Make An Informed Decision

The Trump administration may have been tightening its immigration policy of late, but the O-1 non-immigrant employment visa remains a relatively safe option for experts with extraordinary skills and abilities who would like to live and work in the US.

The Trump administration may have been tightening its immigration policy of late, but the O-1 non-immigrant employment visa remains a relatively safe option for experts with extraordinary skills and abilities who would like to live and work in the US. Of course, the decision to emigrate is never easy. Leaving the job that you already have for something that has not yet materialized is a life changing risk surrounded by red flags. For many it is a challenge that they are not willing to take because there is so much at stake.

PassRight, the O-1 Visa company, understands such concerns as its founders have been where its clients are today. It knows how difficult the decision to relocate is, regardless of what may be waiting for you on the other side, and understand how immensely frustrating and costly applying for an O-1 Visa can be. As an immigration partner, the company walks with its clients throughout the whole immigration, relocation and job search process for Pakistani nationals.

Getting onboard:

The process is transparent and divided into several clearly defined steps. Getting onboard is fairly easy as it only requires visiting the PassRight website, clicking on the “See if you qualify” icon and filling up a short questionnaire. And there you go! Your journey has successfully begun.

Once a client has filled up the questionnaire, a PassRight employee schedules a call with him or her to speak about the process and further evaluate if the O-1 Visa petition can be started immediately. Sometimes clients first need to be placed in a PassRight incubator program that will help them develop their profiles to meet the O-1 criteria.

“Just give it a try because it has become so much easier to qualify as we have extended our services and are offering to help not only software engineers, developers and startup founders, but also bio technicians, researchers (Ph.D. holders) , scientists and mathematicians,” says PassRight founder and CEO Liran Rosenfeld.

Choosing your unique, specialized plan:

PasRight believes that because all of its clients have unique requirements, the one plan/package for all is a concept that should be discarded. The company’s clients choose packages or plans that meet their specific needs. They are also given flexibility to choose whether they want to pay PassRight upfront or would like to check if they qualify for the company’s ISA program.

According to PassRight’s Director for Operations and Customer Success Joanna Bobel, clients can now choose the package that best fits their budget as the company has begun offering services with attorney representation and without attorney representation. And what is the difference, you ask!

Well, Bobel explains that the package with attorney representation means the head attorney will be more involved in the preparation of the case, will be joining calls and signing the G-28 form before the USCIS. “This representation is highly recommended for Green Card petitions. With O-1 or B1/B2 extensions it is not mandatory, but can be incorporated into the process if a client feels more confident with it,” she adds.

The total cost of PassRight’s services for the O-1 visa is $18K for clients wanting to pay upfront. The sum does not include PR services. Clients who choose to join PassRight’s ISA program will only begin paying the company 17 percent of their total gross salary, capped at $30K and $40K depending on the services they require, after they have secured a job. The cap amount for the ISA program has been increased as the services themselves have been extended.

PassRight is now providing more financing to also help with relocation costs such as the first 3 months of rent, flights, and temporary medical insurance.

Client profile building, the legal procedure and petition preparation:

Once a client is onboard, the PassRight team will work closely with him or her to help them build their portfolio and provide guidance on how to collect the necessary documents and proof so that at least three of the eight O-1 Visa criteria are met. Clients are assigned to a personal immigration consultant who will now work closely with them and an immigration lawyer to prepare their petition and send it to the USCIS. The whole procedure takes up to ten weeks if everything goes as planned and sometimes it might just get delayed for various unforeseen reasons.

In the opinion of Bobel, collecting evidence is the most time-consuming part of the whole application process. “Collecting evidence and drafting and getting all the letters signed, confirming our client’s achievements, takes time. Also, for each petition we must provide letters confirming awards and memberships, as well as judging and expert opinions from renowned experts in the given client’s field of endeavor,” she says.

Preparing a petition is not an easy task and it cannot be done without the client’s help as he or she knows more about themselves than PassRight knows about them. Thus what the company expects from its clients is commitment to the process and readiness to develop their profile. O-1 petitions require a huge effort in collecting evidence documenting a particular client’s achievements. According to Bobel, although from the client’s perspective their accomplishments may be obvious, for the petition examiner the proof may not be substantial. It is therefore crucial that clients be ready to commit some time to researching and sharing documents, as well as contacting people who can attest to their prominence in the field.

It is not always that what a client says can be proven and documented, which can delay the whole procedure, especially if the client cannot meet the required criteria and falls short of evidence. “In such cases other companies might give up. But we work very differently as we do not limit ourselves to the information provided by the client, we look for the best ways possible to argue and present their case,” she says.

The O-1 Petition Preparation Timeline:

PassRight’s collaboration with Zisa-Le PR agency:

In an effort to further enhance its services, PassRight works closely with a boutique PR agency that has been in operation for over 7 years now.

With direct links to over 50 major online media outlets globally, Zisa-Le offers PassRight clients an efficient, reliable and timely PR experience. From interviews, to drafting articles, editing and publishing, they can just leave it to the agency and it will get them the coverage they want at most affordable prices.

PassRight also cooperates with a number of other PR agencies across the world, as well as with media titles. Articles about the company have appeared in such respected publications as The Next Web, Hackernoon, CIO Review, Forbes, Yahoo and Marketwatch.