For Candidates · How It Works

From profile build to USCIS-ready petition.

Five stages. About 30–60 days from signup to a filed O-1 petition for most candidates with the evidence already in hand. Here's exactly what happens at each stage — what you do, what we do, and what your attorney does.

The Five Stages

The completeO-1 self-petition journey.

i
STAGE ONE DAY 1 · ~10 MINUTES

Build your profile and upload evidence

You sign up, build a profile, and upload everything that documents your work — CV, awards, articles, press, portfolio, recommendation letters, anything related to your field. Our AI sorts every document across the 8 USCIS criteria automatically with confidence scores.

  • Drag-and-drop upload — supports PDFs, images, links, and direct paste
  • AI-classified into the 8 USCIS criteria with confidence scores
  • You can review, re-classify, or annotate anything the AI gets wrong
  • Your data stays private — anonymized in the employer-facing view
ii
STAGE TWO DAY 1–7 · REAL TIME

Receive your O-1 readiness score

A real-time 0–100 score updated as you add evidence. The score breaks down by criterion — you see exactly which of the 8 criteria you've already satisfied, which are partially met, and which need building. Three out of eight is the bar. If you score 45% or higher, you become eligible for the Active Match lottery.

  • 0–100 overall readiness score, plus per-criterion breakdown
  • Recommendations on what to add to strengthen weak criteria
  • Comparison against successful petitions in your industry
  • Score 45%+ to unlock Active Match lottery eligibility
iii
STAGE THREE DAY 7–30 · MATCH WINDOW

Match with U.S. employers

U.S. employers in our network browse anonymized profiles and signal interest in candidates who fit their open roles. You see incoming interest, review the employer, and accept or decline. Your identity is only revealed when you accept a match — you stay private until you decide otherwise.

  • Anonymized profile view for employers — your name and contact stay hidden until you accept
  • You see the employer's industry, role, location, and engagement type before deciding
  • Accept multiple matches — one O-1 covers work across multiple U.S. companies
  • Direct in-platform messaging once a match is accepted
iv
STAGE FOUR ~3–5 DAYS AFTER MATCH

Receive your USCIS-ready interest letter

The matched employer issues a one-page interest letter on their company letterhead, formatted to USCIS standards. The letter expresses their intent to engage you for U.S. work during the period of your O-1 classification — that's their entire role. The employer doesn't file a visa, doesn't pay USCIS, doesn't take on sponsorship liability. You forward the letter to your immigration attorney as part of your petition packet.

  • One-page format, attorney-reviewed template
  • Auto-populated with your role details, engagement schedule, and field references
  • Issued through the platform — no email back-and-forth needed
  • Multiple letters from multiple employers all roll into one petition
v
STAGE FIVE ~15–60 DAYS · FILING

File the petition through your agent

Your authorized agent files the O-1 petition with USCIS — not the employer. The agent represents you. You file with premium processing for a 15-day adjudication, or standard processing if the timeline allows. Once approved, you're work-authorized in the U.S. across every employer you've matched with on the platform — under one petition, no separate filings needed.

  • Self-petition through an authorized agent (your attorney coordinates)
  • Premium processing returns adjudication in 15 calendar days
  • Auto-classified evidence exhibits and AI-drafted petition packet generated for your attorney
  • Direct path to EB-1A (extraordinary ability green card) on the same evidence

Where the Decisions Live

Three places where you choose what happens next.

The platform doesn't make decisions for you. At three points in the journey, you control the direction.

Decision 1

How visible do you want to be?

You control how detailed your anonymized profile is — minimal (just industry and score), moderate (add field, country, key roles), or full (everything except identifying info). You can also pause employer visibility entirely while you build your evidence.

Minimal: industry + score

Moderate: + field, country, role types

Full: + all credentials, awards, work history

Paused: invisible to employers until you toggle on

Decision 2

Which matches do you accept?

When an employer signals interest, you see the company, the role, the engagement type, and the location before deciding. You can accept, decline, or request more info. Multiple acceptances are normal — the O-1 model is built for multi-employer authorization.

Review employer profile and role

Accept and reveal your identity

Decline (no notification to employer)

Request more info before deciding

Decision 3

When do you file?

You decide when the petition is ready to file. You can wait until you have a stronger evidence package, multiple interest letters from different employers, or until your OPT clock or current visa status forces the timing. Premium processing means you can move fast when you decide to.

File immediately with premium (15-day approval)

File standard (longer, less expensive)

Wait and strengthen the case first

Coordinate filing with your immigration attorney

Bonus track

The Active Match lottery

If you score 45% or higher on the readiness assessment, you're automatically entered into our monthly Active Match lottery. One winner each month receives a free month of the $500/month top tier — dedicated specialist, priority placement, hands-on petition support.

Eligibility: paid plan + 45%+ readiness score

Auto-entered each month you remain eligible

One winner drawn monthly

Winner emailed directly

Platform Tools

What you actually get inside the dashboard.

Six platform tools, all included in any paid plan. The same features the founder rate gives you for $10/month are the ones the $250/month standard plan delivers.

i

AI Evidence Classifier

Drag-drop your CV, articles, awards, portfolio, anything. The AI sorts each document across the 8 USCIS criteria with confidence scores. Multi-criteria matching for documents that count for more than one category.

ii

O-1 Readiness Score

0–100 overall score, per-criterion breakdown, and recommendations on what to add. Updates in real time as you upload evidence. Comparable to successful petitions in your industry.

iii

Petition Generator

AI-drafted petition packages you can send to your attorney. Pre-formatted, exhibit-organized, USCIS-ready. Cuts attorney prep time and reduces filing costs.

iv

Exhibit Maker

Auto-classified evidence exhibits. Each exhibit tagged to the criteria it supports, properly numbered, formatted for USCIS submission.

v

VisaClear Social Media Scan

Pre-interview social media review. Flags posts that consular officers might question — security concerns, misrepresentations, or inconsistencies with your petition.

vi

Employer Messaging

Once a match is accepted, you communicate with the employer directly inside the platform. Negotiate engagement terms, exchange documents, schedule calls.

The Timeline

From signup to filed petition.

Typical timing for a candidate with the evidence already in hand. Faster if you choose premium processing; slower if you want to strengthen the case first.

STAGE WHAT HAPPENS TIME
Profile build Upload evidence, review AI classification, complete profile ~10 min
Readiness score AI scores you against all 8 criteria; recommendations generated Real time
Employer matching Inbound interest from network employers; you accept matches 7–30 days
Interest letter Matched employer issues a one-page USCIS-formatted letter 3–5 days
Petition prep Petition Generator drafts package; attorney reviews and finalizes 5–10 days
USCIS filing Agent files petition; premium processing 15 days, standard longer 15–90 days
Approval & travel Approval notice issued; consular interview at U.S. embassy abroad 2–6 weeks

Ready to start? Begin with your free score.

The readiness assessment is free, takes about 2 minutes, and gives you a real answer about where you stand against the 8 USCIS criteria. Then you decide what to do with it.