We continue to receive swift O-1 Approvals. As of September 14, 2017, we have received 78 O-1 approvals this year.
Recent approvals include an O-1 for Korean product designer, Huira Koo, who received a BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design in New York and did a change of status from F (OPT) to O-1. Huira’s case was approved in eight (8) days – it was received by the Immigration Service on August 17 and approved on August 25 with standard processing. See more of Huira’s innovative designs at https://www.hi-koo.com.
Korean graphic designer, Gowoon Park, who has been on an H-1B for some years with various companies, successfully changed her status to 0-1. Ms. Park will be working on different projects through a U.S. agent-petitioner provided by our office. Ms. Park has been involved in several award-winning projects through her various employers. Goowon Park was so thrilled that her case was approved with regular processing in eight (8) days after being received on August 21 and approved on August 29. Gowoon writes:
Jane, I am so thrilled that this case was approved without any delays and so fast. Now I know why I was referred to you by my friend, another Korean graphic designer who also was successful in obtaining an O-1 visa through your office. Your detailed expert guidance through this complex process was absolutely invaluable. You were strict but you were right and it has paid off with this super-fast approval! Thank you for making this dream come true. I am so exciting to start on this new chapter of my career where I will have more freedom to undertake projects with different employers.
Korean architectural designer, Yea Hwa Kim, who is based in Nevada, received a three year O-1 approval, her second three year O-1 obtained through our office. Her case was received on August 25 and approved on September 2, also with standard processing.
Award-winning Canadian watercolor painter, William Rogers, also received a three- year O-1 approval in eight (8) days; his case was received on August 14th and approved on August 25th. See William’s exquisite paintings at http://williamrogersart.com.
Japanese hair stylist, Kyoko Nakamaru, who is lead hair stylist at the New York salon, GARDEN, received her second three- year approval to work at the salon. It is not always easy to get a second three- year approval with the same employer but our office has significant expertise in handling such cases. See Kyoko’s profile at http://garden-nyc.com/stylist.
Our successful track record with young architects continued in August and September when we received swift approvals for Chinese architectural designers, Yixuan Wang and Siqi Yang, both of whom were in F-1 status (OPT) and were sponsored by New York architecture firms. They had almost no professional experience prior to their OPT period. Nevertheless, their cases were approved swiftly and without an RFE. Yixuan received her Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in May 2016. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, in 2015. Her case was received on August 28 and approved on September 8. Yixuan observed, when informed of her approval, that two of her friends who applied at the same time, received RFE’s for further evidence and she was grateful to have avoided this. Yixuan writes:
As a junior architect after graduation, applying for O1 visa is a difficult task. I am also under great pressure because I have only two months left before my OPT expire. So I consulted with many friends before I chose the office. The content of the application materials submitted by different law offices can be various. I eventually found Jane Orgel after comparison. During the process of my application, I felt this is a very reliable agency based on its rich experience, perfect service and high success rate. The result proved my choice was right. Jane gave me a preliminary judgement after knowing my condition. She told me that I will make a successful application based on my condition. At the same time, she also provided me with many resource and widen my thinking in terms of material preparation. Jane made a very detailed and specific plan based on my condition afterwards. The preparation process took a long time. The lawyer assistant who can speak Chinese helped me implement my plan step by step with great patience. Every unclear questions were efficiently solved during this process. The process of applying for O1 visa was a long battle but everything was perfectly finished according to the schedule. Thanks so much for Jane and Stephanie, I really gained a lot from this process. The previous pressure was turned into efforts, and finally became a great memory.
中国建筑师Yixuan Wang 于2017年9月获得了她的首次O-1签证。王女士于2016年5月毕业于哥伦比亚大学建筑设计专业并获得硕士学位。我们律所成功地帮助了她完成了由 F-1 （OPT）签证转换为O-1签证。该案子在没有使用加快程序的情况下十天内获得了批准，且没有收到补充证据要求（RFE）。 王女士写道：
做为一个毕业工作不久的初级建筑师，申请O1签证是一项相对困难的大工程。 同时时间安排上我也只有两个月，所以最早的心理压力是很大的。在我选择事务所之前询问了很多朋友同行的意见，不同事务所提交的申请材料所侧重的内容是有很多区别的，经过比较之后我最终找到Jane Orgel这家事务所。Jane的事务所有丰富的经验和出色的成功率，在申请过程中会觉得十分可靠，申请的结果证明这个选择是幸运且正确的。
在Jane了解了我的基本情况后，她会给我一个初步的判断，告诉我基于现在我的情况，不出意外是可以申请成功的。同时，在怎样包装自己的问题上，她也提供了许多资源帮助我拓宽了思路。之后Jane根据我的特点制定了很详细并且明确的规划。资料的准备过程是漫长的，讲中文的律师助理会很详尽耐心地帮助我一步步去完成落实，中途不清楚的问题都会很快得到高效地解决。
Siqi Yang’s O-1 visa application was received on September 5th and approved six days later, on September 11th with regular processing. Siqi received a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in May 2016. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in China May 2015.
What’s the difference between a visa and an Approval Notice
Many people are confused by these concepts. A visa is stamped in your passport and, apart from a few rare instances, can only be issued by a U.S. Consulate outside the United States. The visa allows you to travel in and out of the United States for the period for which the visa is valid. Most non-immigrant visas, such as an O-1, H-1B or L-1, are only valid for the time periods stated on the visa. An Approval Notice indicates that the visa classification for which the beneficiary (applicant) has applied has been approved. If the beneficiary was in the United States in a different status, he or she may have
applied for a change of status and the new Approval Notice will contain a new Form I-94. This Approval Notice allows the beneficiary/applicant to remain in the United States and work in the new status granted to him or her. Once he or she leaves the United States, they must apply to get the visa stamped in their passport in order to re-enter the United States in this classification. An Approval Notice may also be issued to indicate simply that the classification has been approved and the beneficiary (applicant) may now apply at a U.S. Consulate to receive the visa stamp. This type of Approval Notice confers no benefits or work authorization in the United States. Attached here are images of a non-immigrant O-1 visa and an O-1 Approval Notice with a new I-94 indicating change of status to 0-1.
How long will my visa be valid for?
Another source of confusion is the Visa Reciprocity schedule. The Visa Reciprocity Schedule is based upon agreements between the U.S. Department of State and individual countries. The agreements delineate the validity period for various visas and how many entries can be made during that time period. For instance, Chinese nationals may have received a three- year O-1 Approval Notice but will only receive an O-1 visa stamp valid for three months and one entry into the U.S. When they enter the U.S., they should receive an I-94 valid for three years but once they leave the U.S. they will need to get a new visa stamp from the U.S. consulate in order to re-enter. The I-94 is now issued online and after entering, people should download it to check they received the correct amount of time.
我的签证的有效期是多久？
签证互惠计划通常会引起大家的困惑。 签证互惠计划是基于美国国务院和各个国家之间的协议。 这些协议规定了各种签证的有效期以及在此期间可以入境美国的次数。 例如，中国公民可能已经获得了三年O-1批准的通知，但只能收到有效期为三个月，进入美国一次的O-1签证。当他们进入美国时，他们应该收到有效期为三年的I-94，但一旦离开美国，他们将需要从美国领事馆获得新的签证，以重新入境。 I-94现在为网上发行。外国人应当在入境后下载并检查I-94以确认上面的时间是正确的。