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United States · Talent & merit

United States O-1 extraordinary ability or achievement

6 facts quoted from the official source

Work temporarily based on extraordinary ability in science, arts, education, business or athletics, or extraordinary achievement in film or television.

Route type
Talent & merit
Can bring
spouse, dependants +1
from the official record
Requirements
1
each quoted below
Who qualifies

Who this route is for

Every item below is the government’s own wording, quoted from the official source. Whether you personally qualify depends on your full profile.

1 requirement quoted from the official source.

The conditions that decide it
  • Job offer or appointmentA qualifying U.S. employer or agent must offer or arrange the approved temporary work.
Also stated by the source
  • Passport or travel-document requirementA valid passport or accepted travel document is required for visa issuance or admission.
  • Work authorisation requirementThe required USCIS petition must be approved before the visa application, unless the classification provides another filing path.
  • Work rightsWork is limited to the classification, petitioner and authorised activity, subject to its portability rules.
  • Dependent-family rightsEligible spouses and unmarried children may use the related dependent classification where one exists.
Family

Who you can bring

spousedependantschildren
  • Dependent-family rightsEligible spouses and unmarried children may use the related dependent classification where one exists.
How it works

From here to a yes

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Apply with the official sourceThe application itself always happens with the government — the enacting authority linked below. The report points you straight at it.
FAQ

Straight answers

01Who qualifies for this route to United States?
The official source states: Work temporarily based on extraordinary ability in science, arts, education, business or athletics, or extraordinary achievement in film or television.
02Can I bring my family?
The official record lists: spouse, dependants, children.

Every answer is quoted from the official travel.state.gov page for this route, last read 2026-07-27.

We checked 6 points against the official source; 6 are quoted on this page. The other 0 are either not addressed by the source or not yet backed by a quote — we would rather show you the edge of the record than fill it with a plausible guess.

See the 0 open points

Fees, validity and processing time are not published in the official source for this route. We publish a number only when the official text states that number.

Not stated in the official source — the official source names no exclusion for this route.

The source

Where every quote comes from

Official government source travel.state.govLast read 2026-07-27 Every quote on this page is from this United States government page.
Compiled from official sources · pending independent re-check · Last checked 2026-07-27 · Our methodology
 · Compiled by António Mira · How we verify · Not legal advice — rules change; confirm with the official source before deciding.
Same category, same country

Other talent & merit routes to United States

2 other talent & merit routes to United States.

EB-1 priority workerEB-2 advanced degree or exceptional ability
Same category, elsewhere

Talent & merit routes in other countries

105 other countries publish at least one talent & merit route. Nearest first.

Mexico2 talent & merit routes Bermuda1 talent & merit route Canada1 talent & merit route France10 talent & merit routes Indonesia10 talent & merit routes Macau9 talent & merit routes

Does this route fit your numbers?

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