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O-1 Extension Approval Within 15 Days for 7-Employee Company

O-1 Extension Approval Within 15 Days for 7-Employee Company

  • Applicant: Mr. Zhao
  • Nationality: Chinese
  • Case Type: O-1
  • Field of Expertise: Chinese Museum & Historical Relics
  • U.S. Employer: Web & IT services company
  • Approval Time: Within 3 days
  • Dates: Filing Package delivered in July 2018
  • Client Challenges:
    • Mr. Zhao’s U.S. employer passed away during his O-1 process.
    • Mr. Zhao’s field of expertise is in museum and ancient artifacts, whereas his new employer is an IT and technology solutions company.
    • Mr. Zhao’s expertise in museums and artifacts is not readily impactful to the U.S. economy or general U.S. employers.
    • Mr. Zhao does not have a college degree or certified recognition for his expertise.
    • Mr. Zhao does not speak English. (Tsang & Associates provides consular interview trainings)
    • Mr. Zhao’s foreign employer is relatively small in size, operating as a contractor to construction projects.
    • Mr. Zhao has only one publication in a local magazine and does not have media coverage of himself.
    • Mr. Zhao is the Vice President at one of his foreign employer’s departments, which would be challenging to prove critical leadership.

BACKGROUND

Mr. Zhao, a Chinese historical relics and museum expert, was looking to bring his expertise to the U.S. to pursue promising career opportunities with a U.S. museum developer seeking his skills. However, halfway through the process, his petitioner unfortunately and rather suddenly passed away—effectively leaving him with nobody to vouch for his contributions in the U.S. Distressed about the notion of no longer being able to pursue this exciting opportunity (and dismayed about how much of his life he had already poured into doing so), he needed to find another employer in the U.S. willing to sponsor his ambitions.

Continuously thinking from our clients’ perspectives, Tsang & Associates pulled network resources and helped Mr. Zhao locate a business technology company. Having overcome the challenge of having a U.S. petitioner, Tsang & Associates sprang into action to overcome the next and greater challenge: how would a U.S. IT company leverage the expertise of a Chinese historical relics and museum expert? The two fields do not overlap and do not share expertise; however, through rigorous investigation, Tsang & Associates found that Mr. Zhao’s extensive years of experience in restoring and protecting delicate structures rendered him a leading expert in China’s construction management. The petitioner needed exactly such expertise to lead their construction web technologies into the Chinese construction market. As a result, the CEO of this reputable company was intrigued by the professional background of Mr. Zhao and was willing to petition him as a senior construction consultant to oversee the company’s new construction management software targeting the Chinese construction market.

 

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Understanding just how much Mr. Zhao would lose out on if we did not resolve this setback quickly, we went right to work. With our resources and guidance, Mr. Zhao was able to hone in on a U.S. company that was interested in working with him, and vice-versa.

Whereas Mr. Zhao’s first petitioner was looking to more directly utilize his immense intelligence with respect to history and ancient relics, this new company was more interested in how those skills may apply to the construction industry. Thus, in moving forward with our client’s application, it was imperative to show USCIS just how a museum expert’s credentials could be indispensable to this specific company’s operations and standards.

Upon reviewing the professional responsibilities and accomplishments he has been recognized for, it was clear to us that Mr. Zhao’s extraordinary skills were multifaceted: we emphasized his familiarity with various technologies and software, especially as they pertain to the construction company’s hiring needs. In essence, we argued that Mr. Zhao’s expertise in museum and historical relics has allowed him to exercise the most detailed analysis of every building structure, which was exactly the kind of expertise that the U.S. petitioner was looking for.

Although the O-1 petition only requires three of the ten specific criteria to be satisfied, Tsang & Associates prefer to be thorough whenever possible. We worked with Mr. Zhao and compiled as much documented proof of his many achievements as possible in order to leave absolutely no room to doubt his expertise.

 

OUTCOME

Mr. Zhao’s application was directly approved within 3 days, a remarkably fast turnaround for an otherwise-lengthy process. Our client was thrilled to have resolved the crisis that nearly cost him his future—and we were more than happy to have assisted him in doing so.