This is another in a continuing series of posts I’m writing to describe some of the Alcorn Immigration Law team’s client success stories.* To maintain confidentiality, the name of the client has been changed, and details may have been omitted or slightly altered.
Ananya was living and working in the U.S. on a temporary nonimmigrant visa, deciding whether to return to her native India. She worked doing business development at a startup.
A job offer to work as a program director for another startup in the U.S. prompted her to stay. However, she could not renew her temporary visa. So, Ananya consulted the Alcorn Immigration Law team to discuss her options.
Determining a Path
We recommended that Ananya pursue a visa that people typically consider reserved for scientists who hold several patents: An O-1A Visa for Extraordinary Ability.
Ananya did not meet most of the major eligibility requirements for an O-1A visa: She did not have a patent. She had never received an international prize or award. She had no publications to her name. She did not command an extraordinarily high salary.
However, O-1A visas are reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability not only in science, but in the fields of education, business, and athletics as well.
The Alcorn Method
Since Ananya needed a new visa quickly, the Alcorn Immigration Law team worked fast to submit a strong petition.
We made the case that Ananya offered significant contributions in the startup space due to her level of expertise in business and operational development and management as a project director. Distinguished companies had hired her to work in a critical capacity. She had judged the work of others. She had membership in associations that are available by invitation only. A newspaper also featured her in an article.
The Alcorn Immigration Law team submitted Ananya’s O-1A visa petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with a request for premium processing.
We’re proud to say that our recent past experience is that our team rarely receives a request from USCIS for additional documentation, known as a Request for Evidence (RFE). RFEs significantly slow down the approval process. And our experience with Ananya’s petition was no different: USCIS did not send any RFEs regarding her petition.
Ananya received approval for the O-1A visa in just three days. Her O-1A visa is valid for three years. She can renew her O-1A visa indefinitely every three years as long as the conditions under which it was granted remain in place.
We feel honored that Ananya trusted us to guide her through the confusing, challenging, and constantly changing U.S. immigration policy.
Contact Us
The Alcorn Immigration Law team supports immigration for innovation by assisting highly-motivated investors, founders, talent, students, and families obtain visas, green cards, and citizenship. Contact us if we can help you, an employee or a loved one. We can help whether an individual is inside or outside of the U.S.
* Our success in a case does not predict nor guarantee the outcome in your legal matter. The result portrayed above was dependent on the facts of that case. Results will differ if based on different facts.
