For individuals
Petitioning for yourself.
Employment-based categories are available to self-sponsored individuals rather than employers. Two lead to permanent residence. One is temporary work authorization. They're routinely confused with each other, and the difference determines what you're actually building toward.
The categories
Permanent residence
These lead to a green card. Both allow you to file the petition yourself, with no employer and no job offer required.
Temporary work authorization
This is not a green card. It authorizes you to work in the United States for a defined period.
The connection between them
O-1A and EB-1A are built from the same material
The evidentiary architecture of an O-1A petition substantially overlaps with EB-1A. That has a practical consequence worth knowing early: an approved O-1A is not a green card, but the record you build for it is largely the record you'll need later.
For someone whose profile is strong but not yet at the EB-1A standard, this is often the right sequence — O-1A now for work authorization and time in the United States, EB-1A later once the record has developed. Treating them as one plan rather than two separate projects saves substantial duplicated effort.
What to expect from me
A straight answer first
A significant share of the people who contact me about EB-1A do not have an EB-1A case yet. Some have a strong national interest waiver case. Some have a genuinely promising record that needs eighteen more months of deliberate work. Some are ready.
I will tell you which of those you are in the first conversation. Filing a petition that isn't ready costs money, costs time, and can complicate the next attempt. That's a bad trade, and I'd rather lose the engagement than make it.
Let's look at your record.
Consultations are scheduled directly with me. If you're facing a filing deadline or holding a notice with a response date on it, say so first and I'll prioritize it.
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[email protected] · (508) 591-0775 · Kingston, Massachusetts