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Advisory opinion: what it is

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Advisory opinion: definition

Key answer

The advisory opinion (peer letter) is a mandatory element of the O-1 petition: a letter from a peer group, union or recognized expert in your field about your qualifications and the planned work. Without it the I-129 petition is incomplete.

The source differs by field: where a relevant union or guild exists, it writes the opinion; where none does, an established expert or organization provides it. It is a separate document - not the same as the criterion recommendation letters.

The O-1 petition check in the analyzer tool includes an advisory-opinion check.

Advisory opinion: the official source

Advisory opinion: what to do - tools

Advisory opinion: read next

Advisory opinion: documents and templates from the library

Advisory opinion: from community discussions

  • «EB1 is split into 3 sub-criteria: EB11/EB1(a) - extraordinary ability; EB12/EB1(b) - outstanding researcher; and EB13/EB1(c) - multinational manager (this is like L1). EB2 is LC-based EB, unless you qualify for NIW.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «I know people with EB2-NIW experience - it's a similar category but easier to get than EB1. And if you're not Chinese or Indian, there are almost no downsides.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «The first time I filed with premium and got denied. We refiled the case without premium and got approved in about 2 weeks. No RFE.»

    community member · from public community chats

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

Advisory opinion: related terms

All glossary terms

A reference definition, not legal advice. Requirements and procedures depend on your case - verify on uscis.gov.

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