✅ O-1: approval
The story of obtaining an O-1A visa by a master in natural stone from Brazil after moving from Russia due to mobilization.
Case parameters
Filing: February 2023
Decision: April 3, 2023
Attorney: Viktoria Shelegina
Timeline: Preparation from September 2022, approval in April 2023
How it all happened
Hi everyone 
Our turn to write about #success #O1A #Brazil #Porto Alegre
Attorney: Viktoria Shelegina
Specialty: Master in natural stone (professional stone)
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We consulted Viktoria back in summer 2022, on June 1. We started working with Viktoria in mid-September 2022. At the end of September mobilization was announced, so we decided not to risk and leave the country, since I have a very good record and could easily be drafted for the war. We sold everything we owned at a large discount, closed the business and the sites we had.
In January the case was ready, in February it was sent to USCIS. We waited more than 15 days, and it turned out the case was canceled and returned because the payment didn’t go through. We resubmitted the case and on April 3 (on my wife’s birthday eve) — we received approval. We were in Tajikistan, me since the end of September, my wife and daughter since the end of October. We thought for a long time where to go for the interview, since our budget was severely limited due to lack of income — work only offline. We considered Tajikistan, but were worried that there’s no clear statistics on approvals there; local Tajiks spoke of the consulate poorly, locals are denied in 90+% of cases. Also, there are only three days per month for non-residents. We thought about Kazakhstan and for a long time were confident we’d go there, but the statistics had already worsened; some positive force convinced us to try, following Anna Wagner’s example, but reason stopped us and said — it’s not worth the risk. We signed me up in Almaty for the end of May, but with huge doubts about whether to wait so long given the poor statistics. After much deliberation, we decided to fill out the DS for Tajikistan, where dates seemed much closer; filling it out and trying to book (they don’t require payment at booking; payment is at the consulate), we saw the nearest slot in July, which made us sad, since waiting until the end of May seemed unrealistically long. We started looking for other options, of which there weren’t many, since we don’t have a Schengen visa, and returning to Russia, where a draft notice awaits me for a dumb and pointless war — was not an option. By chance, my wife started thinking about Brazil, although we initially didn’t consider it because it’s expensive and far, etc., but she found routing options that could lower ticket costs to $2k for the whole family from Almaty to São Paulo, which didn’t seem too bad. We estimated that if we waited in Tajikistan until the end of May, then flew to Almaty with a tiny chance of approval, and then elsewhere — it would only be more expensive than going all-in to Brazil immediately. After weighing pros and cons, talking with relatives and the people from the chat, we decided — we’re going to Brazil. In what composition? The whole family, our daughter is 1.5 years old, mind you, but the budget was so tight that going alone would have been more expensive; we had to go together, plus it provided extra help, security and peace for the family.
Main insight
“It's important to carefully plan the place and timing for the interview, taking into account all possible risks and limitations.”
Ivan Andreev (@NST1992)
2022-09
Started working with the attorney
2023-02
Case filed with USCIS
2023-04-03
Approval received
Author of the story
Ivan Andreev (@NST1992), from the chat @talentvisahelp. Original message in the chat.
Useful on the topic
All information about O-1 / EB-1A / EB-2 NIW
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