Consulate interviews for O-1 visas are getting tougher. Here is a recent report from our Indian client who filed an agent-based O-1 through Artists & Entrepreneurs Inc. The case was approved through Premium Processing without an RFE. It’s important to note that the officer was checking everything she said online in real time. This is why building an online profile is important.
“It was definitely intense, and as you said, it is a tough consulate. They asked me, ‘How am I extraordinary and what am I doing?’ I started by talking about past achievements, but they wanted to know more about my plans and what I do. I tried to explain that I am a textile artist, but they failed to understand what I really make with textiles. Hence, I diverted their attention to the research paper (more academic) I wrote, and based on that and a few other questions, they approved the O1. Additionally, everything I spoke, they Google-verified and cross-checked. He even asked “if I was famous” and then proceeded to look me up. Online presence mattered a lot in my case.”