Immigration attorneys for extraordinary talent.
O-1, EB-1A, EB-1B, and EB-2 NIW petitions for founders, researchers, and executives. Built to the modern adjudication standard and drafted by the attorney who signs them.
- 94%1Approval rate
- 800+Petitions filed
- 60+Countries served
- 12Years in practice
1 Across 800+ filings, 2014–2025. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Every path.
One firm.
Every case is different. Each client receives a strategy built around their background, their timeline, and the category that fits the record.
- Work visas
Extraordinary Ability
For founders, principal engineers, researchers, and creative directors with a sustained record of recognized achievement.
Learn more - Green cards
Employment-Based Green Cards
Self-petitioned and employer-sponsored paths to permanent residence. Most categories need no PERM.
Learn more - Executive transfers
Intracompany & Executive Transfers
For C-suite and senior leadership relocating to US headquarters, subsidiaries, or newly established offices.
Learn more - Work & treaty
Treaty & Professional Visas
For traders, investors, and professionals with bilateral treaty rights or USMCA and Australian professional pathways.
Learn more - Investment
Investment Immigration
For family offices, founders after a liquidity event, and investors seeking a direct path to US permanent residence.
Learn more - Family
Family & Marriage
For spouses, immediate relatives, and family members petitioning for lawful permanent residence based on family ties.
Learn more
The standard has tightened.
EB-2 NIW petitions were approved 97% of the time in FY2018. In Q3 FY2026 the rate was 55%, and EB-1A approvals were 32%. We follow every quarter's adjudications so each petition is prepared for the standard officers apply today.
Open the approval-rate tracker- 55%EB-2 NIW approval rate, Q3 FY2026
- 32%EB-1A approval rate, Q3 FY2026
| Fiscal year | Approval rate |
|---|---|
| FY18 | 97% |
| FY19 | 97% |
| FY20 | 96% |
| FY21 | 95% |
| FY22 | 95% |
| FY23 | 83% |
| FY24 | 71% |
| FY25 | 55% |
| FY26 YTD | 49% |
Source: USCIS I-140 adjudication data, through Q3 FY2026.
More than
petition preparation.
Attorney-drafted petitions
US Immigration Associates is an immigration law firm based in Los Angeles, California. Every matter is handled by a licensed immigration attorney, from intake through approval. We serve founders, researchers, executives, and families across 60+ countries.
Limited intake
A deliberately limited caseload, so each matter gets the analysis it requires.
Cross-border practice
Clients across 60+ countries, with working knowledge of source-country considerations.
Complex profiles
Adverse history, unconventional records, and compressed timelines.
On your timeline
Engagements run on the schedule of the executives and founders we serve.
Active policy intelligence
Daily monitoring of USCIS, DOS, and consular adjudication trends.
Cases that held up.
“USIA restructured my case after another firm told me I didn't qualify. They built the evidentiary record we needed and got it approved on first submission with no RFE. They understood the standard better than the more expensive firms I'd consulted.”
“I'd been told my profile wasn't strong enough for a national interest waiver. USIA saw the case differently, built the evidentiary record around my actual impact, and framed it to the current standard. Approved on first filing.”
“When my B-1 was no longer an option, USIA had an L-1A strategy ready within days. They knew exactly what the consulate needed to see and prepared it accordingly. Approved with zero administrative delay.”
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique and results depend on individual facts and government adjudication.
39 countries still face full or partial travel restrictions.
The December 2025 proclamation is unchanged. The USCIS hold on green-card and work-permit cases stays lifted after the First Circuit's August 14 order, and the separate 75-country immigrant visa pause was struck down on August 21. O-1, L-1, and H-1B visas remain open to nationals of the 20 partially restricted countries.
Answer the first questions yourself.
Four things you can check before you speak to anyone. No email address, no form.
- 2 minutes
Pathway qualifier
A short set of questions about your record, then a plain answer on which categories your background actually supports.
Start the qualifier - USCIS data
Approval-rate tracker
I-140 approval rates for EB-2 NIW and EB-1A by fiscal year, charted from USCIS adjudication data.
See the data - Visa Bulletin
Priority date estimator
Project your green card wait from ten years of Final Action Date movement in your category and country.
Estimate your wait - Side by side
Visa comparison
Requirements, timelines, costs, and sponsorship rules compared across every category the firm handles.
Compare categories
Stay informed.
- Green Cards · Monthly update
What Changed for Your Case in October 2026
October opened a new fiscal year and a crowded month for anyone with a case in the US immigration system. Some changes help, like a wider window to file for a green card. Some cost time or money, and one proposal could reshape work after graduation for international students. Here is every change that matters, sorted by who it affects, with what to do about each.
October 2026 - Nonimmigrant · Policy
DHS Proposes a $70,000 Fee for OPT: What It Means for Every F-1 Student
On October 8, 2026, DHS proposed a $70,000 fee every time a school recommends an F-1 student for Optional Practical Training, and $30,000 for any later OPT, including the STEM extension. The school would pay, but the real question for students is whether their school will still sign off on OPT at all. Here is what the proposal says, what it does not, and the routes to US work that do not run through OPT.
October 2026 - Green Cards · Data
Which Employment-Based Green Card Is Hardest to Get Approved? Every Category, Ranked
Most employment-based green card petitions are approved. In the third quarter of FY2026, six of the eight I-140 categories cleared 93% or better. The two that did not are the only two an applicant can file without an employer, and they drew 84% of all denials. Here is every category ranked, the queue behind each one, and what the numbers leave out.
September 2026
