Background

Raja Sandhu is a Canadian graphic designer who has represented some of the world’s largest brands. He came to us with significant experience as well as multiple awards for outstanding work. Raja approached us to secure an O-1 visa based on his extraordinary ability in design. More specifically, he wanted to enter the U.S. to work as an in-house designer with a startup company, but also wanted flexibility to work for other employers. Therefore, our challenge was to structure his application in a way that would allow this flexibility. In order to achieve this goal we structured his application in the following manner:

1. Petitioner who acts as an agent to file the petition;
2. Multiple employers who supply deal memos promising to hire Raja. Each deal memo includes specific language indicating the agency relationship;

After securing the above we completed Raja’s application in the following phases:

Phase One

Gathering the Evidence:

After an exploratory meeting, we provided Raja with a detailed checklist of documents and evidence we need. Due to the volume of evidence it was important that we highlighted only the relevant documents. Without a very detailed checklist clients often have to spend excessive time gathering documents they do not need while also delaying case submission.

Phase Two

Case Preparation:

Our next step was to prepare a persuasive support letter that highlighted appropriate elements of Raja’s career. We believe it is important to focus on what is relevant and not to overwhelm the USCIS with superfluous information. To this end we included the most persuasive of Raja’s design work and critical praise. Often times the evidence that you omit is as crucial as the evidence submitted.

Phase Three

Contacting Appropriate Peer Groups:

Every O-1 petition requires the beneficiary to secure an advisory opinion from a peer group, labor organization or person with expertise in the beneficiary’s field of extraordinary ability.* In Raja’s case, the appropriate group was the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). After we finished preparing Raja’s entire application we sent the completed file to AIGA for review. They replied within 2 weeks with a glowing endorsement of his petition.

We submitted the O-1B petition to the California Service Center and received an approval two weeks later. Raja is currently based in San Francisco. You can visit his website here: www.rajasandhu.com.

Now here’s Raja, in his own words:

“An application for a O-1 visa was needed, which can seem like a very difficult and complicated process for those looking to get one. Working with right attorney makes the difference. Ashkan made things so simple and easy, whereas others made it intimidating and complex. He’s got super down-to-earth communication skills and talks to you like a friend while keeping it all pro. Just 2 weeks after my application was submitted, I was approved—need I say more?”