By Sai Veda, whose O-1A was approved twice with no RFESee which O-1A criteria you already meet and what to work on next
Answer a few questions about your work, and EinsteinKit maps it to the 8 criteria and gives you a plan for each week.
It takes about 3 minutes. Not legal advice.
Your profile
2 of 3 criteria
- JudgingLooks strong
- Critical roleLooks strong
- Scholarly articlesWithin reach
- PressNot yet
This week
Judging- Find three hackathons
- Email the organizers
- Save the invitation as proof
Template
“Hi, I am a software engineer. I would like to judge your hackathon…”
Four facts about the O-1A
- 3 of 8
- You must show proof for at least 3 of the 8 criteria.
- No lottery
- The O-1A does not use a lottery. Your evidence decides.
- 3 years
- The first approval gives you up to 3 years. You can extend it.
- 15 days
- Premium processing gives a decision in 15 business days.
Why this exists
I got my O-1A twice without an RFE. So many people asked how that I turned the process I followed into a tool anyone can use.
- Q4 2024
- StartedWithout a clear plan
- Jan 2026
- First O-1AFiled by my employer
- Oct 2026
- Second O-1AFiled by my company
- 0
- Requests for evidenceAcross both petitions
Next step
Send your paper to an IEEE workshop
Proof saved
12
files and links, in one place
How it works
How EinsteinKit works
1.Answer 20 questions
Tell EinsteinKit about your work, or import your LinkedIn profile. It takes about 3 minutes.
2.See where you stand
You'll see which criteria already look strong and which three are worth building next.
3.Do one step each week
Each step is small, and the email templates do most of the writing for you.
4.Keep your proof
Save the files and links for every result as you go, so your lawyer has everything later.
“In January I thought the approval was about the job. Now I think it was about the work, and the work comes with me wherever I go.”
Sai VedaAfter the second approval, October 2026The 8 criteria
You need 3 of the 8 criteria. Here’s the order I’d build them in.
Some you can build in a month and some take years, so start with the ones you can work on now.
Judging
Judge hackathons first. Then review papers.
Scholarly articles
Papers at IEEE or other top venues. Articles on respected sites.
Original contributions
Products or open source that people outside your team use.
Critical role
Lead something important, or join a funded startup early.
The rule I followed
Be clearly strong in 3.
Strong proof for 3 criteria beats weak proof for 5, because officers judge your case as a whole.
- Start here4 criteria
- Comes later1 criterion
- Use if you have it1 criterion
- Usually skip2 criteria
Time to first approval
15 months
Q4 2024 to Jan 2026
Press
Articles about you and your work. This comes after your first results.
High salary
Use it if your pay is clearly above others in your field.
Awards
Skip it unless the award is very well known.
Membership
Only if you truly qualify. IEEE Senior does not help much.
What I used
My evidence, and what each part did
The same evidence went into both petitions, with more progress the second time.
Made the case
These three carried both petitions.
- Judge at the 2025 Claro Awards for AI
- Judge at university hackathons
- IEEE ISEC 2025 paper on AI mentors for new programmers
- RevOpsBench paper at IEEE SoutheastCon 2026
- An article in Forbes about AI agents
- VP of Engineering at Zams
- Co-founder of AppliedCrew
Helped
These added more proof to the case.
- The New Indian Express wrote about my plasma donor app
- The Governor of Telangana recognized the same app
- CommandL, an AI coding tutor, tested with 200 people
- An agent platform used by S&P 500 companies
Did not help much
This was in the case, but it was weak.
- IEEE Senior Member
The mistake I made
I spent months reading and making spreadsheets before I took a single real step. If I started again, I'd act in the first week.
This week, find three hackathons and email the organizers to ask if you can judge.
Email template
Subject: Judging at your hackathon
Hi, I am a {your role}. I work on {your field}. I would like to judge your hackathon this year. I can give useful feedback to the teams.
Questions
The questions people send me
What is the O-1A visa?
The O-1A is a US work visa for people with extraordinary ability in science, education, business or athletics. There's no lottery: a US employer or agent files the petition, and you show evidence for at least 3 of 8 criteria.
I am a student on F-1 or OPT. When should I start?
Now. Join a few hackathons, then work toward judging two or three good ones a year while you write your first paper.
Can founders get an O-1A?
Yes. My own company filed my second O-1A. You need a US company that can file the petition and real evidence about you, so ask an immigration lawyer about the setup.
Can I work on my startup while on H-1B or OPT?
Your current visa's work rules still apply, so ask an immigration lawyer before you start. It also helps to test the idea with real users first.
Do I need a PhD or published papers?
No, and I don't have one. Papers helped my case, but judging, original contributions and a critical role count just as much.
How long does it take to build an O-1A profile?
I started in late 2024 and was approved in January 2026. It depends on where you start, and the check gives you a rough estimate.
Are 3 criteria enough?
Three is the minimum, and officers also judge your case as a whole. Strong proof for three beats weak proof for five.
Should I get IEEE Senior Member?
Only if you truly qualify. It needs about 10 years of experience and three references, and in my case it didn't help much.
Do I need a lawyer?
Yes. A lawyer prepares and files the petition, and EinsteinKit helps you build your profile and organize your proof before that.
What is the difference between the O-1A and the EB-1A?
The O-1A is a work visa that an employer or agent files. The EB-1A is a green card you can file yourself, but the bar is higher, so many people get the O-1A first.
Is EinsteinKit a law firm?
No, and nothing here is legal advice. It's the framework I used, turned into a tool for building and tracking your profile.
See where you stand on the O-1A
Answer about 20 questions, and EinsteinKit will show you what to work on first.