Updated August 12, 2026

US-O1

Talent and specialists

The O-1 visa to the United Statesfor a professional

A status for those with a record of achievement: no investment is required, three criteria out of eight are enough to confirm — and they open the road to a green card under the EB-1A category.

Get a preliminary assessment Assess the record

The conditions under 8 CFR 214.2(o) and the USCIS guidance
Working since 2004
We assemble the record of achievement and the letters of recommendation

An O-1 visa in a passport and the applicant’s documents

no investmentNo investment is required

3 of 8Criteria of achievement

2-4 monthsTo the status

01 / About the program

How the O-1 visa works

O-1 is a visa for people of extraordinary ability in the sciences, business, education or athletics (category O-1A) or in the arts, film and television (O-1B). No money has to be invested: what is proved is a professional level. The visa is issued for up to three years and renewed a year at a time without limit, and in parallel it opens the road to a green card under EB-1A.

No investment is needed

This is the only status in our range where neither an investment nor the purchase of a business is required. Only the professional record counts.

Three criteria out of eight

Awards, published material, membership of professional associations, judging the work of others, an original contribution, a high salary, a critical role in distinguished organisations, coverage in the press.

A sponsor or agent is required

The petition is filed by an American employer or agent. Your own company in the United States can also act as sponsor — a common working scenario.

A step towards a green card

The same evidence goes into EB-1A — the category for outstanding specialists, where neither an employer nor labour certification is needed.

02 / What you get

What the O-1 visa gives you

A status with no investment

No investment and no purchase of a business. The ground is your achievements, and the costs come down to the fees and preparing the record.

A quick process

2-4 months, and with premium processing USCIS answers on the petition within 15 working days.

Renewals without limit

The first term is up to three years, then renewals of one year each without limit, while the projects or the work continue.

The road to a green card

EB-1A is self-petitioned, with no employer and no labour certification. The O-1 record becomes its basis.

A status for the family

A spouse and children under 21 receive O-3 status. The children study in the United States; the spouse has no right to work on this status.

Your own company works

The sponsor may be your American company or an agent — which lets you run your own projects rather than work as an employee.

A preliminary assessment

Assess your chances against the criteria

Set out who is applying with you. At the review we go through the eight criteria and say whether you get through now, what is missing and how long the preparation will take.

Who is applying for the status?

Get the assessment

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

A review of your achievements against the eight criteria
What is missing and how to build it up
A plan of action: where to start

An O-1 visa and the applicant’s professional documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the O-1 visa

O-1 is taken by those with professional weight: entrepreneurs, scientists, doctors, engineers, athletes, directors. It is the fastest route to the United States for someone with a strong record and no wish to tie up capital.

No money has to be invested

For many that is the decisive argument against E-2 and EB-5: the capital stays at work rather than in a visa project.

Your own projects in the United States

Through an agent or your own company you can run several projects rather than being tied to one employer.

A direct path to EB-1A

A category with no labour certification queue: for many specialists it is the shortest route to a green card.

Children in American schools

The family moves together and the children study in schools and universities in the United States.

The record works for years

The evidence collected is used for renewals, for EB-1A and on a change of project — an investment in reputation, not a one-off paper.

Faster than immigrant visas

Months instead of years: for a family that needs to move by the start of the school year it is often the only realistic option.

04 / Travel

What the visa gives you for travel

O-1 is a non-immigrant visa: it allows you to live and work in the United States in your profession, but it is not a permanent status.

Mode 01

The United States for the term of the status

Residence and work for the whole time the status is in force — up to three years, then renewals of a year each.

Mode 02

Work in your own profession

The status is tied to the sponsor and the projects stated. A change of employer requires a new petition.

Mode 03

The move to a green card

EB-1A is self-petitioned while O-1 is in force. No employer is needed for that category.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the American visa.

Sources: section 101(a)(15)(O) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act and the USCIS rules at 8 CFR 214.2(o). The criteria are assessed by a USCIS officer on the totality of the evidence.

05 / The composition of the application

Who gets the status with you

O-3 status extends to the immediate family. Open a row to see the conditions.

Any citizenship
At least three criteria out of eight are confirmed
There is an American employer or agent to file the petition
Work in the United States in your own profession

In a registered marriage
Receives O-3 status, which gives no right to work

Unmarried
Study in schools and universities in the United States
After 21 they move to a ground of their own

They are not covered by O-3 status
Separate grounds are found for them
We go through it individually

06 / Cost

What the O-1 visa costs

The programme requires no investment. The budget is made up of the USCIS fees, preparing the record and the support.

O-1A: science, business, athletics · no investment

No investment is required

No investment is required

The term of the status Up to 3 years with renewals

At least three criteria out of eight are confirmed
Awards, published material, membership, judging, an original contribution, a high salary, a critical role, the press
The petition is filed by an American employer or agent
Renewals of one year each without limit
The same evidence goes into EB-1A

O-1B: the arts, film, television · no investment

No investment is required

No investment is required

The term of the status Up to 3 years with renewals

Extraordinary skill and recognition in your field are confirmed
Leading roles in projects, press reviews, commercial success, recognition by experts
For film and television a separate, stricter standard applies
An advisory opinion from the relevant union or organisation is required

O-1 against other American visas

A specialist or an entrepreneur in the United States has several paths. Here are the main parameters side by side.

	O-1	E-2	L-1A	EB-5
Investment required	No	from $100,000	No	$800,000
The ground	Achievements	Your own business	A transfer within a company	An investment
Leads to a green card	Yes, through EB-1A	No	Yes, through EB-1C	Yes
A sponsor is required	Yes, an employer or agent	No	Yes, your own company	No
Processing time	2-4 months	2-4 months	3-6 months	2-4 years

The data are given as at the date this page was updated and are checked again before the agreement is signed.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the O-1 visa process works

STEP 1

Assessing the record

We go through your achievements against the eight criteria and say plainly which you meet now and which have to be built up.

STEP 2

A plan to strengthen it

Publications, expert roles, membership, the press. If the criteria fall short we draw up a plan over a few months — that is a normal part of the work.

STEP 3

The sponsor or agent

We settle who files the petition: an American company, an agent or your own structure in the United States.

STEP 4

Letters of recommendation

We gather letters from independent experts in the field. That is the most labour-intensive and the most important part of the record.

STEP 5

The petition to USCIS

Form I-129 with the O supplement is filed. Premium processing is possible — an answer within 15 working days.

STEP 6

The visa at the consulate

Once the petition is approved, the visa application and the interview. The family files at the same time for O-3 status.

STEP 7

Renewals and EB-1A

Renewals of a year each, and in parallel we prepare the green card application under EB-1A on the same record.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, what evidence each criterion needs and what petitions are most often refused on.

Download the step-by-step plan

The O-1 visa is issued under section 101(a)(15)(O) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.

The USAExtraordinary abilityWork visa

Assess the record

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the O-1 visa with us

On O-1 what is assessed is not the facts of a biography but how they are presented. The same CV can get through and be refused — the difference is in the evidence.

A straight assessment at the outset

We say at once whether you get through now or need to build up the criteria. Taking on a knowingly weak record wastes your time and money.

We build the evidence

We do not retell a CV; we assemble what USCIS treats as evidence: independent publications, expert roles, proof of pay and of contribution.

We work on the recommendations

Letters from independent experts are the strongest part of the record. We know who should write them and how, so that they work.

We take it through to EB-1A

O-1 is an intermediate step. From the outset the record is built so that in a year or two it also covers the green card.

12 / Team

Who runs the O-1 visa process

The application is run by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a specialist on the record and a family coordinator.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe OfficeThe strategy and the assessment of the record

Daniel KovachSenior International Law AttorneyThe evidence, the letters and the petition

Hanna BergerTrusts and Succession AdvisorThe tax consequences of the status

Darya MelnikSenior Investment Migration AdvisorCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on O-1

Materials on the visa for professionals: the criteria, the evidence and the move to a green card.

The main materialPresentation

The O-1 visa for a professional

The presentation gathers the essentials: the eight criteria, the requirements as to evidence, the sponsor’s role, the family composition and how the work is done.

Inside:

what the eight criteria are
what USCIS accepts as evidence
who can sponsor the petition
which family members receive the status
which documents will be needed
how to move to a green card under EB-1A
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

The eight criteria with examples of evidence — check yourself before getting in touch.

The list for the applicant, the sponsor and the family, marking what has to be translated and certified.

We go through your achievements against the criteria and say whether you get through now.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed on the O-1 visa

2023-01-01

USCIS issued guidance on assessing the achievements of entrepreneurs and STEM specialists: it clarified which evidence is accepted for each criterion.

2024-04-01

The fees for the I-129 petition and for premium processing were raised.

Worth having

Download the O-1 visa checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the eight criteria, the requirements as to evidence, the stages and the timelines — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

The eight criteria and examples of evidence
The requirements for the sponsor and the recommendations
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

No. O-1 is the only visa in our range where no investment is required at all. Only your professional achievements are assessed, and the costs come down to the fees and preparing the record.

At least three of eight: significant awards, membership of associations that require outstanding achievement, published material about you in professional or major media, judging or expert evaluation of the work of others, an original contribution to the field, authored scholarly articles, a critical role in distinguished organisations, and a high salary relative to the market.

An American employer or agent — you cannot self-petition. At the same time your own company in the United States can act as sponsor: that is a working scenario for entrepreneurs, but the structure has to be set up properly.

Up to three years on the first approval, then renewals of one year each with no cap on the number — while the projects or the work continue.

No. The spouse receives O-3 status, which gives no right to work. Children under 21 study in schools and universities in the United States.

Not automatically, but it opens a direct path: the EB-1A category is self-petitioned, with no employer and no labour certification. The record assembled for O-1 becomes its basis — which is why we build it with the green card in mind from day one.

Build them up. Publications, expert roles, membership, judging, coverage in the press are all manageable, and it usually takes from a few months to a year. We say that plainly rather than filing a knowingly weak petition.

2-4 months with the record ready. With premium processing USCIS answers on the petition within 15 working days, but preparing the evidence and the letters takes most of the time.

Yes, where there are confirmed achievements: business growth, recognition in the field, publications, speaking engagements, investment in your projects. USCIS issued separate guidance on assessing entrepreneurs and STEM specialists.

A new petition from the new sponsor is required. If an agent acts as sponsor, several projects can be built into the petition in advance — which gives flexibility.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice