Weekly immigration insights and plain-language updates to make the system clearer, simpler, and easier to navigate.

Today’s memo is brought to you by Ana Gabriela Urizar, an immigration lawyer with almost a decade of experience and over 15,000 cases filed.

But in reality, they’re often surprised to learn their accomplishments already meet USCIS’s extraordinary ability requirements.

Extraordinary ability doesn’t just imply fancy titles or international fame. It can be proven through leadership roles, original contributions, recognition from peers, press coverage, judging opportunities, or influence within a field. Put together, these seemingly benign resume points can be used as evidence towards visa categories that move faster and offer more flexibility. 

In our Live Case Review on Tuesday, Jan. 27, an immigration attorney will examine real applicant profiles to show just how many skilled professionals qualify for extraordinary ability visas. Sign up below to evaluate your own experience through the same lens.

The O-1 might seem like a niche visa, but new data shows it draws talent from a wide range of countries. The U.K. consistently held the No. 1 spot for O-1 visas from June 2024 to May 2025, followed closely by China, India, and Brazil. 

Celebrities like pop star Justin Bieber have been among the most famous O-1 visa holders, but recipients come from diverse backgrounds, including research, entrepreneurship, and athletics. As work in these fields becomes more global, project-based, and mobile, it’s likely the O-1 visa will continue to become more widely used among international talent.

Curious about the numbers? Check out our full report covering the top 10 countries with the most O-1 visa recipients (and how that compares to the H-1B). 

Join Immigration Attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar on February 3 at 6 p.m. EST for a deep dive into the O-1 visa criteria. Learn what each one means and how to know if you’re qualified.

If you’re an innovator in your field, you’re probably always on the lookout for new opportunities to connect with others or get the word out about your work. This week, we’re highlighting two opportunities that could be right for you.

Remember that awards, competitions, recognition, or conference planning could be used as evidence of your expertise. O-1, EB-1, and EB-2 NIW all require proof of acclaim or excellence in your field. 

Help Organize an AI Conference, NeurIPS 2026

NeurIPS, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, is one of the largest events for AI and machine learning, and it brings thousands of engineers, researchers, and academics together from all over the world. The conference is looking for experts to join their team of organizers planning the 2026 conference and the deadline to submit your application is January 28!

This is one of the premier conferences in the in-demand field of AI. Industry leaders from Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Meta sit on the NeurIPS board, so working on this conference is an opportunity to show your expertise in this very competitive area.

Pitch your Startup in Madrid at South Summit

South Summit is looking for the most disruptive startups to feature in its competition in Madrid this year. One hundred startups will be selected to pitch to a jury of corporations and investors. Applicants can be from any country and must submit their application by February 15th to be considered.

Thousands of startups enter this competition each year, and only 100 finalists are chosen. Being a finalist demonstrates outstanding or exceptional abilities in your area of expertise.

Peer recognition through conferences such as NeurIPS or South Summit can be strong evidence for an immigration petition. Awards received or press coverage of events are also valuable additions to a petition package. Manifest Law’s evidence support coaching can help clients who have the right profile and need guidance in specific experiences.