Congrats OP! this is real american hustle. Few counterpoints > and oftentimes the best one can hope to do is "hack" the system None of this is "hacking". Thi

Congrats OP! this is real american hustle. Few counterpoints > and oftentimes the best one can hope to do is "hack" the system None of this is "hacking". This is how it works and supposed to work in the law. The manuals given to USCIS agents who handle this are at best low grade pen pushers. They have zero understanding of the work they are doing and are not qualified to make these decisions in any way. The way they work is through checklists and unless you pass this checklist your intent and what you are has zero relevance. When you go deep into why these laws were created and why these specific regulations exist, you will find out that the lawmakers totally intended this. For example, it is ridiculously easy for a model who has even occasionally walked the ramp to "hack" the system. This was created so escorts, supermodels and side chicks of rich and powerful could be brought in easily on O1. One such lady even ended up in white house. > It seems pretty apparent that while OP may be able to "check some of these boxes", he, at least to me, doesn't meet the "Extraordinary Ability" intent of this visa. I worry that with more spotlight on these types of applications that various political movements would try to tighten the loopholes for this visa. You are not in charge of deciding who is extra ordinary, USCIS agent is. I bet if you were in charge of making such decisions you would do a better job and actually let in 10x more people. But that is not the way it is. USCIS agent makes the decision based on a relatively very objective criteria. > To expand on number 2, raising 98K from family, friends and seed investors really does not strike me as a "nationally or internationally recognized award". It does not "strike to you" is irrelevant. What matters is is it will within the USCIS's defition. Congrats to OP for writign this piece and I hope more and more people use these sort of systematic approach.