Comment by abafterratic872
4 days ago
Hi Peter, thanks for doing this.
For myself as a UK citizen, what are the most realistic options for obtaining a visa to work in the US? The H1B is the main one I'm familiar with, but with the lottery and the one year application cycle it doesn't seem an easy route. The other option I'm aware of is the L1, do you know how realistic it is to obtain one of those? I don't currently work for a multinational company but would look to move jobs if an L1 visa was a possibility.
Are there any other realistic routes available?
The L-1 is very easy through a large multinational company after a year of employment with that company outside the U.S. and is attainable although more difficult through a small multinational company. The other options are the E-2 (treaty investor visa), which could allow you to work for a British-owned company in the U.S., or the O-1 (extraordinary ability visa), which requires a relatively high level of achievement but is often attainable by talented professionals.
Thanks Peter, all very useful to know. I wasn't aware of the E-2 visa. How does one justify extraordinary ability for the O-1, if pursuing that route? I can see it varying a signifcant amount between applicants, but what (if any) successful justifications have you seen?
Yes, it varies significantly from applicant to applicant. Justifying extraordinary ability is more about checking certain boxes/criteria than extraordinary ability per se and so, in the end, it's usually pretty clear whether or not someone qualifies.