This article will help you plan in showing how you are overall extraordinary by using 3 of the most underutilized criteria for establishing extraordinary ability. The criteria for O-1A Visas in the sciences, education, business, and athletics is different from the criteria for O-1B Visas in the arts, motion picture, and entertainment. However, comparable evidence can be used for both types of O-Visas, and this means that you can use the visa criteria under O-1A to establish extraordinary ability for O-1B Visas by showing comparable evidence in the following categories: 1) Judging or Panel experience, 2) Membership in a Distinguished Association, and 3) Being an Author.
Judging or Speaking on a Panel
The O-Visa requirement is “participation on a panel or as a judge of the work of others in the same or allied field of specialization.” Become a judge or get yourself on a panel in either a competition, presentation, or event, in something in or related to your industry. The competition, presentation or event does not have to be distinguished and attended by 1000s of people. What is important is that you are invited to be a judge or presenter because of your qualifications. As a judge, you must show that your opinion played a role in some decision. As a presenter, you must show people came to the event and that people registered or paid to attend.
Membership in a Distinguished Association
The O-Visa requirement is “Membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought which require outstanding achievements of members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in the field.” You cannot just join any organization or association in your field. Join an organization or association where you have to submit a detailed application and there are some selection criteria you must meet before you can even apply. You have to show that not everyone can be a member of that organization or association. Additionally, have a leadership position that plays a role in some critical events or running of the association that impacts people within the industry, who are not members of the association. Alternatively, you can also show that an association reached out to you to invite you to join because of your extraordinary qualifications, and that such an invitation is very rare. You must have proof of the invitation to join, the selection criteria for membership in the association, and evidence of how the association is distinguished or plays an important role in the industry.
Being an Author
The O-Visa requirement is “Authorship of articles in the field as shown in professional journals or other major media.” If you write articles that are published in journals, magazines, newspapers, or some other media, you can satisfy this criteria. You have to have written material. You don’t have to publish in the most distinguished journals, magazines, newspapers, etc, but show as many published articles as you can. What you have to show is that your work was published, your name must appear in the publication, the publication must be in your industry, and the publication must have a following – either through their number of members, circulation numbers, subscribers, social media likes, etc.
