| Did you know a fashion model can easily get a O1 if she has appeared in a few print magazines, but an entrepreneur has to basically have won a noble prize? I could write a book about the issues each of the above visa’s have, but I want to keep this post light as it’s a complicated subject. Let me quote from the regulations. You need either a Nobel Prize or any three of the following: Receipt of nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor Membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought which require outstanding achievements, as judged by recognized national or international experts in the field Published material in professional or major trade publications, newspapers or other major media about the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s work in the field for which classification is sought Original scientific, scholarly, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field Authorship of scholarly articles in professional journals or other major media in the field for which classification is sought A high salary or other remuneration for services as evidenced by contracts or other reliable evidence Participation on a panel, or individually, as a judge of the work of others in the same or in a field of specialization allied to that field for which classification is sought Employment in a critical or essential capacity for organizations and establishments that have a distinguished reputation Now comes the hacking bit: can you map any three of those broadly written requirements to three specific achievements a 23 year old programmer could have within two months of setting out to have them? Empirically, more than a few people can. (I'm constrained about what I can tell you about individual folks.) e.g. While I'm an American citizen and thus wouldn't have to worry about it (the relevant criteria for my Japanese visa are, obviously, different), I could present a fairly strong case for an O1 visa on the basis of: 1) I have been published in a major CS journal. (ACM reprinted a blog post of mine. Totally counts. I'm pretty sure you can make "Guest posted for Smashing Magazine" into one of your three points, if that seems unlikely.) 2) My salary is high (i.e. "at least as high as a starting grad at Google"), as evidenced by copious paper I could produce on that topic. Not a high bar for any engineer to hit. 3) I judged a hackathon once ("participated on a panel as the judge of work of others..."). (So not kidding. Bureaucracies are state machines. You give them exactly what they ask for and get the published transition.) etc, etc, etc |
The salary bit can be difficult, since you're applying as a founder. Not sure how much investors like a very capital-intensive founder, as would be mandated by the law if that's one of the criteria used.
Makes it somewhat more difficult for an 18-year old with multiple exits to qualify.