On: How I got an O-1 visa as a software engineer

[drtournier]

Glad you made it OP, congrats! As an immigrant in the US I went through the "Extraordinary Ability" path and the process was a journey of pain and anxiety. Many roundabouts with a lawyer that promised me expertise in the process and it ended up with a NOID (Notice of Intention to Deny - something like that) from USCIS. My wife and I had to study the USCIS manual page by page and re-wrote almost all documentation from the lawyer. It wasn't easy but we made it.

[bearjaws → drtournier]

Unfortunately immigration law is full of quack attorneys who abuse immigrants.

If you feel you were unfairly treated or scammed, you should report your lawyer to their local Bar organization.

Most will take it very seriously - especially in immigration, a repeat offender will often lose their license.

[swalberg → bearjaws]

At the same time, the political climate and even the person you get reviewing your application could make a difference. I was denied the first time I applied for PERM after the officer combed through the supporting paperwork to find problems. Was it my lawyer's fault? Did my employer make a mistake in the job search? Was it because it happened in the Trump years? Who knows.

[neuralengine → swalberg]

My application for EB2-NIW was recently denied for totally inappropriate reasons. The process has a randomness component to it, what you can do is to maximize your chance of success but it’s still a chance.

[apapapa → drtournier]

How long did the process take?

I became a citizen without an attorney and from start to finish it was about 5 years... Different process used though (got married).

Got a pile of paper about 2 inch high from all the forms I had to fill, mail that I sent and received, etc... Painful process.

[drtournier → apapapa]

Our case took around 14 months for the EB-1 from the first call to lawyer to the green card in our mailbox.

[apapapa → drtournier]

How long including citizenship, if that was the goal?

[j7ake → drtournier]

Does this timeline depend on country of birth?

[swalberg → j7ake]

Yes, you'll want to google for the "Visa Bulletin" to see the current dates for different countries. India and China are currently backlogged.

[neuralengine → j7ake]

Indians applying for EB-2 have a waiting time of 200 years based of the total number of available visas per year and pending cases.

[ahussain → drtournier]

OP here: Sorry that you had a bad experience, but glad that you made it through in the end! I would love to talk more about your experience if you're up for it. My email is in my bio.