If you’ve ever set foot abroad for education or work (or wanted to), there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the H-1B visa.
The H-1B needs little introduction: it’s a temporary work visa introduced in 1990 to attract immigrants in “specialty occupations.” The last significant revision to the H-1B happened in 2004, when the Bush administration allocated 85,000 H-1B visas a year. While 65,000 were for those with a bachelor’s degree, 20,000 were set aside for those with a master’s degree or a higher one. Since 2011, the cap of 85,000 has been reached every year. In 2024, more than 450,000 people applied for the paltry 85,000 slots. What once used to be a stable option is currently a source of dread!
Except, it doesn’t have to be. At least, not for some immigrants.
Enter O-1
The O-1 visa is arguably the most flexible and advantageous work visa. Like the H-1B, it was also introduced into law in 1990 to attract top talent from across the world. However, unlike the H-1B, the O-1 does not need one to go through a lottery. Further, it has no minimum wage requirement or annual cap and is eligible for unlimited extensions.
The main difference?
The O-1 is meant for those with extraordinary abilities who have risen to the top of their field. While that verbiage sounds daunting at first, it’s more attainable than one would think.
When you don’t have obvious international acclaim, USCIS still needs some way to measure your “extraordinary ability.” They do that by checking if you have evidence to satisfy at least three of the eight criteria above.
While some of the criteria above can feel out of reach, such as winning a national award or being a critical part of an organisation, there are others within reach. For anyone who is an aspiring international student, the preparation for an O-1 should begin from day one. The way to build one’s profile is by contributing to your field through various means, including judging hackathons and pitch competitions, publishing articles in magazines, peer-reviewing journal papers, raising funding for your idea, and more.
Be proactive and start early
In 2023, less than 5000 experts from STEM fields applied for the O-1 visa. That is a far cry compared to the almost 500,000 who filed the H-1B the same year.
While the O-1 has a much higher bar than the H-1B, it is attainable if one starts from day one, understands its requirements, and slowly works toward it by contributing to their field.
(The author, Soundarya Balasubhramani, is the founder of The Curious Maverick, LLC.)
