same validity period and extensions. They can live in the U.S., children can attend school. The one limitation is work for your spouse: O-3 holders cannot be employed. If your spouse wants to work, we look at whether they qualify for a visa of their own, or whether a Green Card path, where the spouse does get work authorization, should come sooner in your plan.
The initial period is up to three years, tied to the work described in your petition. After that you can extend in one-year increments for as long as the work continues, with no limit on the number of extensions. Extensions are usually simpler than the first petition because your qualifications are already established; the filing focuses on showing the work is ongoing. If you change employers or start a new venture, you need a new petition rather than an extension, so it is worth telling the attorney early when plans change.
Not automatically, but it is one of the best starting points for one. The evidence you build for an O-1 (press, judging, contributions, critical role) is the same evidence USCIS looks for in an EB-1A or EB-2 NIW Green Card. Many of our clients file the O-1 first to start working in the U.S. within months, then file EB-1A or NIW while already living there.
Free evaluation
Send us your background and the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick will look at your full profile and tell you honestly which path fits, not just this one, before you commit to anything.
