O-1 Status

Excerpted from the USCIS Office of Business Liaison

The O-1 nonimmigrant category is reserved for people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics or who have demonstrated records of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry. To qualify for an O-1 in the Sciences, Education, Business or Athletics, a person must demonstrate either of the following:

Receipt of a major, internationally-recognized award (e.g. the Nobel Prize), or
At least three (3) of the following apply to him/her:
- Receipt of nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in his/her field.
- Membership in an association in the field which requires outstanding achievements of its members, as judged by national or international experts in the field.
- Published material in professional or major trade publications or major media about the person, concerning the person's work in the field.
- Participation on a panel, or individually, as a judge of the work of others in the field.
- Scientific, scholarly, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field.
- Authorship of scholarl articles in the field in professional journals or other major media.
- Employment in a critical or essential capacity for organizations and establishments that have a distinguished reputation.
- High salary or other remuneration commanded by the person for services.
- Other comparable evidence.

O-1 Petitions at UC Berkeley
All requests for O-1 status based on a position at the University of California at Berkeley must go through Berkeley International Office and the decision to proceed is dependent on the interest of the University.

If your academic department is interested in pursuing an O-1 petition on your behalf, have your departmental administrator contact Berkeley International Office for more information. Processing of an O-1 status request can take six months or more, so the process should be started with Berkeley International Office at least six months in advance


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