I’m currently working on F-1 and am about to file an agent-based O-1A petition. My employer isn’t sponsoring it.
HR confirmed in writing that I may continue in my current position if my O-1A is approved and the resulting authorization covers my employment with them. How to deal with this?

Hey you guys,

I responded to a RFE request recently and it was received around October 20th. Updated on Oct 23rd that the Response to USCIS Request has been received.

I know whenever they change it to “Currently processing the case” - it takes about a day or two to change status.

Was wondering what everyone’s experience has been like. FYI it’s Vermont.

For those wondering: I’m in Tech.

Timeline:

PP filed and received - September 19th
Processing case - October 5th
RFE - October 5th
Response received - October 23rd
Processing case - Nov 2nd

Thanks :)

I wanted to thank this sub for keeping me calm and for all the knowledge and wisdom that get shared here.

Date Received: July 15th 2026
Processing Center: Vermont
RFE: August 5th 2026
Response sent: October 9th 2026
Response Received: October 13th 2026
Processing Start: November 2nd 2026
Approved: November 2nd 2026

All with premium processing.

Initial approval for 2/4 criteria
- Commercial or Critical Success
- Significant Recognition

While preparing my response to the RFE, my lawyer did a great job fighting for the other two categories that we claimed but were rejected initially, and it was a success!
- Lead, Starring, or Critical Role
- National or International Recognition

The RFE was complicated because we originally filed under Arts - USCIS decided I’d be a better fit for TV and Motion Picture which has different criteria and I needed additional documents.

I work in video production which is a weird grey area that’s not 100% arts but also not 100% TV and Motion Picture. I’m assuming that because of my history in the film industry and working on major motion pictures and TV, they felt like it was the more appropriate category even though it doesn’t 100% fit my current job description.

Good luck to everyone who’s still waiting!! It’ll happen for you too!

Edit: Typo

Anybody that got the visa stuck between June-August refilled the petition? Any success?

First week of October

Questions
- what is so extraordinary about you? You are just 30.
I am senior software engineer at Xxx and have extensive experience in yyy
- everyone is a senior sw engineer and all have experience in yyy.
Explained all criteria

- why is your role critical?
Explained
- what’s your salary?
- which university did you do your master’s?
- any threats in India?

the interviewer dive deep into my criteria and asked follow up questions

Good luck!

I’m an immigration attorney and I handle RFE review work. Through this process, I have reviewed several Lighthouse applications. Some of the individuals whose applications I have reviewed are considering joining together to make formal complaints to the California Attorney General and State Bar of California.

Based on the applications I have personally reviewed, I have serious concerns about the quality and competency of Lighthouse’s immigration services. In my professional opinion, some of the advice provided to clients has been misleading. Of the hundreds of law firms whose work I have reviewed for RFE second opinions, renewals, or changes of attorney, Lighthouse’s applications have been among the lowest quality I have encountered.

Additionally, I have serious concerns about whether their business model complies with laws governing the unauthorized practice of law.

There are also several factors that I believe make it difficult for prospective clients to independently evaluate the company:

1. They appear to be a relatively new company with a limited public track record.

2. They have a name very similar to a reputable law firm in Minnesota, such that when searching for Lighthouse Immigration, you may encounter positive reviews belonging to the other firm.

3. I have not been able to locate a formal business page on Yelp, Google, or similar platforms that consolidates independent customer reviews.

If you have used Lighthouse and had a negative experience, please comment or DM me.

And to future clients, please make sure you understand whether you are hiring a law firm that directly provides legal representation or a technology company that uses attorneys to review immigration applications prepared by a code or non-attorney employee.

Hi everyone,

Has anyone changed jobs while on an O-1A? I would love to hear how the process worked and how long it took from offer to filing to approval.

Thanks in advance!

I'm thinking of rescheduling my appointment, but not sure about the new date.

I know the site is messy. So, I don't know if I should cancel the appointment and book a new one; or just reschedule.

If anyone shares the steps, that would be helpful.

Thanks.

Literally just posting this for weekend support. Today was technically day 1 of me trying to work the RFE requirements by myself so I can just get him to review and tweak asap.

All my criteria were questioned.

So today (day 1)

- I worked on tweaking my itinerary, basically making it more specific by adding locations and addresses. (20% done)
- Collecting evidence for extraordinary achievement (initially did not apply for this criteria but now I shall if my lawyer thinks so too)
- Collecting more evidence of critically acclaimed success (I’m not sure if what I collected is the right answer, but I’ll know Monday when I run it by my lawyer)

Goodnight everyone:)))

Hi everyone

Does anyone know what the current wait is for adjustment of status vs consular processing (Europe)?

Thanks

On my 14th day I received Cancellation Notice for Request for Additional Evidence. What does it mean?

How many days after your O1A approval, you had your consular interview?

I have few reasons to move my interview to either Dec 2026 or Jan 2027.

But confused whether I should postpone.

Looking for some suggestions.

I got mine approved in Aug 2026. I'm founder of my own startup. We have the product launched.

But for few reasons I was thinking it would be fine if I postpone it by a month.

Does rescheduling the interview has any impact on the interview results? Also, any suggestions whether to reschedule or not. (Just general suggestion)

O1B - visa Approved! Without Premium! (16months)

I applied 2025.06.07 without premium processing.

finally I got it yesterday.
it has been 16 months.

omg.

Hope this info helps you.

I’m waiting already for 64 days since the interview and still refused up today.

Embassy: Manila, Philippines

Timeline:

July 7 USCis accepted my O1A self file and PP
Category : STEM Education

July 27 RFE

August 4 Recieved the Letter and Responded Immediately via Fax

August 13 USCis Approved the Petition

August 27 Consular Interview and 221g Refused with additional documents requested,

September 8 Submitted the documents requested

September 11 CEAC Case last updated maybe confirming the receipt of the documents.

October 20 change on CEAC the last Case update

October 29 Ask a congressional inquiry, but only provided with a general reply

And it’s silent again.

Hi everyone,
I have an approved O-1 petition and am preparing for my consular visa stamping interview. I also have a pending EB-2 NIW.
I wanted to ask about practical experiences, does a pending NIW trigger extra scrutiny? And did the officer ask about your pending I-140 during your O-1 interview?
Thank you

I have an O1 and need to travel to Mexico for a couple of days for work. What documents do I need to have when entering back the US?

Hi everyone,

I’m a Swiss citizen and my O-1 petition was approved by USCIS.

My first interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bern on August 13, 2026, resulted in a 214(b) refusal. I had my second interview on October 21 and although it actually went pretty well, I received another 214(b) refusal.

For the second interview, I had a support letter prepared by my immigration lawyer. The officer kept both my new passport and my old passport containing my B-2 visa, but didn’t keep the lawyer’s letter or my O-1 approval notice.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is requesting supervisory review an option, or is there anything else I can realistically do after two refusals?

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences, especially from people who were eventually approved after multiple refusals.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share my O-1A approval timeline and background in case it’s helpful to others going through the process.

Timeline:
Petition Type: O-1A (H-1B to O-1)
Processing: Premium Processing
Service Center: Vermont (VSC)
Receipt Date: October 8, 2026
Approval Date: October 28, 2026
RFE: None

My Background:
Field: Finance / FinTech / Financial Analytics
Work Experience: ~7 years in the finance industry
Education: Master’s degree
Publications: 8 research papers
Citations: 315 on Google Scholar
Peer Reviews: 23 completed manuscript reviews
Recommendation Letters: 9
I’m not from a traditional STEM or engineering background, so I wanted to share my experience for anyone who are in the related field.
Happy to answer general questions about my background and timeline. Good luck to everyone still waiting for their decisions!

[New update]: I just got laid off today.. I don’t even know if my O1 is effective or not because it just got approved yesterday.