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Roman Blinov is an expert in travel technology and organizing corporate trips. Last year, he decided to move to the USA on an O-1 talent visa with the help of an American lawyer. Despite facing rejection, Roman did not lose his determination. In an interview with Relogate, he discussed the challenges one might encounter when preparing a visa case and how understanding the requirements and the attorney's involvement could have made his relocation more successful.
2. The Importance of Having a "Plan B" When Moving
3. Talent Visa and Immigration Lawyers
4. Starting a company in the USA is simple, but...
5. How to hack the mind of a visa officer
6. What requires a lot of effort and time
I work in travel technology, specializing in automating business trips, which includes optimizing corporate travel expenses both financially and technologically.
Yes, definitely. There are major companies in the US offering similar services, but they are usually quite expensive. I had the idea of creating a consulting company to help small companies optimize their travel budgets.
The US market in my field always has many opportunities due to the high demand for various services. However, I also see a lack of alternatives in some niches that I could potentially fill. I had a tourist visa in the States, allowing me to stay there for six months, and given the turbulent situation last year, I wanted to leave as soon as possible and prepare the documents for further legalization on the spot.
Like everyone else, I had fears from being turned away at passport control at the airport to potential difficulties in obtaining legal status in the country. I believe everything depends on a person's temperament: some are adventurous and can juggle 5-10 projects at once. I'm more inclined towards stability, as it's too energy-consuming for me to develop several plans simultaneously. But when relocating, it's essential to have a “Plan B.” If you can't implement your original plan, you should have a backup. Now, I'm actually on my “Plan B” in Portugal.
In my professional community, those involved in the travel business fully supported my decision. Many are avid travelers, some have been living in another country or two or three countries at once, and they wished me success in my relocation. Among non-work acquaintances, there was rather indifference — everyone is free to make their choice, but there was certainly no judgment.
It all started at the end of 2021. We initially planned to move to Portugal. But in February 2022, our plans changed due to uncertainty with the visa program for financially independent foreigners. My wife suggested the idea of the American talent visa. Also, while discussing the possibility of starting a company in the US with an American lawyer, I learned more about this visa.
The attorney was recommended to me by acquaintances in the USA. I spoke with him and two other lawyers. I compiled a folder with all the materials that could be useful for my case, presentations and articles, and brought it to various lawyers. They found my materials “interesting,” fitting many visa criteria. I ended up staying with the original attorney, but speaking with others reinforced my confidence.
Part of the materials were ready, but certain things had to be completed, like participating in the jury of a competition. I had to take part in judging a competition for travel startups. Over several months, I participated in some activities and added this information to my case.
One of the main difficulties was that I didn't have an employer in the USA who could support my petition, so I had to start my own company. At first glance, all the steps in this process seem doable on your own: to draw up the statutory documents and pay a registration fee of $149. But then the difficulties began. The lawyer said that I needed to create a website for the company, fill it with content, buy a domain, and get hosting. All this must be paid for with an American card. So, you have to open an account in an American bank and get money from Russia to pay the lawyer and these services. And all this you're doing simultaneously while opening the company and doing your main job.
Honestly, I expected deeper involvement from the lawyer. For example, when he says, “Go open a company” or “Translate the documents,” he could have provided more specific instructions. I would have liked a comprehensive approach, where you go to one place, and they help you with all aspects of the process. If you look through the immigration chats, you can see how many people ask if you can recommend a translator, a tax consultant, someone to register the company, and open accounts. These are all different people with a bunch of contacts. For example, I found someone, and I didn’t know if his prices were market rates or whether he has competitors. All these processes had to be kept in mind. Ideally, you would have a manager for your visa case, coordinating your relationships with various specialists, including a lawyer, translator, tax consultant, and so on.
Yes, it was probably the most challenging part of the entire visa application process. The entire case must meet a specific structure, including precise formulations, placed correctly with the necessary documents. This is what the visa officer expects from you. But, unfortunately, it's impossible to grasp this structure during preparation. You might think you did everything perfectly, and the lawyer nods and says, "Yes, it sounds cool." But the officer was expecting something else. The inability to hack the officer's mind and know how he would like everything to be written is incredibly frustrating.
Most often, the attorney's role is to check what you've brought him against a checklist. I got the impression that not every lawyer even reads all of it. In my case, the lawyer had almost no comments. He would say, okay, let's attach this document. As a result, you think you've got "solid proof." Then you read the officer's letter saying the document doesn't prove anything at all. And this uncertainty, whether you're doing it right or not, accompanies you throughout the process.
I'm not sure you can make a guideline for this process. It seems that in all the materials you submit, there should be certain seemingly nerdy wording that unambiguously states the facts the officer needs. It's the same with supporting materials: you can pile up a mountain of documents, but at the same time, lack one key figure. The officer wrote to me: you attached a timeweb statement about the number of page views, but you didn't specify the period of your statement — a week or a month. And that was it, your document was rejected.
Many find the main difficulty in writing recommendation letters, as naturally, none of those who recommend them writes these letters, and you have to write them yourself. True creativity is involved in vividly describing your achievements in the third person. But it's essential to add clear evidence. For example, I attached a letter from my CEO praising me for my successes and achievements. The officer immediately asks: what exactly are the accomplishments? I need to attach an additional document showing these successes. Every word, every number, every mention of something must be supported by evidence. If it's written that I signed 100 contracts, and this led to a doubling of a company’s revenue, I must attach a translated accounting report for the period I wasn't in the company and when I worked there, and show: "Look, the revenue was this, and it became this, so I'm great," and show the first and last pages of 100 contracts, where my signature is. And this will be real proof. But just the CEO's words that he's grateful to me, and I've made an invaluable contribution, doesn’t count. Accordingly, the paperwork is much more clerical than I expected.
First, I would have submitted more documents. I mean, when I read the officer's response, I see that he refers everywhere to the fact that he lacks evidence.
Secondly, I would not have combined working on the case with my main job. It was extremely difficult for me, as the case required total immersion and a lot of my time, especially when additional evidence had to be collected. My recommendation is to take a vacation and dedicate yourself entirely to preparing the case.
In my opinion, this process should involve a deeper immersion of specialists into the materials of the case. Not just transferring information into a petition, but a thorough analysis, highlighting key points, those very trigger points that a visa officer loves. Currently, there is a clear boundary between the lawyer and the client, about what the lawyer will do for you and what he won't do for you. But it would be nice, and I am sure many people are willing to pay for it, to have someone who can lead you by hand through this process. For example: “There are some associations that you can join, let's study them together, I will write on your behalf, find someone who has already gone through this,” and so on. Otherwise, many people will fall into severe procrastination.
Hypothetically: I am a good developer, and I write code well, but I am an introvert and do not want to communicate with anyone, and I must join a community. I know people who said: I talked to a lawyer, and then I spent a month procrastinating, not knowing where to start. Many people get a checklist from a lawyer but do not know how to do what is written on it. It says about some communities, competitions, and conferences, but the question is where to find them?
I can't say. There was some budget, and I spent it as a matter of fact.
I believe it is very difficult to artificially create a case from scratch when you come to a lawyer and want to gather a bunch of evidence in six months and go apply. Certainly, someone can do it all in a few months. In the States, there are also many formalists who go by the checklist: “yes — no,” or “counts — doesn't count.” But still, my main advice is to prepare everything in advance and look now at your professional career through the prism of the eight points necessary to get the visa. Maybe you are already playing a “critical role" in your process or have received some serious award. All of these activities need to be properly documented when they occur. And then you can come to a lawyer not empty-handed, but already with something.
I had a “Plan B,” and eventually, this “Plan B” materialized. I am working in Portugal for a Portuguese employer, and I have a residence permit. The idea of moving to America remains. It's just that my priorities have changed a bit now, and I need to enter a sufficiently active phase here to then try again to get to America later. I’m still working in the same field, and there is an opportunity to do something else to strengthen my case. After some time, I’ll try again with new documents. But I can't say that the failure somehow disappointed me. Certainly, if the American talent visa had worked out, it would have been a different direction, and how life would have turned out there, I don't know. In general, another important piece of advice: have a “Plan B,” and even better - a “Plan C.”
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