O-1B Renewal Approved for Canadian Illustrator & Graphic Designer

We recently received an approval for an O-1B extraordinary ability visa for an illustrator and graphic designer from Canada. Congratulations to our client!

Processing times for O-1 visas have unfortunately increased since June 2024. For several years, the Vermont Service Center was adjudicating cases fairly consistently between 1 - 2 months, but those times are increasing. Additionally, for agent based petitions, when an agent was based in the New York tristate area, the petition would be sent to the Vermont Service Center; this is not always the case anymore and some cases are being receipted at California Service Center which has longer processing times. In this case, because the client’s work authorization soon to expire, we upgraded the renewal to premium processing to ensure a decision within 15 business days. In this case, it was approved within 10 business days.

If these processing time trends continue, it becomes even more important to submit petitions well in advance of your work start date in order to avoid having to upgrade to premium processing. There are many moving parts to an O-1 application and it takes time to put together. I do my very best to make the process as smooth as possible for you & work to solutions unexpected challenges arise. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation through the website or reach out directly to me at amir@rasoulpourlaw.com.