I thought that this month I would write a blog about Extraordinary Ability Visas. There are provisions in the immigration law that allow a person to come to the U.S. temporarily or permanently if they can prove “Extraordinary Ability” in their field. The field can be virtually anything – it applies to people in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics but the standards of proof are quite rigorous. A ton of documentation is required but I have found this to be one of the more creative types of cases that I handle. I have successfully obtained determinations of extraordinary ability for a social entrepreneur who excelled in providing homes to the poorest of the poor, tennis coaches, a photographer, and an architectural photographer to name a few. Without a major internationally recognized award such as a Nobel Prize, an Academy Award, or Olympic Gold medal, the applicant must provide proof of at least three of the suggested criteria. The criteria that I look at first include national awards and published material about the applicant in newspapers or professional or major trade publications. My evaluation of potential clients for this type of visa starts with a resume (CV) and a detailed interview.
For more detailed information about the extraordinary ability visas, you can see the much longer blog about this that I wrote three years ago. That blog can be found here: https://lindakaplan.com/extraordinary-ability-visa-o-visa-2/
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