A highly regarded calligrapher whose first O-1B we handled from start to finish. As his career developed, he wanted to move away from a single employer to a "self-sponsored" model with his own company as petitioner, while also extending his status.

In 2026, USCIS no longer automatically applied deference to prior approvals for O-1 extensions, so an extension was effectively a new review. As expected, the case drew an RFE requiring him to prove his extraordinary achievement in calligraphy all over again.

We reinforced the chain of evidence in advance to the standard of a new case, doing the risk assessment before filing. When the RFE arrived, we quickly responded with the supplemental materials we had prepared, and argued his potential to keep contributing to the U.S. cultural market under the self-sponsored model.

Approved again after the RFE response.