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Letter of intent: what it is

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Letter of intent: definition

Key answer

A letter of intent is a letter from an employer or client stating readiness to work with you; it is the backbone of an O-1 petition filed through an agent. It shows the officer you are in demand but binds no one: it usually states the offer is at will. At least two, better three or more, are recommended.

The agent-scheme package: letters of intent or contracts from each employer, an agent agreement stating wage and terms (written, or a documented oral one), a work itinerary with dates and places, and proof the agent is authorized. With only one employer it becomes unclear why an agent is needed at all.

After approval you may work only for employers in the itinerary: new clients (especially on O-1A) require a petition amendment, and work outside it is a status violation. Community experience: the company list does not need to be topped up or separately sent to USCIS later.

Letter of intent: the official source

Letter of intent: what to do - tools

Letter of intent: read next

Letter of intent: documents and templates from the library

Letter of intent: from community discussions

  • «Your activity should be ongoing: competitions, judging, media, participating in events - to prove the sustained, continuing nature of your work.»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «I applied for O1/EB1 a total of 3 times - **all premium**, initially the O1 case was weak, (only 3 points and they were pulled out of thin air) - first there was RFE and then a denial. Then, after 2 years - O1 with 6 points - approval without RFE, for EB1 - all points were strengthened, and also approval without RFE. The lawyers explained this similarly to what you are saying, that overall, they look at any case with the same time frame. Roughly speaking, they take 3 premium, 1 not, and as a result, the queue for non-premium just sits for months (or years).»

    community member · from public community chats

  • «O-1 first, then apply for EB-1 from the U.S. But for the O-1, you still need to get the visa stamped if not in the U.S. And avoid a long AP. If you apply for O-1 from within the U.S., and don't need to enter multiple times, you can skip getting the visa stamped. Both visas are lottery-based. I can be denied the O-1. But I can submit the same for EB-1 and get approved.»

    Rinat S. · from public community chats

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

Letter of intent: 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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