You must show that you meet at least 3 of the 6 criteria evidencing your career achievements:

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• A lead or starring role in a productions or events that are distinguished, such as being a featured artist at international tattoo conventions, featured guest artists at prestigious studios around the world, leading seminars that are heavily praised/sold out, exhibitions in galleries or other events that showcased your work (flyers, promotional material, press articles, and more)

• Press articles about your work in major media (widely-read magazines, newspapers, websites, televisions, blogs, etc.)

• A lead, starring, or critical role at organizations that are distinguished, including being a featured artist at prominent tattoo studios around the world, founding or running your own prominent studio, designing and selling your own line of tattoo equipment, etc.

• Commercial or critically acclaimed success, in the form of prizes and awards from conventions, sponsorship as a Pro Team Artist, press articles evaluated your work, etc.

• Significant recognition from the industry, including recommendation letters from fellow artists and tattoo industry professionals

• High salary compared to other tattoo artists

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However, if you can show that you’ve gained an internationally-recognized achievement (a career life-time achievement or prize), then you do not need to demonstrate the criteria above. You must prove that this award or achievement is one of the most important in the tattoo field.

The O-1 application is submitted on Form I-129 to the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services, or “USCIS.” The application must be “sponsored” by a U.S. person or company. Most often, it is the tattoo studio where you will be working in the United States. If you will work for more than one studio, your sponsor can also be an “agent” that files on behalf of multiple employing studios, for example.

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The initial validity period of an O-1 is for a maximum period of 3 years. Renewals are typically
issued in one-year increments after that.

Once approved, if you are outside of the United States, you must apply for the visa stamp for
your passport through an interview at U.S. Embassy before entering the United States.
If you would like to work for a new studio or employer after you are in the United States on the
O-1 visa, you can apply for a new O-1 application with a change in the Petitioner/Sponsor and
request a new 3-year period.

Immediate family members (spouses and children) can accompany you on an O-3 visa, although
they cannot work in the U.S.

The I-129 filing fee with USCIS is $460. You may also upgrade to “premium processing” for an
additional fee of $2,500, which guarantees a decision within 15 days.

The legal fee for an O-1B application is $5,000.

These fees are subject to change. Please confirm with our office.