Raising capital, leading a team and earning attention in your market are forms of recognition. We help founders turn that record into an O-1A petition today, and a clear plan for an EB-1A or EB-2 NIW green card later.
Why founders qualify
O-1A and EB-1A are judged against defined criteria. A founder's record often maps to several of them, once it is documented in the way an officer reads it.
As founder, CEO or CTO, your role is central by definition. The work is showing that the company itself has a distinguished reputation, through investors, customers, partnerships or coverage.
Criterion: critical or leading role
Investment from respected funds, angels or selective accelerators shows that experts in your field judged your work worth backing. Presented well, it supports both your role and your contributions.
Supports: critical role, original contributions
Articles in major trade or general media that discuss you and your work count as published material. Funding announcements, profiles and industry analysis can all qualify when they focus on you.
Criterion: published material about you
Founders often pay themselves modestly. Compensation can still be framed against your field, including the value of your equity position, supported by comparison data for similar roles.
Criterion: high salary or remuneration
Serving as a judge at pitch competitions, a mentor who evaluates accelerator applicants, or a reviewer for startup programs shows that others trust your judgment of work in your field.
Criterion: judging the work of others
O-1A requires at least 3 of 8 criteria, and the evidence must also show sustained acclaim as a whole. Original contributions of major significance, such as a product or technology others adopted, often ties the story together.
Likely paths
Most founders start with the O-1A to work on their company in the U.S., then build toward permanent residence as the company and their recognition grow.
O-1A visa
A temporary work visa with an initial stay of up to 3 years, extendable in 1 year increments. It needs a U.S. employer or agent petitioner, and premium processing gives a decision within 15 business days.
Explore O-1A →EB-1A green card
No job offer or labor certification, and you can file for yourself. It asks for at least 3 of 10 criteria, then a final merits review of your record as a whole, so it rewards the growth an O-1A period allows.
Explore EB-1A →EB-2 NIW green card
For founders with an advanced degree or exceptional ability whose venture has substantial merit and national importance. It is a self-petition built around your proposed endeavor and the three Dhanasar prongs.
Explore EB-2 NIW →Founder-specific challenges
Founder petitions raise a few issues employees never face. Each one has a well-understood route, and planning for it early keeps the case clean.
Your own U.S. startup can file as the petitioner, provided there is a genuine employer relationship, often shown through a board that can direct your work. Alternatively, a U.S. agent can petition on your behalf. We help you decide which structure fits, and your partner attorney confirms it.
Before revenue or wide press, the record can look thin. We look at your full career, including prior roles, technical work and earlier ventures, and help you build documented recognition where gaps remain.
Officers are not investors. A term sheet or a product launch needs context: who backed you, why it matters, and what changed because of your work. Independent expert letters often carry that explanation.
Gaps in your record are common and solvable. Our profile building service focuses on genuine recognition, such as judging roles, speaking and published coverage, never paid awards or manufactured press.
Evidence checklist
You do not need everything on this list. Bring what you have to the consultation, and we will show you where it fits and what would strengthen it.
Need help with letters? See evidence and recommendation letters.
Questions
Yes, a U.S. company you founded can be the petitioner, as long as there is a real employer relationship, for example a board with authority over your role. A U.S. agent is another option. Your partner attorney confirms the right structure before filing.
No. Funding is one useful signal, not a requirement. The O-1A looks at whether your overall record meets at least 3 of 8 criteria and shows sustained acclaim. Many founders draw on earlier roles, technical work, press and judging as well.
Not necessarily. High salary is only one of eight criteria, and you do not need all of them. Where compensation is relevant, equity and comparison data for similar roles can help frame it.
If your record already meets the EB-1A standard, it can make sense. EB-1A requires 3 of 10 criteria and a final merits review, so many founders file O-1A first and pursue EB-1A or EB-2 NIW as the company grows. We give you an honest read in the consultation.
We build your evidence, letters and petition draft. An independent licensed immigration attorney, your partner attorney, reviews, signs and files it. See how it works for each step.
Bring your deck and your CV. We will map your record to the criteria and show you the clearest path.
Book a consultation