MeritDraft    Free preview

    For O-1 self-petitioners

    Sponsoring your own O-1 through an agent? Get the strategy and letters attorneys build.

    Grounded in the published AAO decisions for your field — not a template.

    Free. No password, no card. Your CV is used only to build your preview and is never used to train AI. Takes about 90 seconds.

    See where your case stands first. Full package $79 one-time, only if you want it.

    286 published AAO O-1 decisions analyzedZero data retentionEditable Word output

    What you get

    • Strategy memo mapping your CV to the O-1A criteria, with the evidence gaps flagged
    • Recommendation / support letter drafts with exhibit references woven in
    • Criteria narrative and the petition letter your agent files

    Every argument cites the USCIS Policy Manual, 8 C.F.R., and published AAO decisions. Attorney review recommended before filing.

    Sample — redacted O-1A petition draft17 pages · .docx

    II. QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

    The Beneficiary satisfies at least three of the eight regulatory criteria at 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(o)(3)(iii)(B). As the AAO has explained, the evidence must be evaluated first against each criterion and then in a final-merits determination…

    III. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAJOR SIGNIFICANCE (B)(5)

    The Beneficiary's work on ██████████ has been adopted by ████ and cited in ███ independent publications (see Exhibit C5-01 through C5-07). Unlike the petition in Matter of ████, where the AAO found letters "describe the work in general terms without explaining its impact," each letter here identifies…

    Read the full sample draft
    91.6%
    of 286 published O-1 AAO appeals were dismissed
    (2001–2025)

    Most O-1 petitions fail on the same things

    Most O-1A dismissals satisfy fewer than three criteria on the evidence in the record, or meet them on paper but fail the final-merits determination of sustained acclaim.

    Your draft is built against those patterns: every criterion is argued the way the sustained cases documented it, and the free preview tells you which ones you can't yet prove.

    See the O-1 outcome data by field Browse the decisions

    How it works

    Attorney-prepared O-1 petitions typically run $5,000–15,000 in legal fees. Most of that pays for the drafting.

    STEP 1

    Upload your CV

    PDF is fine. Add publications, letters, press — whatever you have.

    STEP 2

    Free strategy preview

    In about 90 seconds: where your case is strong, where it's thin, and why — using AAO decisions in your field.

    STEP 3

    Generate the full package

    Pay $79 once. Strategy, letters and narrative are drafted from your evidence, usually within 10 minutes.

    STEP 4

    Review and file

    Editable Word file, 5 revisions included. Take it to an attorney for a review session, or file it yourself.

    $79one-time · full O-1 package
    • Free strategy preview before you pay anything
    • Strategy memo, letters and criteria narrative · 5 revisions · editable Word
    • 7-day refund · attorney review recommended before filing

    Free. No password, no card. Your CV is used only to build your preview and is never used to train AI. Takes about 90 seconds.

    Questions

    An O-1 petition must be filed by a U.S. employer or a U.S. agent, even if you manage your own career; you cannot be the petitioner for yourself. The package covers the strategy memo, recommendation letters and criteria narrative, including the petition letter an agent would file. The petitioner must review and sign the petition and supply its own documents, such as the contract or itinerary.

    You need to meet at least three of the eight criteria in 8 C.F.R. 214.2(o)(3)(iii), or show a major internationally recognized award. The petition also needs a written advisory opinion (consultation) from a relevant peer group or labor organization, and an agent filing for multiple employers generally must include an itinerary of the events or engagements. The draft covers the criteria argument; you or your agent arrange the consultation and itinerary.

    O-1A is for extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics. O-1B is for extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in motion picture and television, and it uses different criteria. This page and the package are for O-1A.

    No. MeritDraft is a drafting tool, not a law firm, and nothing it produces is legal advice. It maps your record to the criteria using published AAO decisions and drafts the memo, letters and narrative for you. Whether and how to file is your decision, and we recommend an attorney review before you submit.

    Yes — that is the point. Draft here, then pay an attorney for a review session instead of for weeks of drafting. You get a standard .docx you can hand over.

    The free preview tells you before you pay. It flags where the evidence is thin using the reasons AAO has dismissed O-1 petitions in your field. If the case isn't ready, you have spent nothing.

    One complete O-1 petition draft: the strategy memo, recommendation letter drafts, and the criteria narrative, as an editable Word document with 5 revisions so you can add evidence and rebuild. One-time payment, no subscription.

    If the draft doesn't meet your standards, email us within 7 days and we refund it.

    Zero retention: once your draft is generated and downloaded, your evidence is deleted from our systems and is never used to train AI models. Encrypted in transit and at rest on US servers.