About O1EB1

Our mission

Our mission is to help talented professionals understand the O-1, EB-1A and EB-2 NIW visas using official sources. We write and update free guides on USCIS rules and practice, share anonymized community experience, and answer questions in free community chats. We sell nothing and do not give legal advice.

What we do

The program has several parts. All of them are free.

• Guides to the rules. Articles on the O-1, EB-1A and EB-2 NIW visas, the evidence criteria and preparing a petition; on RFEs and NOIDs, the visa bulletin, adjustment of status, consular interviews and administrative processing (221(g)); and on the family-based green card and the DV lottery. Every article links to its official sources.
• A database of RFE, NOID and denial decisions. 251 anonymized USCIS decisions on EB-1A petitions with the officers' wording: which criteria were claimed, which were accepted and what the officer wrote about each. It can be filtered by decision type, service center and field.
• RFE analysis. On the RFE analysis page you can upload or paste the text of an RFE, NOID or denial. The tool goes through each point the officer raised and shows how similar wording appears in the decision database and what evidence is usually submitted in response. It is free and needs no sign-up. It is educational: it does not assess anyone's chances.
• The AI assistant Vicky answers questions only from the site's own articles and links to them. Its answers are a guide to the site's materials, not legal advice.
• Community chats. Free Telegram chats: nine by profession, one on administrative processing (221(g)), one on RFE responses and the general chat «Талант в каждом». People who went through the process, or are going through it now, answer questions. The chats are moderated; advertising and selling services are not allowed.
• Comments. Under the articles readers can ask a question, share their experience or correct us. Comments are published after a moderator checks them.
• Community experience. Stories of approvals and denials, waiting times by consulate, interview accounts. We collect them from the chats and comments, then summarize and anonymize them.
• Reference pages. A glossary of terms such as petitioner, beneficiary and Visa Bulletin, and a page of official sources: USCIS, the Department of State and CBP, forms and government fees.

Who we serve

Scientists, engineers, athletes, artists, founders and other professionals who want to understand whether the O-1, EB-1A or EB-2 NIW visas fit them; people who are already collecting evidence, waiting for a USCIS decision or preparing for a consular interview; and their families, who need to understand the green card and the move.

The materials are written for readers without legal training: we explain the terms and link to the English originals of the rules. The site is in Russian because most of our readers read Russian better than English. The program does not replace a lawyer. It helps people understand the rules before they make decisions and spend money.

Who runs O1EB1

O1EB1 is a program of Global Talent Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity incorporated in Wisconsin in December 2024 (EIN 33-2266959, 7613 Elmwood Ave 628241, Middleton, WI 53562). Education about immigration law and procedures is part of the foundation's registered purpose.

The foundation helps talented professionals make their work and achievements visible and understandable. To do this it runs free educational programs and supports a community. O1EB1 is its program on US talent visas; the foundation's website describes it here: globaltalentfoundation.org.

The program's editor is Egor Akimov. He writes and checks the site's materials.

How we prepare the materials

• Sources. Every article is based on official documents: the USCIS website and the USCIS Policy Manual, 8 CFR in eCFR, the Department of State website travel.state.gov, the Federal Register and decisions of the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO). To stay accurate, we quote the official rules word for word, with a link to the source, and then explain them in Russian. When a rule changes, we say from which date the new one applies.
• Community experience. We summarize and anonymize stories from the chats and comments: we remove names, contacts and details that could identify a person. Times and figures from the chats are marked as members' experience, not as a rule. The sample petitions on the site were shared by their own authors.
• No commerce. The site has no advertising, no affiliate links, no prices for services and no booking links. We are not paid for links to other websites.
• Access. Almost all materials are open without registration. A few pages with members' materials, and commenting, open after a free login with Telegram.
• Updates and corrections. Every page shows the date of its last update. Immigration rules change often; if you find a mistake or outdated information, write to info@o1eb1.com and we will check and correct it.
• Independence. The program is not affiliated with USCIS, the US Department of State or any other government agency. It is not legal advice.

History

O1EB1 started in 2023 as a volunteer knowledge base, put together by members of a Telegram community who were going through talent visas themselves. The same questions came up in the chats again and again, and paid help was sometimes expensive and inaccurate. Free explanations based on official sources were the answer.

Global Talent Foundation was formed in 2024 to give this work a nonprofit home.

By 2026 the materials were spread over several places: the previous version of this site, a forum, separate guide collections and chat archives. In 2026 the foundation brought them together on one site, o1eb1.com. The old addresses redirect to the new pages, so each material now has one current version.

Contact

E-mail: info@o1eb1.com. Global Talent Foundation Inc., 501(c)(3), EIN 33-2266959, 7613 Elmwood Ave 628241, Middleton, WI 53562. The full About page in Russian: О проекте.