Talent and high skill United States
O-1 Visa: Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement
Run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
People with national or international acclaim in the sciences, education, business, athletics or the arts, or a record of extraordinary achievement in film or television, who have a U.S. employer or agent. Nationals of Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan are under a full visa suspension under Proclamation 10998 and cannot be issued this visa.
- Only for people in science and research, teaching and education, business, sports, creative, media.
- Job offer
- Required. A U.S. employer or agent files Form I-129 for you.
- Language
- Not stated on the official page
- Education
- Not stated on the official page
- Work experience
- You must show sustained national or international acclaim, with at least three types of listed evidence, and a written advisory opinion (consultation).
- Government fee
- Paid by the employer or agent: Form I-129 for an O petition USD 1,055 on paper or USD 1,005 online (USD 530 for a small employer or nonprofit); Asylum Program Fee USD 600 (USD 300 small employer, USD 0 nonprofit). Paid by the worker: visa application fee USD 205.
- Processing time
- Not stated on the official page
- Money you must show
- Not stated on the official page
- When and to whom you pay
- The petitioner pays USCIS when filing Form I-129. The worker pays the USD 205 visa fee to the Department of State before the interview.
Checked on 18 October 2026. What the page says
Read on uscis.gov on 2026-10-18: "you must demonstrate extraordinary ability by sustained national or international acclaim"; fee page (G-1055): "If you are filing an O petition" "Paper Filing: $1,055 plus additional fees Online Filing: $1,005"; travel.state.gov fee page: petition-based visas "$205.00" Another official page. Another official page. Another official page.