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.
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.