Certain tech firms are now gently encouraging applicants to go down the O-1 visa path when H1B is not panning out. Sounds like a clever hack–until you dig a bit deeper.
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The O1 visa is designed for individuals with “extraordinary ability.” But here’s where it gets tricky–ther term “extraordinary” is not necessarily about being proficient at your profession, it’s about documenting it, with trophies, publications, and more.
Now, here is what’s going on quietly–some individuals who did not get selected in the H1B lottery are being advised, why don’t you try for an O1? It’s being presented like a plan B, but the route to approval is much more complicated, and sometimes even unrealistic unless you’ve established a good public-faacing profile.
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And there’s a catch that people tend to overlook. Once a company sponsors your O1, you’re sort of stuck in–it’s not like the H1B where you can simply switch jobs and continue rising.
And though o1 transfers are technically doable, most companies don’t do it. They either don’t want to spend money on a visa process they deem “unusual” or “uncertain”.
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What appears to be flexibility on the surface can quietly become a trap. Individuals feel trapped, particularly if they went down that route due to fear and necessity, rather than fit.
This transition–from H1B to O1–may appear to be innovation on the surface. But unless businesses facilitate the complete transfer process or construct long-term strategies around O1 hires, it simply shifts the burden back to the candidate.
If firms genuinely care about talent, they should stop exploiting visas as quick fixes and think about the future. Assistance shouldn’t end at form-filling–it should encompass what follows as well.
