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.
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
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.
Why would you want to move to the States right now?
If I had to guess, for the massive salaries involved
Massive relative to somewhere like the Philippines, maybe, but cost of living also sucks here, so I’m not sure a prospective visa holder would come out as far ahead as they’d think.
For tech positions in tier 1 tech companies you get out ahead so far it’s not even funny. It’s pretty easy to run the numbers on how much you have left after expenses for each market
Tier 1 companies also lay people off pretty frequently, which is highly inconvenient if you rely on them for a visa, and that’s assuming you get a job there in the first place. I’m not going to say it’s never a good idea to try for that, but in this environment, your effort is probably better spent elsewhere.
Not US, but I got laid off almost immediately after my international move. My immigration this year has been a mess. Thankfully my lifetime partner has citizenship otherwise we’d be up shit’s creek
I’m not convinced their layoff rates are that much higher than other companies. It’s definitely a risk to be dealt with if intending to attempt to migrate to the U.S.
Honestly every US recruiter for my field gets the fuck off price regardless of the job
Reply is usually something like
Thanks for the consideration however a move to the US at this time will come at a steep premium if your clients isnt willing to start the negotiation at 750 000 / year I don’t think it’s worth continuing
Chuck
