u/Sad_Palpitation4215

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people who have gone through the O1B process, especially if you applied with an agent rather than an employer.

I'm currently working as a motion designer on an H1B visa, and I want to obtain an agent sponsored O 1B. (The main reason is that my company has been going through layoffs, and I feel an agent sponsored O1B would give me much more flexibility if I get laid off and need to look for another job.)

The problem is that my current employer only supports employer sponsored O1 petitions, so I have to prepare the agent based O1B on my own with my own attorney.

My biggest challenge right now is the deal memos.

I recently had a consultation with an immigration attorney, and she recommended that I have at least two deal memos, with at least one coming from a well established company.

The issue is that I don't know where and how to get these.

I have one personal connection who owns a very small studio and may be willing to provide a deal memo. Beyond that, I don't have any future freelance work lined up or any business owners in my network who could write one.

I've never even had a freelance job since H1B doesn't allow me to.

I also know a director working at a design studio, but I don't think someone in that position could provide a deal memo. I don't think they'll have authorization for that.

I also doubt that the company I worked at before would be willing to write me a deal memo, when they aren't actually planning to hire me again.

So I'm feeling a bit stuck.

For those of you who obtained an agent sponsored O1B.

How did you get your deal memos? Were they from people you already knew? Did you first find freelance work or a future project and then ask for a deal memo during the interview process?

Any other tips or strategies?

I'd really appreciate hearing how others approached this. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'd like to hear about your experiences with the PERM process.

My employer is working on my PERM case, but the process has been moving very slowly. It's been over 1.5 years (closer to 2 years now) since the case was initiated, and as far as I know, it is still at the Prevailing Wage Determination stage.. The case was also paused for a period of time due to layoffs at the company, so PERM cases in related occupations were affected.

Recently, I reached out for an update as they typically do not provide status updates unless I ask. The response I received was:

"We are nearing the recruitment phase of your PERM. We can inform you when the position is posted."

Since I wasn't sure exactly what that meant, I followed up with a couple of specific questions:

'Has the Prevailing Wage Determination already been issued by the DOL?'

and

'Has the layoff-related hold been resolved, and is the case now moving forward?'

It's a simple yes/no question. However, instead of answering those questions directly, I received the same response again: "We are nearing the recruitment phase of your PERM." I asked them once again, and they sent me the same answer without further detail.

At this point, I'm wondering whether it's normal for employers or immigration counsel to avoid providing specific status updates during the PERM process. Has anyone experienced something similar?

I'm not sure how to interpret this situation or what the best course of action is for my case.

Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!