u/Typical-Purple-9209

I went to see Mary, Queen of Scots at San Francisco Opera and this was probably my biggest disappointment at the opera.

The curtain was already up when I arrived. There was a metal structure, a tent and a few ladders onstage. I really thought the crew was still setting up. Then I realized: That IS the set.

Then everyone started appearing in puffer jackets. Mary, Queen of Scots rolls in with Rimowa suitcases. The tent stays for the entire opera.

I know this production wasn’t created specifically by SF Opera. I also have zero problem with modern staging. Like give her a modern luxury residence, sharp tailoring, anything that communicates that these people are royalty and aristocracy. But we got puffers, ladders and a tent.

The music was great and Heidi Stober was fantastic. It felt like a high-level musical performance happening inside a school production with a $200 set budget.

The best part was seeing audience members in kilts and Scottish-inspired outfits. Some of them looked like they had a bigger costume budget than the production.

Why does “modern” opera staging so often translate into intentionally bare and cheap-looking? I don’t understand why Mary, Queen of Scots needed to look like Mary, Queen of REI.

I recently left the US after switching to O-1 status and got my O-1 visa stamp abroad. I was worried about the embassy interview, but it was quick and straightforward.

Coming back through SFO was a different experience though.

The CBP officer (an old man, probably in his 60s) started with some normal (but unnecessary) questions, then it turned into an interrogation. He asked if the company listed on my visa was my employer. I explained that it was my agent and told him where I actually work.

Then he started asking a bunch of questions: what language my job interviews were conducted in (I said it's an American company, so the interviews were in English), whether I knew anyone at the company before I started working there (I said no), whether my agent got me the job (I said no), how I found the job (I explained that I saw the job posting on LinkedIn and applied through Workday and passed interviews), how many people work at the company (over 40K), what the company does, etc.

Then, completely out of nowhere, he asked if the company was Russian (I am not Russian and I had already explained to him that it's an American company). I told him it was an American company and actually a Fortune 500 company, but he seemed unfamiliar with it.

After that, he asked me to walk him through what I did before this job (I had already told him I was in grad school before), where I worked, how I got my current job again and basically my entire employment history. The whole time he seemed visibly irritated and kept side-eyeing me.

At the end, he asked how much I make. I answered, and he gave me this sarcastic-looking smile like “huh?” then handed my passport back pretty aggressively.

For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse me entry. He admitted me in the end, but the whole interaction was extremely uncomfortable. It felt like I was being interrogated like a criminal.

I’ve entered the US multiple times on F-1 before and my experiences with CBP were always quick and straightforward. Nothing remotely like this.

Is this a normal experience when entering on an O-1? Has anyone else been questioned this extensively? I’m now a little worried about traveling internationally if this is a typical O-1 border experience.

Salam. Burada Dövlət Proqramı ilə xaricdə təhsil alıb, təhsil bitdikdən sonra nəzərdə tutulan müddətdə Azərbaycana qayıtmayan varsa, təcrübənizi bölüşməyinizi xahiş edirəm.

Müqaviləyə əsasən, təhsilimi bitirdikdən 2 ay sonra qayıtmalı idim, amma artıq təxminən 1 il keçib və indi qayıdıram. Gec qayıtmağımın əsas səbəbi xaricdə işləməyim olub. Bu barədə kuratorumu da məlumatlandırmışdım (ABŞ-da OPT, optional practical training təshilin davamı sayıla bilər). Təəssüf ki, bu müddətdə DP ilə normal şəkildə məsələni müzakirə etmək çətin olub və əsasən geri qayıtmağımla bağlı ultimativ xarakterli bildirişlər almışam.

Digər tərəfdən, universitetə ödənilməli olan kiçik məbləğdə borc ($1450) DP tərəfindən uzun müddət ödənilməmiş qaldığı üçün diplomumu yalnız bir həftə əvvəl ala bilmişəm. Sonda həmin borcu özüm ödədim ki, diplomumu götürə bilim. Aylarla həm universitetin accounting şöbəsi, həm də mən borcun mövcudluğunu və səbəbini izah etməyə çalışsaq da, məsələ “bu borc niyə yaranıb?” və "invoice göndərin" (dəfələrlə göndərilib) ətrafında uzanırdı.

3cü gün Bakıda DP ilə görüşüm var. Yalnız bu gün bildirdilər ki, görüşdə onların tərəfindən layihə rəhbəri, hüquqşünas və məzunlarla iş üzrə mütəxəssis iştirak edəcək.

Belə bir görüş üçün necə hazırlaşmağı məsləhət görərdiniz? Qeyd edim ki, bütün yazışmaları, borc, borcun ödənilməsi ilə bağlı təsdiq və s hamısını print etmişəm. Görüşə hüquqşünasla getmək istəyərdim, xüsusilə qarşı tərəfin hüquqşünası iştirak edəcəksə. Vaxt çox az olduğu üçün uyğun hüquqşünas tapa biləcəyimdən əmin deyiləm. Hazırda məsələ məhkəməyə verilməyib, amma gələcəkdə belə bir ehtimalın olduğunu nəzərə alıram.

Oxşar vəziyyət yaşayan və ya bu sahədə hüquqşünas tövsiyə edə bilən varsa, təcrübənizi bölüşsəniz çox kömək edər.

Hi everyone,

I filed an agent-petitioned O-1A while working full-time for my current employer. My employer was included in the petition and itinerary, but the company itself was not involved in filing the O-1.

My EAD is expiring soon, so for I-9 re-verification I provided my O-1 approval notice with the attached I-94 and my passport as a List A document.

HR compliance contacted me saying that because the company was not involved in the O-1 filing, they want to review my Form I-129, petition support letter, itinerary and other supporting documents. They also asked for my attorney’s and agent petitioner’s contact information. I understand that they want to verify that my employment with the company was included in the approved O-1 petition.

My concern is that these documents contain information unrelated to my current employer, including other contract engagements, names and contact information of third parties and other private details that I would prefer to keep confidential.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation with an agent-petitioned O-1? How reasonable is this request from HR for I-9/employment authorization purposes? Would it generally be appropriate to provide the requested documents with unrelated/private information redacted while leaving everything relevant to my current employment visible?

Hi everyone, I have an O-1 visa stamping interview scheduled for early September. My O-1 was approved through change of status, and I need to travel abroad for an urgent matter, so I need the visa stamp to return to the U.S.

Has anyone been denied an O-1 visa at the consular stage after an approved change of status petition, especially because of a previously filed and denied I-140?

For context, I have been in the US on F-1 and OPT for the past few years. I have a full-time job and will be taking PTO for this trip. My attorney advised me to show nonimmigrant intent, which feels confusing because I previously filed an I-140.

Is denial in this situation common, or are most interviews straightforward when the O-1 petition has already been approved?

Hi everyone,

Has anyone traveled outside the US after changing status from F-1 to O-1?

My change of status from F-1 to O-1 was approved recently. Now I need to travel to my home country (in Europe). I will need visa stamp to enter the US.

I've found a lot of conflicting information online about what documents are required for the visa interview. Besides the passport and DS-160, what documents did you have to bring? Did the embassy ask to see your I-797 approval notice, employer or agent letter, employment verification, or anything else?

I'm also curious about passport return times. My previous F-1 visas were usually issued within one business day, but I'm wondering whether O-1 visas take longer.

I'd appreciate hearing about your experience.

My O-1A visa is finally approved on day 13 with no RFE.

Reddit helped me a lot during both the preparation process and the waiting period, so I wanted to give back. I'm happy to answer questions about my experience if it helps anyone.

My profile: Product Designer working in tech (No research background, no published papers)

One note: I prefer not to share the immigration firm I used because my experience with them was mixed.

Happy to answer questions!

Edit: A lot of people have asked what criteria I claimed and what evidence I submitted, so here's a brief summary. Since USCIS doesn't explain which criteria were accepted, I can only share what I submitted.

Awards: 1 international design award (mid tier) with evidence of the judging process, winner page, media coverage, and award prestige.

Published material: Multiple independent articles/interviews about my work in trade and major media over the years.

Judging: I was jury member/judge for 2 hackathons with invitation letters, judging materials, and public event documentation.

Original contributions: Evidence that a feature I designed was adopted by millions of users and copied by competitors. Supported with design files, adoption data, expert letters, and industry evidence. I do not hold a patent to it.

Leading/Critical role: Senior Product Designer in big tech, plus leading roles at previous employers. Included recommendation letters, internal documents listing me as lead designer, performance reviews, internal awards, and project ownership evidence.

High salary: Total compensation compared against BLS, O*NET, and other salary data for my occupation and geographic area (Bay Area).

Hi everyone. If you recently went through O-1 premium processing, on which day did you receive a decision?
Today is day 13 for me and I’m starting to freak out. I have seen a few posts where people waited beyond the 15 business day window.

If you applied recently, could you share:

1. Which day you received a decision
2. Whether it was an approval, RFE, or denial

Thanks. I’m trying to get a sense of current processing times.

Edit: My case was approved on Day 13 (end of the day). No RFE. California Service Center. Thank you to everyone who responded and shared their experiences!

Hi everyone, I have an O-1A petition pending under premium processing, and I should receive a decision this week or next.

My OPT expires in about a month. If I receive an RFE, I will likely have to stop working while waiting for a final decision. My HR team has already started asking me for updated I-9 work authorization documents. I’m worried about what happens if my case is still pending after my OPT expires.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation:
- If your employer was willing to wait, did they place you on unpaid leave or terminate and rehire you after approval?
- Are RFEs for O-1A petitions relatively common, or do most well-prepared premium processing cases receive an approval without an RFE?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you.

I had an initial consultation for EB1a, then paid most of the fee upfront. They sent me a form to upload documents and said they would follow up within 3 to 5 business days and let me know if any document is missing. It has been over 10 days and I still have no update. My emails and messages have gone unanswered.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Should I be concerned? Am I being scammed?