O-1B Approval for Jewelry Designer from Japan

We recently received an approval for a designer of jewelry and fashion who is a Japanese national. Congratulations to our client.

Our client was working in the United States in OPT for a company specializing in jewelry design. Although we began the O-1B process while she was still in OPT, she had some important achievements for her O-1B petition which would not have been available before the end of her OPT. Therefore, in her case, she was able to return temporarily to Japan and continue working for her company remotely while we finalized the O-1B petition and included these additional achievements. It was approved without a request for evidence.

There is so much pressure during your OPT to work while also planning ahead for changing status to an O-1B or an H-1B, that we sometimes forget that departing the US and applying while abroad might be a wise decision, especially if your O-1B petition may be made stronger by waiting to include some additional achievements. There is no requirement to be in the United States to obtain O-1B status. The petition is filed by your petitioner (your agent or your employer), and if you are out of the United States, then you attend a Consular Interview after approval in order to obtain your visa. If you’d like to set up a comprehensive consultation, don’t hesitate to reach out at amir@rasoulpourlaw.com.