"Skilled Professionals Turning to O-1 Visa Amid Tight H-1B Rules"
Somehow, one must work in America. One must earn dollars. This is the dream of many IT professionals. To achieve this, many people explore various routes. Those who are fortunate get an H-1B visa. They go to the U.S. and take up jobs there. However, not everyone gets this chance, because it requires getting picked in a lottery — and that needs luck too. Even professionals working in key companies wait for years, eagerly hoping for an H-1B visa. For many, working in the U.S. or simply visiting America is a big dream. The most crucial part of this is obtaining a visa. Even those with money are sometimes denied visas due to various reasons. This number too is quite large. Especially after Donald Trump became the U.S. president for the second time, several restrictions have been brought to the forefront.
On the other hand, it is known that he recently announced a "Gold Card". By paying five million U.S. dollars, this card — which comes with direct U.S. citizenship — will be issued. Five million dollars is roughly over ₹42 crore in Indian currency. It's obvious that only the wealthy can afford such an amount to obtain U.S. citizenship. Now, a new route has emerged for obtaining an American visa. While this isn't entirely new, consultants say the demand for it has significantly increased in recent times. This is the O-1 visa. But this visa is not issued to just anyone. It is granted only to individuals with extraordinary ability in various fields.
Especially those with expertise in areas like science, technology, business, or education are eligible for this O-1 visa. However, compared to H-1B visas, the fee for this visa is significantly higher. There are also several guidelines that need to be followed. To obtain a visa in this category, an applicant must meet at least three out of eight criteria. These include media coverage, awards received, publications, and more. For this visa, one has to pay anywhere between $10,000 to $30,000 as a fee. For those who are ready for it and are eligible — they will be granted the visa, because there is no cap on the number of visas issued under this category. With strict regulations being implemented in the issuance of other types of visas, some IT professionals, researchers, and cyber experts are said to be attempting to secure visas through this route.
