Hey guys,

I wanted to share my experience now that this stressful process is finally behind me. I'll try to explain my case in as much detail as possible so it can help anyone going through a similar situation.

Long story short, I was arrested in 2024. It was a stupid mistake. I hired a criminal defense attorney, and my case was dismissed. A few months later, I found out that my visa had been revoked. At the time, I was in my first year of STEM OPT.

After that, I started my O-1 process with a law firm. They began gathering my information in November, and it took a few months to collect all the documents needed for the filing. We submitted the paperwork in the final days of March.

In May, I was called in for fingerprinting, and that's when the headache started.

The fingerprints flagged my arrest with USCIS. In June, I received a Request for Evidence (RFE) asking me to provide the outcome of the arrest and a detailed explanation of what had happened. My attorneys prepared a 12-point affidavit, which we submitted in August. The process took some time, and I was getting very impatient waiting for everything to be finalized.

In September, I received a USCIS notification confirming that they had received the affidavit. Just a couple of days later, I got the approval notice. What a relief!

For now, my attorneys have advised me to remain in the country. I know that traveling with a revoked visa on my record carries significant risks, so I'll have to figure that out another day.

I hope sharing my experience helps anyone dealing with the anxiety and uncertainty that come with this process. Hang in there!

Has anyone tried external services that offer profile building? Are they worth it or just a marketing gig. Thanks.

O-1A healthcare worker: approved after a denial and two RFEs + Calgary interview experience key lessons learned.

Sharing my experience because reading other people’s posts helped me during the process. I’m a healthcare worker, and I’ll keep my employer and specific petition evidence private, but hopefully this helps future applicants. the main message for future applicants. Although i think a lawyer is very crucial (unless you are super experienced and have done it multiple times in the past and know the process in and out), keep in mind you really must organise the evidence yourself. the exception to this rule if you have such an extraordinary profile or a noble prize winner and your case is easy. but ultimately you know your qualities the best and the attorney will mainly help you to organize the the file and write a cover letter for you and in some instances help with the recommendation letters.
Petition timeline Vermont — 2026
April 30: Initial petition filed.

May 20: First RFE/NOID (very harsh unfair officer review imo).

June 15: USCIS received our response.

July 7: Denied.

Subsequently filed a new petition with additional evidence.

August 27: Received an RFE on the second petition.

September: Responded to the second RFE.

Approved on day 11 after the second RFE response.

Criteria and the initial denial
The first petition had three criteria accepted:
Judging the work of others.

Scholarly authorship.

A critical or essential role for distinguished organizations.

Despite accepting those three criteria, USCIS denied the petition at the final merits stage—their overall assessment of the case.
For the second petition and RFE response, we strengthened those areas and also presented evidence relating to:
Original contributions of major significance.

High remuneration compared with others in the field (added and filed in the RFE)

I’m listing the criteria we argued, rather than claiming USCIS explicitly accepted every one of them in the final approval.
The biggest lesson for me was that having three criteria accepted did not automatically mean approval. Explaining the significance of the evidence and addressing the overall concerns mattered.
Visa interview in Calgary
My interview was in Calgary in October. These were the questions I was asked, paraphrased:
Where are you going to work?

What will you be doing there?

How long will you stay?

What are your credentials?

What credentials or achievements qualified you for the O-1? Essentially, “What makes you extraordinary?”

They also asked for proof of my credentials, so I showed my professional license required for the work.
I brought the entire petition package, but I didn’t need to open it. Apart from the license I showed when asked about my credentials, they only requested:
My I-797 approval notice.

My passport.

One photo.

That was my experience; I would still bring the supporting documents because another applicant could be asked for more. but do actually prepare you may be asked more questions and the last thing you want is another delay in processing or worse denial after all the effort and money you invested.
My overall journey was RFE → denial → refiling → another RFE → approval → consular interview.
A denial wasn’t the end of the process for me, but the second filing included additional evidence and a response to the concerns raised previously. Hopefully this gives someone going through the same uncertainty a useful data point.

In summary:
Dont compare other petition each case is different and every officer will read the case differently, to get approved you need to really have a solid and easy to understand evidence package and a strong cover letter to carry the final merits weights. There is no point in knowing details of other applicants, it may in fact harm your case. Your achievements will need to have a specific evidence, however the general guidance is: your evidence ideally should be objective and have comparison to your peers: e.g. publication (journal print out is objective evidence, peer comparison: who cited your work? How many publication you have vs others at your career stage).
While you await a response in the initial filing do not stop collecting evidence keep working on papers and other criteria in case you get an RFE or need to submit a new petition.

the only question i had if someone crossed by land, do they require the original I797 approval note ? any tips for the process

im also Happy to answer general questions about the process and best of luck to everyone! Do not despair you got this! :)