Individuals with exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or with a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and who have been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements, are eligible for the O-1 nonimmigrant visa.
The nonimmigrant classification O is also referred to as:
Individuals with remarkable skill in the sciences, education, business, or athletics are eligible for O-1A status (excluding the arts, motion pictures, or television industry)
O-1B: Individuals with remarkable skill in the arts or great accomplishment in the motion picture or television business;
O-2: Individuals who will accompany an O-1 artist or athlete to help in a specific event or performance;
O-3: Individuals who are O-1 and O-2’s spouses or children.
General Eligibility :
To be eligible for an O-1 visa, you must have extraordinary ability as evidenced by sustained national or international acclaim or a track record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture and television industries, and you must be coming to the United States temporarily to continue working in the area of extraordinary ability.
Extraordinary talent in science, education, business, or athletics refers to a level of proficiency that implies you are among the small fraction of people who have risen to the top in your field.
You must have exhibited outstanding accomplishments in the film or television industries to be eligible for an O-1 visa.
This is evidenced by a degree of proficiency and renown well above the average, to the point where you are recognized as exceptional, notable, or leading in the field of motion picture and/or television.
To qualify for an O-2 visa, your assistance must be an “integral part” of the O-1A visa holder’s performance, and you must share vital skills and knowledge with the O-1 visa holder that are not generic and cannot be easily performed by a U.S. worker.
In the case of an O-2 visa holder in the film or television industry, you must have critical skills and experience, either based on a pre-existing longstanding working relationship or, in the case of the specific production, because significant production (including pre-and post-production work) will take place both inside and outside the United States, and your continued participation is critical to the successful co-production.
O-1 and O-2 visa holders’ families:
If your spouse and children under the age of 21 will accompany you or join you later (referred to as “following to join”), they may be eligible to apply for an O-3 nonimmigrant visa, subject to the same entry length and requirements as you. Under this classification, individuals are not able to work in the United States, but they may study full-time or part-time on an O-3 visa.