Petition

Find your scenario

• Self-petition (EB-1A, EB-2 NIW). You need guidance on the package contents, petition samples, and filing rules. The petitioner and beneficiary are the same person.
• O-1 petition through an employer. Find out who can act as petitioner and what documents they must sign.
• Multiple clients or projects. This is the agent structure: an agent files the petition, and you need letters of intent from clients.
• Unsure if you can manage yourself. Compare the workload to the cost of services, and if you hire someone check their license and contract terms in advance.

What is included in the package

Who files: you, employer, or agent

By yourself or with a lawyer

This is a financial and organizational decision: a lawyer cannot improve your achievements but can take on some of the formal work and handle correspondence with USCIS. If you hire one, verifying their license and reading the contract before paying will save you more than choosing by rating.

Printing, mailing, and fees

This is the most frustrating kind of loss: your content is fine, but the entire package gets returned due to the fee amount, form version, or address. Check these two materials before sealing the box.

Where to Go Next

After submitting, you wait and may correspond with USCIS - see the "Awaiting a Decision" section. You can track fees and service provider costs in the budget calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related materials - Prepare and file

• What Makes Up an O-1, EB-1, and EB-2 NIW Petition
• Examples of O-1, EB-1, EB-2 NIW Petitions from Open Sources
• Self-check for an O-1 or EB-1A petition: the RFE checklist
• O-1 Petitioners and Employers: Who Can File?
• O-1 Agent Petition: What It Is and Who Needs It
• Letters of Intent and Documents for the O-1 Agent Model
• Filing an O-1/EB-1/EB-2 petition inside the U.S. or abroad
• Attorney for US O-1/EB-1/EB-2 NIW talent visa: needed?
• Services and contractors for O-1, EB-1 and NIW petitions
• Talent Visa Services Marketplace
• How to Check an Attorney's License Through the State Bar
• US O1/EB1/EB2 talent visa: attorney agreement
• Printing and mailing an O-1/EB-1/EB-2 NIW petition
• Signatures on USCIS forms from 10 July 2026: what is valid
• Paying USCIS fees: checks, cards, and common mistakes
• What goes into the evidence packet
• What the whole path costs

All articles in «Prepare and file»

Next stepEB-2 NIW check (Dhanasar test)Check your EB-2 NIW against the Dhanasar test: three prongs in plain language, with what to strengthen.

From community discussions

• «I ran into all kinds: a friend I talked to a lot (a former colleague) refused to even sign a recommendation letter, while some almost complete strangers, Americans, signed easily.»

  Alexander · from public community chats

• «Three criteria were counted, but they still sent a denial because the person didn't prove their extraordinary ability. They won in court without any problem, it just takes a lot of time.»

  Kirill · from public community chats

• «In half a year you can rack up a sufficient number of authored articles and articles about you, and at the same time hunt down events on runet-id to apply as a judge. That way you can collect three criteria within 3-6 months. And a high salary and a critical role pretty much everyone who applies for talent visas already has.»

  Artem · from public community chats

Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.

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