O-1
O-1 Extraordinary Ability
Nonimmigrant petition for individuals with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics (O-1A) or the arts/entertainment industry (O-1B).
An O-1 is an evidence-sorting exercise: dozens of exhibits, eight regulatory criteria, and a requirement to satisfy at least three. Attest maps each exhibit to the criteria it actually supports and shows you which three you are strongest on — and which are one document short.
The document checklist
What the client is asked for — before you have to ask twice.
A new O-1 starts with this checklist already on the case. Your client sees it in the portal in their own language, uploads from their phone, and each item flips to received as it arrives.
Required
7 items- Passport, current visa, and I-94
- Current resume / CV
- Evidence mapped to at least 3 regulatory criteria
- Advisory opinion / peer consultation
- Itinerary of events and activities
- Employment agreement or agent contract
- Expert opinion letters
If it applies
11 items- Deal memos or engagement summaries
- Awards documentation
- Published material about you
- Evidence of judging others' work
- Membership documentation
- Original contributions — evidence of impact
- Scholarly articles and publication record
- Critical or essential role evidence
- Salary and remuneration evidence
- Prior O-1 approval notices (extension or amendment)
- Dependent family documents (O-3)
What the evidence is measured against
An evidence map, criterion by criterion.
Attest reads every document on the case and maps it to the elements below — marking each one supported or a gap, and citing the page it relied on. A gap is stated plainly rather than papered over.
Where these cases get RFE’d
The grounds USCIS comes back on.
When a notice does arrive, upload it — Attest extracts each request, maps it against what you already have on file, and drafts a cited response plan. The response deadline it finds is docketed only after you confirm it against the notice page itself.
Criterion evidence doesn't meet the plain regulatory language
An exhibit is offered for a criterion it doesn't literally satisfy — the most common O-1 RFE, and the one an evidence map catches first.
Original contributions lack proof of major significance
Contributions are described but not shown to have moved the field.
Consultation missing or from the wrong entity
No advisory opinion, or one from a body without jurisdiction over the beneficiary's area.
Itinerary or agent-petition deficiencies
Events without dates, or an agent petition missing the underlying engagements.
Final-merits 'sustained acclaim' pushback
Three criteria met on paper, but the totality doesn't read as sustained national or international acclaim.
Bring an O-1 you already have open.
Nothing to migrate. Upload the file you’re working on and see a cited evidence map against these criteria.
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