I work in tech and people keep telling me an O-1 move to the US is doable “if you build the right case”. Curious what that actually looked like for people here: how many recommendation letters, what kind of press or awards genuinely mattered, and how long it realistically took from start to approval. Trying to figure out if it’s within reach or just marketing.
Why would you want to move to the States right now?
The most important is an employer willing to hire you on as an O1. The letters would need to come from experts in your field (in STEM think Nobel Laureates or society leaders). You need multiple awards from national and international organizations. Your work also needs broad recognition in at least the media of your field if not general news.
You can technically do less but they can also reject for any reason.
Not the O1… I’ve tried the EB-2-NIW though, and seriously considered EB-1 before
My understanding is that you need a lawyer for this, as the law firms have effective templates that can help to “fluff” up a profile. Many law firms do initial consultations too to see whether one person can be considered. Self-writing a competitive O-1 application (sans being a Nobel Prize laureate or along those lines) is almost impossible
Edit: if this is relevant. For EB-1, the numbers I got from the law firm were 200+ citations (or 150+ with very good other records) and select other accomplishments as scientist. Non-scientists are a lot trickier, but not impossible