Going with my gut on extraordinary ability

I hired a contract writer for a case. He told me: "This case doesn't qualify for an O-1 visa. I won't work on it." I ended up proving not just him wrong - but the US government too.

For context, I was trying to help a sport umpire obtain:

- An O-1 visa (extraordinary ability temporary worker status) 

- And later an EB-1A (extraordinary ability permanent resident status)

When I first got the case, I knew it would be challenging. 

But I also saw potential that others missed.

I hired a contract writer to help with the support letter, sent him the documents, and waited. 

His response? "I don't think this case qualifies. I'm not working on it."

At that moment, I realized nobody believed in this case except me. 

Not the client, not other professionals. Nobody.

So I wrote the O-1 petition myself.

APPROVED.

Encouraged by this success, I then filed for the EB-1A (extraordinary ability) petition - which has an even higher standard. 

The first attempt didn't go as planned.

Request for evidence, then denied.

But I wasn't giving up. 

I filed again with updated materials.

APPROVED (again).

The government officially recognized that my client met the extraordinary ability standard - something even other immigration professionals didn't think was possible.

This experience taught me something crucial: 

Too many immigration attorneys are scared away by "high standard" categories, pushing clients toward easier but less optimal pathways.

But sometimes the "difficult" option is actually the right one - if you're willing to put in the work to make the case.

The real skill in immigration law isn't just knowing the rules - it's seeing potential where others don't and having the persistence to prove it.

Sometimes you have to be the only person who believes in the case... until everyone else is forced to agree.