O1 Visa
polycounter lvl 15
Hey guys,
I was hoping this would be a happy "i`m hired" topic i`d create on here one day but it turns out theres the US visa holding me back.
So i was wondering if anyone had any experience with the O1 visa for the US .
I`d be eligible for a H1 visa but since they`re all gone for the year a O1 is my last chance.
From what i can see is i need to gather as much evidence of my "expertise".
So that`s what i`m doing atm but i don`t think i`m going to have enough to proof i should get it.
Now i`m just trying to find out if some of you went through the same thing and maybe have so tips?
I was hoping this would be a happy "i`m hired" topic i`d create on here one day but it turns out theres the US visa holding me back.
So i was wondering if anyone had any experience with the O1 visa for the US .
I`d be eligible for a H1 visa but since they`re all gone for the year a O1 is my last chance.
From what i can see is i need to gather as much evidence of my "expertise".
So that`s what i`m doing atm but i don`t think i`m going to have enough to proof i should get it.
Now i`m just trying to find out if some of you went through the same thing and maybe have so tips?
Replies
that is not true. you don't get a visa then find a job. you get a job then you get a visa sponsored by the company. that is 99% of the visas. it is next to impossible to get a "work" visa on your own with no company working on your behalf in that country to get the visa. work visas in the US and EU work the same. you get a job then the HR department arranges all of the visa issues for you. you need to get a job and the studio will do all of the visa work for you. any studio that does not work that way I would avoid. and I would never suggest trying to get a visa and moving cross borders with no job lined up!
Thats why i`m asking if there`s anyone who had to do the same and maybe has some more tips and advice.
ah I see, thought you were trying to get a visa on your own. if you have some work experience that is the best "proof". if you don't to be honest it is really tough. if it does not work try to do freelance for them to fill out your resume.
But this is based on my visa experience for Canada ...
So I guess besides holding senior positions on well known games, acclaim might be magazine publications, and the various comps like Dominance War, Escape etc... Maybe speaking at GDC and stuff would also qualify, basically it is hard as fuck to get this Visa.
@m4dcow: yeah thats what became clear after reading up on it and it made me realize that i probably won`t be getting it .
radiancef0rge: nope
Good luck, man!
Edit: Let's ignore that previous shit, here's some sound advice:
http://www.artistsfromabroad.org/immigration-procedures/completing-the-forms/o-1b-petitions-individual-artists-of-extraordinary-ability/proving-extraordinary-ability/
Nevertheless, O1B is remarkeably difficult to obtain.
You have to be pretty pro-active and industry experience doesn't count very much towards it at all, surprisingly. Age doesn't matter either. Like other areas, the O1 means you have made an impact, or done a lot to improve the industry.
In order to qualify for an O-1 visa, an individual must show evidence documenting significant career achievement and industry renown. The types of evidence that can be presented are industry awards, nominations of awards, articles about the person in industry or trade journals, demonstration that the person has played a major role in games that have had significant commercial or critical success, testimonials from prominent members from the games industry, or evidence that the person has spoken at industry conferences such as GDC, E3 or published papers.
Now these things aren't easy to just rack up. It takes a lot of time to tick those boxes.
Hope that helps.
Renauld: Yeah that would have been the way to go if they weren`t all gone for this year.
imyj: i only have a few things on that list but i`m afraid it won`t be enough
ambershee: It`s those lists that take away my last bits of hope to getting it, unless the company i`m applying at can do some magic i`m going to have to wait a year
what about becoming recognized as an author of high quality game asset packs?
having a product that sells well (or pretending that it sells well) seems like some sort of achievement to me.
Haz: if you`re not able to secure it i don`t think i will either since i probably have less checks on the checklist. Was there a company working on your behalf or were you applying for it yourself?
I wouldn't give up your hopes man, I've had some pretty wtf style things with visas over the last few years. It doesnt seem like a good of a system as it is supposed to be in terms of rules and regulations.
Apart from what has already been mentioned. You could talk to some educational companies/sites - Eat3D, 3dMotive, DigitalTutors, ZBrushWorkshops etc... and do an hour or two tutorial on, say, doing cartoony characters. Bundle it with your disney timelapses, maybe only narrated, and you have yourself a small DVD. That would help.
It definitely won't be immediate, so maybe it's worth waiting until H1B quota renews.
But I say screw that, doing more stuff is good for everyone and if you can spare yourself the trouble with the visas in the process it's a nice bonus.
I also second an immigration lawyer if you can get one. Both times I dealt with one she was fantastic and made everything smooth and seamless.
Just read as much as you can... and the lawyer is in my opinion your safest bet.
Let us know how this develops.
I just send all the things i could dig up to the recruiter, i`ll let you know how this turned out.
If i have to wait untill next year for the H1 it won`t be the end of the world, more time to become better and finish some personal stuff properly.
True that Haz, I'm a H1b holder here and passed through a J-1, I actually got pretty lucky since I didn't have to update, I just transfered many times already. But I'm at the end of my H1-b real soon. Can you tell me why did they deny your O-1 Haz. Do you guys know if the O-1 has an specific amount of time as well?
I got to the US on a J-1 Visa too originally
The O-1 denial was essentially because my list of 'stuff I've done' was not satisfactory for the requirements. Not enough competitions won, published articles, speaker at GDC kind of things.
Large company submitted two times for the H1b prior the O-1 - rejected three times haha! Oh if only I had bummed my way through school and got that degree, I'd be in the US right now
After browsing careers pages of my favorite game companies sites, I received a nice full-time job offer with relocation support. Relocation support is actually mandatory for qualifying for the O1b visa. Also is almost mandatory that the company interested in your work makes a on-site interview with you at the company with all expenses paid (flight, hotel, meals, etc.) The stamp of this visit on your passport is an official proof that you are important for the job and the petition letter for O visa will have this mentioned.
1 . Try to find how you can be better qualified for the O visa. In my case after the interview me and the studio lawyer started to create a case for myself since I don't have any kind of degrees (I am completely self-taught since child) and I don't have previous experience working in game companies (I come from advertising/design business), so it was hard to find something that could qualify myself for the mighty "O" visa and for a game company, so we realize that instead of making a case based on fame or press or public recognition and stuff like that, we decided to make everything based on the quality of the works and testimonials about that, so...
2 . I got some Recommendation and support letters from companies I worked for full-time and freelance, also got some nice letters from other artists friends of mine, got letters from associations like IGDA and IDG (if you become a member you will have a lot of support and they will really help you with this).
All letters were focused on telling how good my art is and the differential they brought to a job or the business, it's kind of a lot of bull**it making you look like a god, but those letters coming from respectful people there were willing to sign their names on letters about your art, really raised up the bar at immigration officers eyes.
I know some letters are hard to get, by try your best to find people from previous companies you worked, specially from magazines or books you participated. But don't be lazy or afraid of this. Took me 4 months to get all letters, a lot of visits, chats, drinks and I even cooked some dinner for a friend of mine... but I got the the letters I needed. Actually just 3 of the 9 I tried.
Don't fake the letters and don't use false information and wrong dates.
3 . Read EVERYTHING on USCIS website about O visa, and make sure the company HR or Lawyer will get the I-907 form correctly filled. 1 minor error or contradictory information can ruin it all. Also make sure the company hiring you will pay for the extra tax to speed up the visa process in the USCIS, in my case it costs U$1.225 that the company paid, and believe me this extra payment makes all the difference, so let the company know you are aware of this.
4 . Make sure you have at least 1 individual/company/friend that can make you a letter of recommendation with real contact information and make sure this person is willing to testify by e-mail or phone call about the letter for a immigration officer. The immigration never called my contact of trust directly, but we know they verified this person by checking if the company she worked with me was a real registered business in Brazil. So this real contact was enough to make the case work. and she is not famous and not even the company is... it was just a nice recommendation coming from a real person with a real business.
Well that's it, I'm moving to North Carolina next month to work in a really nice game company, feels almost like a dream to me, and it will be my first time living alone and my first time working in a game company. So I wish those info can be helpful to someone in here somehow and maybe this individual can have this kind of experience and feeling as well.
Cya guys!