What is the O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa?
The O-1 Visa application starts with Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, that is sent to the United States Citizen and Immigration Services. The form should typically be submitted within a year of when it is needed but at least 45 days before your entry into the United States. If you’re applying for O1 visas in The Woodlands, you need an experienced Texas immigration attorney to help you make sure all of the procedural rules are strictly followed. If you make a mistake or have inadequate grounds to qualify for the O-1 Visa, then you might receive a request for evidence (RFE) or a denial.
To avoid any problems, the attorney you choose needs to be experienced with the current 0-1 Visa requirements and knows how to comply with all of the procedural requirements to obtain this type of employment-based visa. Many of our clients come to us because they have a J-1 visa and want to transfer to a 0-1 Visa. For example, if you are a Fulbright Scholar or a foreign student in training, moving from the J-1 visa to the O-1 visa might be your only chance to stay in the United States to keep working.
Luis F. Hess, an experienced immigration attorney, also helps clients extend their period of stay under the O Visa after the initial period of stay ends. O-1 Visa holders have many advantages over other types of work visas. Unlike other types of visas, the O Visa has no limit to the number of times you can extend your stay, although the services of an experienced immigration attorney are needed to make sure your application is properly completed and that it provides sufficient grounds to support the request for an extension.
