The O Visa Program

Individuals who have received international acclaim or who have demonstrated outstanding ability in the arts, athletics, medicine, sciences, education, business, or the motion picture or television industry may gain legal entry into the United States under the non-immigrant O-1 visa program.

O-2 visas are available to essential "support" personnel of O-1 visa holders with extraordinary ability in the athletic, entertainment, motion picture and television production fields.

A third type of O visa, the O-3, is available for spouses and unmarried children (under the age of 21) of O-1 visa holders.

At Teplen & Associates, we provide all of the advice, planning and assistance needed for foreign nationals to obtain O-1 visas. We are extremely proud of our high success rates with O visas. Our attorneys have worked with extraordinary individuals ranging from doctors, researchers, business people, singers, actors, models, directors designers, etc. We have extensive experience in designing the application to best satisfy the requirements of outstanding ability. We also provide additional immigration services to bring essential support personnel and family members to the United States on O visas. To learn more, please call our New York City offices at at 212-401-4040 or contact us online.

Basic Requirements

It is not necessary to have won the Nobel Prize or an Olympic gold medal, in order to secure an O-1 visa. In reality, a demonstration of any combination of three of the following criteria can be successfully argued to qualify for O-1 status:

• You have received nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence
• You belong to an organization requiring outstanding achievements of its members
• Your work has been published in or featured by major trade publications, professional journals or major media outlets
• You have engaged in professional review or judging of the work of your peers in the same or a related field of specialization
• You have made major or significant and original scientific, scholarly or business-related contributions
• You have worked in an essential capacity for a distinguished organization
• Your skills command a high salary

Note: International medical graduates who have not yet complied with the "home country" requirement or obtained a J-1 waiver, may be able to circumvent that requirement with an O-1 visa, provided they meet the O-1 criteria.

Guiding the Way to America Since 1983

Talk to an experienced immigration lawyer about your O-1 visa options today. Call our offices in New York City at 212-401-4040 or reach us Toll-Free at 866-746-0137. You can also contact us online.