The Immigration process can be exceptionally long and frustrating as months go by without any substantial news. In most cases, applicants have absolutely no idea as to what is happening with their application process, whether it has even been submitted or not or what they need to do to strengthen the case.
At PassRight we know how frustrating not knowing where you stand as an applicant can be. This is why we believe in keeping our O-1 Visa process transparent and ensuring that you know exactly how your application process is progressing.
To ensure this each of our clients is assigned to a personal immigration specialist who will now work closely with them and the O-1 Visa attorney to prepare the petition and send it to the USCIS.
To simply this complicated immigration process we have divided the case preparation process into 12 simple parts that need to be completed over the period of 10 to 12 weeks:
Step 1: The Case Assignment:
Once an applicant has met our selection criteria the case is then assigned to a legal specialist who along with the immigration attorney will help develop the petition. This is usually done in a day or two and once the case is assigned, you will be contacted by the legal specialist soon after with a Roadmap Letter.
Step 2: Completing the Roadmap Letter:
The applicants are expected to complete the Roadmap letter within 7 days of receiving it and at least 48 hours before the kick-off call as this will give our attorneys and legal specialists time to come up with a suitable strategy for the case.
The road map letter consists of information that the client needs to provide in regards to at least three of the eight criteria they have met, the answers should be comprehensive as this will allow for a better understanding of the case.
Step 3: The Kick off Call
The Kick off Call happens a week after the Roadmap letter is sent to the applicants. During the call, the legal specialists discuss the case and jointly develop a strategy. Every applicant is unique and hence so is our strategy for each client.
It is during this call our legal specialists get a better understanding of the case and how they can position the applicant.
After the kick-off call the applicants are sent a document checklist and over the course of time are expected to send us the required documents.
Step 4: Collecting Evidence and Drafting Letters
According to our immigration experts, the most time-consuming part of the whole application process is collecting evidence. As it is important to prove to the US immigration officer that the applicant is undoubtedly extraordinary and meets at least three of the eight O-1 Visa criteria. “Collecting evidence is undoubtedly the most time consuming and it causes the most delays as it differs from client to client.” Say’s Lawrence Jones a leading legal specialist at PassRight.
Similarly, According to a Legal Specialist at PassRight Anna Ptaszynska, applicants will need to absolutely honest about the evidence they can or cannot provide. “ The whole case depends on the amount of evidence they can provide us as this will be used to argue their case,” she said.
Here are three things you can do to make the whole evidence collection process much simpler:
Be honest with yourself, how many of your accomplishments can you prove? Is anyone in your industry aware of it? Has it been documented by the press or by your own office? If it hasn’t then can you get proof of your accomplishments?
- Keep your targets and deadlines for collecting the evidence realistic and doable.
- Reach out to as many people as you can, experts in your field, former boss or colleague, your employer and ask them if they can help you prove your accomplishments.
“ When It comes drafting and signing the expert opinion letters it is important to reach out to experts in your field and speak to them about it and let them know that these letters will need to be honest but laudatory in nature and without exaggeration. Knowing who is willing to sign these letters beforehand will save a lot of time,” said Piotr Messerszmidt an Immigration Consultant at PassRight.
Step 5: Petition Drafting and Application Submission
We begin drafting the petition as and when we begin to get the evidence required for the case. Without the evidence drafting the petition is not really possible as we need to via for each of the criteria that the O-1 Visa application is based on.
Throughout the application process, our team will help applicants at each step of the way, be it helping them with brainstorming key points for the Advisory Opinion letters or Expert opinion letter to ensure that the case is strong enough when it is presented to the USCIS. While at the same time drafting a strong petition which proves why the applicant is extraordinary.
However, despite our best efforts, there are times that delays happen and this is why we request each O-1 Visa Applicant to be fully involved in the case preparation process, to ensure that the application is lodged on time.
If you are interested in applying for the O-1 Visa, contact us.
