Born and raised in the vibrant heart of Colombia, Cristian’s journey is a testament to talent and determination. Cristian has always been passionate about storytelling. He co-founded an audiovisual company in Medellin, where he displayed remarkable talent in photography, videography, and editing. Cristian’s cinematic expertise transcended borders. His work adorned worldwide-level commercials, graced the stages of prestigious festivals, and earned him multiple awards and nominations for his short films and documentaries. One of his crowning achievements was having one of his short films “Lunesta” featured at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
While Cristian was in the U.S. he collaborated with many distinguished clients, who were excited to work with his talent. Cristian needed a work visa but he didn’t know what visa to pursue and if he was eligible. I met Cristian on the set of a project he was involved with and he hired me to do an assessment of his portfolio.
Based on the information he initially gave me, I was not sure of his eligibility for an O-1 but I had a very strong sense that with further information, I could make a clear determination. I gave him a set of detailed questions to answer and told him he must answer each question in detail. Cristian answered the questions, and I knew I had enough to put together an O-1 visa.
The O-1 visa for Cristian faced some challenges: obtaining supporting letters and evidence from different countries; explaining different experiences and various roles within the filmmaking industry; and multiple employers, which required two different agency consultation letters. After we submitted the petition, we received a lengthy Request for Further Information.
USCIS did not review most of our submitted information and raised concerns about his English proficiency and student status. They skipped an entire category of evidence. I knew that Cristian was eligible for an O-1 and we just had to respond to USCIS, pointing out everything we submitted. Sometimes clients despair when they get an RFE and doubt themselves and their attorneys. Instead of despairing, Cristian believed in himself and told me, “I am with you. I have complete faith in you”. Cristian trusted my expertise to get this O-1 done for him, and I did.
We responded with a thorough response, with explanations of previously submitted and new information and evidence. I did not leave a single question in the RFE unanswered. The RFE response clearly demonstrated that he met not 3 but 5 O-1 visa criteria without any doubt, including maintaining his previous F1 visa status. After submitting our response, within a few weeks, without premium processing, we received an approval.
Cristian’s story demonstrates the power of passion, ambition, and the pursuit of dreams. It also demonstrates the importance of believing in your abilities and having faith in your attorney to deliver you results. I battled for Cristian. I believed in his talent and there was no way I would settle for anything but an approval for Cristian. I’m so glad we got it for him and am so excited for Cristian to live his dreams of being a filmmaker in the U.S. and can’t wait to see his future films. It was a pleasure working with him, and I thank him for entrusting me and my firm Khalique Law with his immigration journey.
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