contracts – protecting rights, minimizing risk, and negotiating fair terms in the U.S. and globally.
Extraordinary talent deserves a petition that proves it. Our O-1 visa lawyers in Miami and New York help artists, athletes, entertainers, filmmakers, and founders turn a career’s worth of achievements into the clear, organized evidence USCIS reviews. ChaseLawyers® handles the strategy and the paperwork, so you can keep performing, creating, and building.
The O-1 is a temporary U.S. work visa for people with extraordinary ability or achievement. O-1A covers the sciences, education, business, and athletics, and calls for sustained national or international acclaim showing you are among the small percentage who have risen to the very top of your field. O-1B covers the arts – including performing, visual, and culinary arts – where you must show distinction, and the motion picture and television industry, where the standard is extraordinary achievement. You can’t self-petition: a U.S. employer or U.S. agent files for you, and an overseas company can work through a U.S. agent.
contracts — protecting artists, producers, and their rights across the U.S. and globally.
What Do We Offer You?
O-1 Visa Legal Services
O-1A & O-1B Eligibility – Match Your Career to the Right Criteria
We build your O-1 case around USCIS criteria, including:
- Choose between O-1A and O-1B, and between the arts and motion picture or television standards.
- Map your awards, press, roles, contracts, and earnings against each evidentiary criterion.
- Use comparable evidence where a criterion doesn’t readily apply to your occupation (available for O-1A and O-1B arts, not film and TV).
- Spot weak areas early and plan how to strengthen them before filing.
O-1 Petition Preparation – Present Your Extraordinary Ability
Strong evidence still needs a clear story. Our O-1 petition support includes:
- Preparing Form I-129 with your contracts or a summary of oral terms, plus an itinerary when you will work at several venues or for several employers.
- Obtaining the required written advisory opinion from an appropriate peer group, labor union, or management organization.
- Gathering support letters from recognized authorities in your field that explain your achievements in concrete terms.
- Responding to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and keeping you updated along the way.
Status, Extensions & Next Steps – Keep Your Career Moving
Approval opens the door. Planning keeps it open. We help you:
- Prepare for your consular visa interview or a change of status from inside the United States.
- File extensions, amended petitions, and new petitions when projects, employers, or agents change.
- Prepare O-3 filings for your spouse and children and O-2 petitions for essential support personnel.
- Review U.S. performance, endorsement, and management contracts, and plan for an EB-1A green card when your record supports it.
How It Works
How We Work – Your O-1 Visa Process, Step by Step
Share your résumé, key achievements, and upcoming U.S. work. We give you an initial read on your O-1A or O-1B fit and the gaps to address.
We choose the classification, the criteria you are most likely to meet, and the right petitioner: a U.S. employer, a U.S. agent, or an overseas company acting through an agent.
We collect press, awards, contracts, and letters, request the peer-group or union consultation, and shape everything into an organized petition.
We file your I-129, discuss whether premium processing fits your timeline, and answer any Requests for Evidence.
We handle extensions, amendments, and family filings, and map a path toward an EB-1A green card as your recognition grows.
Musicians, Performers & Visual Artists
Singers, DJs, music producers, composers, dancers, actors, painters, photographers, fashion designers, and chefs working in the arts, where O-1B requires distinction. We build petitions around reviews, lead roles, commercial success, and industry recognition.
Film, Television & Media Talent
Directors, actors, cinematographers, writers, editors, and producers in motion pictures and television, where the extraordinary achievement standard applies and comparable evidence isn’t accepted.
Athletes, Founders & Industry Executives
Professional athletes, coaches, fighters, entrepreneurs, and entertainment executives qualifying under O-1A. We document rankings, significant contracts, media coverage, and critical roles with distinguished organizations.
Our Reviews
FAQ
O-1 Visa FAQs
Clear answers to the questions artists, athletes, filmmakers, and founders ask most about O-1 eligibility, petitions, and status.
O-1A is for extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business, or athletics, shown by sustained national or international acclaim. O-1B is for extraordinary ability in the arts, which requires distinction, or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry. Each has its own evidence criteria, so choosing the right classification is a key early decision.
You need a major internationally recognized award, such as a Nobel Prize, or evidence meeting at least three of eight criteria: recognized prizes or awards, membership in associations requiring outstanding achievement, published material about you, judging others’ work, original contributions of major significance, scholarly articles, a critical role at distinguished organizations, or high remuneration. Meeting three criteria doesn’t mean automatic approval; USCIS weighs the evidence as a whole.
You need a significant national or international award or nomination, such as an Academy Award, Emmy, or Grammy, or at least three of six criteria: lead or starring roles in distinguished productions, critical reviews or published recognition, key roles for distinguished organizations, major commercial or critical successes, significant recognition from recognized authorities, or a high salary. Film and TV petitions can’t rely on comparable evidence.
You can’t file for yourself, but you don’t necessarily need a traditional employer. A U.S. agent, such as a talent manager or agency, can file for you, including when you will work for several employers or clients, as long as the petition includes the required contracts or terms and an itinerary. This can make the O-1 workable for freelancers and touring artists.
Most O-1 petitions must include a written advisory opinion, also called a consultation, from an appropriate peer group, labor organization, or management organization describing your ability and the planned work. Film and TV petitions generally need consultations from both a union and a management organization. If the petitioner shows that no appropriate peer group exists, USCIS may decide the case on the evidence submitted.
USCIS can approve an O-1 petition for the time needed to complete the event or activity, up to three years. After that, extensions are available in increments of up to one year to continue or complete the same event or activity. There is no fixed limit on the number of extensions, although new projects may require a new petition.
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 may qualify for O-3 status for the same period. O-3 dependents can study in the U.S. but cannot work. Essential support personnel for O-1 artists and athletes, such as a coach, technician, or key crew member integral to the performance, may qualify for O-2 status through a separate petition.
Yes, but your O-1 status is tied to the approved petition. A new employer or agent generally must file a new petition, and you shouldn’t start working for the new employer until it is approved. If your O-1 employment ends, you may have a grace period of up to 60 days, or until your authorized stay ends if sooner.
Timing depends on how quickly your evidence and advisory opinion come together, USCIS workloads, whether premium processing is requested, any Requests for Evidence, and consular appointment availability. A petition can be filed up to one year before your U.S. work begins, and USCIS recommends filing at least 45 days ahead. Start early, especially when your dates are fixed.
It can. The O-1 doesn’t require you to keep a foreign residence, and pursuing a green card generally isn’t a reason to deny an O-1 petition. Many O-1 holders later pursue an EB-1A green card, which has its own, often more demanding standard and allows self-petitioning. Others use employer-sponsored or family-based options. We review your record before recommending a path.