Here’s another edition from “Dear Sophie,” the advice column that answers immigration-related questions about working at tech companies.
“Your questions are vital to the dissemination of knowledge that empowers people around the world to rise above limits and pursue their dreams,” says Sophie Alcorn, a Silicon Valley immigration attorney. “Whether you’re in the People-Ops, a founder, or looking for a job in Silicon Valley, I’d love to answer your questions in my next column.”
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Dear Sophie,
I’m a UX/UI designer in Europe, working for a web3 company in the United States.
I would like to resign from my current position and move to the US to take up work that will give me more autonomy, flexibility and the opportunity to take on a variety of projects with different clients in the US
How can I make that happen? Thanks for your help!
—World’s Web3 Wonder
Dear worldly,
I have long wondered whether web3 will make immigration obsolete. Technology scales passive work, elevating and elevating the human experience. I don’t think immigration is going anywhere anytime soon!
Let’s dive into some of the US immigration options that will help you get the autonomy and work diversity you crave!
The work visa that allows you as a freelancer…
Image Credits: Joanna Buniak/Sophie Alcorn (Opens in a new window)
Most nonimmigrant work visas that allow you to temporarily reside and work in the United States are tied to a specific employer who sponsors you for the visa by offering you a job and submitting a visa application on your behalf.
Unless you can get a work permit, clearly just one main visa type will allow you to do freelance work — in other words, work with multiple companies — and that’s the O-1 visa. With an O-1A, you must have a US agent acting as an employer or representing multiple employers to sponsor you for the O-1. A colleague in your field can act as your US agent, but the petition must contain details of the relationship between you as the O-1 beneficiary and the US agent.
The O-1 does not give you complete autonomy, but gives you the freedom to choose different projects in your field at different organizations.