O1DMatch Outreach — New Team Member Training

Welcome. This document takes you from knowing nothing to sending your first outreach today.

Work through it in order. Do not skip to the templates — the rules in Modules 1 through 3 exist because breaking them creates real problems for the company.

Time to complete: about two hours of reading, then you start.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN — the five rules

If you remember nothing else, remember these. Everything else is technique.

Never say a candidate "self-petitions." Say the case is filed through an authorized agent, and the employer does not file.
Never say there is "no legal exposure." Say the employer is not the petitioner, pays no USCIS filing fee, and runs no sponsorship process.
Never promise or predict a visa outcome. Ever. To anyone.
Never give legal advice. If a question is legal, say that is what the call with Sherrod is for.
Never quote prices. Pricing depends on how they use the platform. Route it to Sherrod.

We are an immigration-adjacent company founded by a practising attorney. Sloppy language is not a style problem here, it is a liability problem. When in doubt, say less and hand it up.

MODULE 1 — What this company does

1.1 The problem we solve

A talented engineer in India, a researcher in Brazil, an animator in Poland — all of them want to work for US companies. US companies want to hire them. The thing that stops it is work authorization.

The usual route is the H-1B visa, and it is broken. The filing fee reached 100,000 dollars in 2025. It runs on a lottery that roughly three in four applicants lose. It takes six to twelve months. And the employer has to become the official sponsor, which means paperwork, legal cost and liability.

So most companies just stop hiring internationally. They write "no sponsorship" on the job posting and move on.

1.2 The O-1 visa — the thing we actually sell

The O-1 is a different visa for people with extraordinary ability in their field. It works completely differently:

No lottery. No annual cap. You can file any time of year.
Fifteen days with premium processing, versus six to twelve months.
The employer is not the petitioner. This is the whole game.
The person can work for multiple employers at once.
Three-year initial term, renewable. Spouse and kids under 21 come along.

1.3 "Extraordinary ability" is not what it sounds like

New people assume the O-1 is only for Nobel winners and Olympic athletes. It is not. USCIS defines it as meeting three of eight criteria:

Awards (industry awards count, not just famous ones)
Membership in selective organisations
Published material about the person
Judging the work of others (peer review, competition judging)
Original contributions of major significance to the field
Scholarly articles
Critical role at a distinguished organisation
High salary relative to peers

A senior engineer with published work, a patent, conference talks and a good salary already clears it. Most of them have no idea the category exists. That is why this business works.

1.4 The one-page interest letter

This is the single most important concept in your job.

For an O-1 case to be filed, the candidate needs evidence that US employers want to engage them. That evidence is an interest letter — one page, on company letterhead, saying "if this person were work-authorized, we would engage them."

That is it. Signing it means:

The company is not the petitioner
The company pays no USCIS filing fee
No labor condition application
No prevailing wage determination
No sponsorship program to build or maintain

The candidate's case gets filed through an authorized agent — a separate entity that handles the actual petition. The employer just signs the page.

When someone says "we don't sponsor visas," your answer is: good, because there is no sponsorship here.

1.5 What O1DMatch is

A software marketplace. Two sides:

Talent side: internationally accomplished people build a profile, upload evidence, get an AI-generated O-1 readiness score across the eight criteria.
Employer side: US companies post jobs, browse candidates, and issue interest letters through the platform.

We are not a law firm. We are not a filing service. Say marketplace.

We do have real human specialists who call and coordinate with employers on behalf of talent — that is a genuine differentiator, use it.

1.6 Who founded it

Sherrod Seward is an immigration attorney with fifteen-plus years of agent-based O-1 and P-1 practice. He wrote the chapter in AILA's official treatise on visas for artists, entertainers and athletes, and won First Round Management v. USCIS, the case that rewrote P-1 policy for unsigned athletes.

Approved petitions include: Team Canelo, Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, LA Chargers, NASCAR, ONE Championship, Top Rank Boxing, NBA G League, ESPN, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Goldman Sachs, Insight Global.

500+ candidates, 120+ companies, 40+ industries.

Use two or three of these names, chosen to match the industry you are writing to. Do not list all thirteen.

MODULE 2 — What your job actually is

2.1 The mission

Get employers onto the platform.

Right now, revenue is not the point. Job volume is. Our talent pool needs roles to apply to, and every employer we add is a logo, a contact, and a reason to call back later.

2.2 The ask ladder

New people make one mistake constantly: they open with the biggest ask. Do not.

Ask	Friction	When to use it
"Can we post your existing openings for you, free?"	Lowest	Default cold opener
"Post your own jobs free"	Low	They have an active careers page
"Can I send you one specific candidate?"	Low-medium	You have a named person who fits
"Fifteen minutes with our founder"	Medium	They engaged, or they are senior
"Sign up for the platform"	Highest	Warm only, after a call

Start at the bottom rung. Permission to post a job costs them nothing and takes ten seconds to grant. Once they say yes to that, everything else becomes a conversation instead of a pitch.

2.3 The highest-converting play

Reaching out about a specific named candidate beats generic outreach every time. The employer sees a real person with real credentials instead of a hypothetical.

If you are assigned an Active Match candidate, always work this angle. Search job boards for roles that fit that person, then contact those employers about them.

If you are not assigned anyone, work by skill category — AI and machine learning, robotics, biotech, medical research, data engineering, games and creative.

2.4 What good looks like

Daily, once you are up to speed:

30 to 40 LinkedIn actions (connects and messages combined) — never exceed 40
10 to 15 emails
5 to 10 new companies researched and logged
Every reply answered within 24 hours

Quality beats volume. Forty thoughtless connects is worse than fifteen good ones.

MODULE 3 — Setup checklist

Complete before you send anything.

Email account created, sender name reads O1DMatch (check this — people get it wrong)
LinkedIn account access confirmed. If using a company account, get the login from Yusuf.
Sales Navigator access, if your role includes it
MyVisaJobs access
Added to the O1DMatch Google Chat space
You know to BCC leads@o1dmatch.com on every outbound email
You have read Module 1 and can explain the interest letter without looking
You have read the five rules at the top of this document

LinkedIn account safety. New accounts get restricted for high activity. If your account is new, start at 10 to 15 actions a day and build up over two to three weeks. Never exceed 40 a day even on an established account. If LinkedIn shows you any warning, stop for the day and tell Yusuf.

MODULE 4 — Finding targets

Three sources. Learn MyVisaJobs first — it is the richest.

4.1 MyVisaJobs (primary)

This site publishes public government data on which companies have filed visa paperwork, for what roles, at what salaries, with named contacts.

Steps:

Go to the Employers search, choose Advanced Search
Set Industry — e.g. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Set Job Title — e.g. "artificial intelligence"
Set Visa Type to O-1 where available, so results skew toward companies already familiar with the category
Return the top 250
Search

If nothing comes back, widen the profession filter to "all" before changing anything else. Over-filtering returns zero results and new people assume the tool is broken.

Open each result in its own tab. Pages can be slow, so keep several loading at once.

On each company page, scroll to the Contacts section and copy everything down to and including the contacts. That is your raw material: filing history, occupations sponsored, salaries, names, phone numbers, email addresses.

Important caveat printed on every page: the listed contacts are people authorized on labor certification matters. They may not be the recruiter or the hiring manager. In a small company they are often the founder or operations lead — perfect. In a large one, cross-reference on LinkedIn.

Check the dates. A contact from a 2017 filing is nine years old. Verify the person and their title on LinkedIn before you use their name.

4.2 LinkedIn

Two uses.

Cross-reference. Take a company from MyVisaJobs, open its LinkedIn page, click People, and find who actually runs hiring. Titles to look for: recruiter, talent acquisition, head of people, HR business partner, chief people officer. In small companies, go to the founder or head of studio.

Direct search. Search by role and filter by industry and location.

Sort everyone you find into two buckets:

In the US → use the US templates
Outside the US → use the non-US templates

Do not skip people who are abroad. A CMO in Norway may still be hiring into a US entity, and they may be O-1 eligible themselves. Different message, still worth contacting.

4.3 Indeed and Dice

Search the skill set, not the company. When a listing says "apply on company website," take the company name back to MyVisaJobs for contacts, then to LinkedIn for the recruiter.

4.4 Recruiters and staffing firms

Worth contacting in their own right. They sit on candidates they have had to reject purely for work authorization, and they have client relationships we do not. Treat as a partnership conversation, not a sale.

4.5 Finding an email address

Before you ask anyone for help, spend two minutes:

Google the person's full name plus their company
Hide sponsored results so you see the real ones
Look for a personal website, Substack, or company team page — emails are often listed
Check their LinkedIn contact info section

This step also gives you the one specific detail that makes a message land.

If you cannot find it, collect three to five profile URLs and send them to Jonalyn in one message:

Subject: O1DMatch — email addresses needed

Can you find email addresses for these and reply here with them?

[profile URL] [profile URL] [profile URL]

CC leads@o1dmatch.com and Yusuf.

Do not send them one at a time. Batch them.

MODULE 5 — Deciding who is worth contacting

What you see	What it means	Action
Filing H-1Bs recently and still filing	Budget, need, and now a 100K problem	Strong — contact today
Filed 2017 to 2022, nothing since	They gave up on cost or the lottery	Strong — our best story
Green card filings only, no H-1B	Hire internationally, avoid H-1B	Medium — lead with the gap
No filings in eight years, small company	H-1B was never available to them	Medium — lead with accessibility
Gmail address at a residential address	Probably a personal mobile, possibly dormant	Email only, never call
Contact record older than three years	Person may have left or changed role	Verify on LinkedIn first

Small companies are fine. We take whatever jobs we can get. A three-person studio posting two roles is a win. Do not skip them because they look minor.

MODULE 6 — Contacting people on LinkedIn

6.1 The flow

Open their profile
Click Connect, then Add a note
Paste the right connect note from the template bank (Module 10)
Send
Open their full profile in a new tab and note their company, role and location
Move to the next person

Work in batches of five. Do not do forty in one sitting.

6.2 Connect note rules

300 character limit on free accounts. The templates are already inside it.
Do not customise. These are written to work as-is.
Pick US or non-US correctly. This is the most common mistake new people make.

6.3 After they accept

Send the matching DM from the template bank. Do not send it the same minute they accept — wait a few hours or until the next day.

6.4 Safety

40 actions a day maximum. Fewer on a new account. If you get a LinkedIn warning, stop and tell Yusuf immediately. A restricted account costs the company more than a day of outreach is worth.

MODULE 7 — Sending emails

7.1 Before you hit send

Sender name reads O1DMatch
BCC leads@o1dmatch.com
Correct template for the situation
Every bracket filled in — a live [NAME] in a sent email is embarrassing
Subject line under 60 characters
No emojis. Plain text feel.
Footer included on employer emails

7.2 Which template

Situation	Template
Cold employer, nothing special about them	E1 — Free job posting
Filed visas 2017 to 2022, then stopped	E2 — Lapsed sponsor
You have a named candidate who fits their role	E3 — On behalf of candidate
Small or founder-run company	E4 — Small company
Recruiter or staffing firm	R1 or R2
Advisor abroad with US-bound contacts	P1 — Referral partner

7.3 Sender rules

Partnerships, referrals and investor outreach: from Sherrod personally or partnerships@o1dmatch.com. Never info@.
Employer and recruiter outreach: team address is fine.

MODULE 8 — Calling

We prefer you call as a human. The AI agent exists for volume, not as a replacement. A real voice converts better.

8.1 Before you dial

Business lines only. Never call a mobile or a residential number.
8am to 9pm in their local time zone
Two attempts maximum, then switch to email
Have the company's filing history in front of you

8.2 Call structure — keep under two minutes

Open (15 seconds). Name, company, ask permission to continue.

Hi, is this [name]? This is [your name] from O1DMatch. Do you have about ninety seconds?

Hook (15 seconds). One sentence tied to something specific about them.

I'm calling because you filed for [role] back in [year] and nothing since. Most companies stopped because of cost or the lottery, not because the need went away.

The mechanic (30 seconds).

We connect US employers with O-1 visa talent. The part that matters is that you never become the petitioner — no filing fee, no labor condition application, no sponsorship program. You sign a one-page letter saying you'd engage the person if they were work-authorized. That's the whole lift.

The ask (10 seconds).

The immediate ask is small — can we post a few of your open roles on the platform, free? Candidates apply, you look at whoever's interesting.

Close. Confirm what happens next. Repeat any email address back to them.

8.3 If you reach a gatekeeper

Do not pitch. Ask who handles hiring or talent acquisition, and whether you can be transferred or given their name. Get the name, hang up, follow up properly.

8.4 Using the AI agent

If you are configuring the AI agent instead:

It must identify itself as an AI assistant in the opening line, every call
Same two-minute limit, same structure
Paste the base instructions from Module 11 into the system prompt, then a per-contact block per dial

8.5 Do-not-call

If anyone asks to be removed — by phone, email or LinkedIn — agree immediately, confirm it, and end the conversation. Do not try to persuade them. Then suppress them across every channel, not just the one they used. Report it in Google Chat the same day.

MODULE 9 — Handling replies

9.1 Speed matters

Answer within 24 hours. A reply is the whole point of the job.

9.2 The objections you will actually hear

"We don't sponsor visas."

That's exactly the point — there's no sponsorship here. You're not the petitioner, you pay no filing fee, and you run no sponsorship process. It's one page.

"The visa process is too complicated."

This isn't an H-1B. No lottery, no cap, and you're not the petitioner. All we need is a letter confirming you'd engage the candidate if work-authorized. You're not sponsoring, you're signalling. Five-minute lift.

"We're not hiring right now."

Understood. Interest-letter collection runs sixty to ninety days and the petition build another thirty to sixty, so most companies set this up before they need it. Posting the roles costs nothing and keeps the option open.

"What does it cost us?"

Nothing to look at the talent, and no USCIS filing fee because you're not the filer. Platform pricing depends on how you'd use it — Sherrod can walk you through it on a call.

"How is this different from a staffing firm?"

A staffing firm employs the person and bills you for their time, taking on the sponsorship and passing the cost through. Here the person is independently authorized to work for multiple companies. You engage them directly, no employment layer in between.

"What if the petition is denied?"

You haven't paid USCIS, filed anything, or taken on liability. The interest letter expresses intent, not employment. You'd move to another candidate. Your downside is much smaller than H-1B sponsorship.

"What stops employers hiring your candidates directly?"

Profiles are anonymised until an interest letter is sent. What you're getting isn't a Rolodex — it's vetted candidate flow plus the agent-petition infrastructure that makes the hire actually happen.

"Are these candidates actually qualified?"

Each has an O-1 readiness score built from AI-classified evidence across the eight USCIS criteria, visible before you commit. You can filter for high scorers only.

"Send me information."

Take the email, confirm the spelling, offer the call once as an alternative. Don't push twice.

9.3 When you do not know the answer

Say so, and offer to get it. Never guess, especially on anything legal or immigration-specific.

That's a good question and I don't want to give you a half answer. Let me get Sherrod on a call with you — he's the immigration attorney and it's his area.

Escalating is not failure. Guessing wrong is.

MODULE 10 — Template bank

Copy these exactly. Do not rewrite them.

LinkedIn connect notes — under 300 characters

Employer or recruiter, US-based (232)

I run O1DMatch, a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent. The employer never files or sponsors anything, they sign a one-page interest letter. Relevant if you hire internationally into the US. Would like to connect.

Employer or recruiter, outside the US (247)

I run O1DMatch, a marketplace placing internationally accomplished talent with US employers on the O-1 visa. No lottery, no cap, and no sponsorship burden on the company. Relevant to anyone hiring into a US presence. Would like to connect.

Recruiter, straight intro (283)

I run O1DMatch — a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent. Employers never file or sponsor anything; they sign a one-page interest letter. We're partnering with recruiters to place candidates who'd otherwise be passed over on work authorization. Would like to connect.

Recruiter, pain angle (262)

Connecting with recruiters. O1DMatch is a marketplace for O-1 visa talent — your client never files, never sponsors, never pays a filing fee. They sign a one-page interest letter. It makes the candidates you've had to pass on for work authorization placeable again.

Advisor abroad with US-bound contacts (287)

I run O1DMatch — we place O-1 visa talent with US employers. Extraordinary-ability based, not investment based: no capital requirement, no lottery, no retrogression, 2–4 month processing. We're building referral partnerships with advisors abroad whose clients want US access. Open to connecting?

LinkedIn DMs — send after they accept

US-based

Thanks for connecting.

Quick context on what I do, since it touches a problem most companies have quietly given up on.

O1DMatch is a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent. The mechanic is that the employer never becomes the petitioner. No filing fee, no labor condition application, no prevailing wage determination, no sponsorship program to maintain. The company signs a one-page interest letter confirming it would engage the person if work-authorized, and their case is filed through an authorized agent.

No annual cap, no lottery, fifteen days with premium processing instead of six to twelve months, and the person can work for multiple employers at once. The H-1B filing fee reached 100,000 dollars in 2025, which has taken it off the table for most companies entirely.

The immediate ask is small: we'd like to post some of your open roles on the platform, free, so O-1 candidates can apply. No cost and no commitment on your side.

Open to that?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

Outside the US

Thanks for connecting.

Brief context on what I do, in case it's useful on either side of your work.

O1DMatch connects internationally accomplished people to US employers through the O-1 visa. The structure is unusual in that the employer never becomes the petitioner. They sign a one-page interest letter confirming they'd engage the person if work-authorized, and the case is filed through an authorized agent. No sponsorship programme, no filing fee, no lottery, no annual quota.

That matters in two directions.

If you're hiring for a US entity or moving people into US operations, this removes the part that usually kills it. Processing runs fifteen days with premium handling, and an O-1 holder can work for multiple employers simultaneously.

And personally, the O-1 is worth understanding if you've ever considered a US base. The bar is evidentiary rather than reputational, and senior people often already meet it without realising the category exists. Published work, original contributions, awards, press coverage, judging roles, a critical role at a recognised organisation.

No pitch attached to this. If either angle is relevant, happy to explain how it works.

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

E1 — Free job posting (default cold email)

Subject: Post your open roles free — no visa process involved

Hi there,

Short note with a small ask.

O1DMatch is a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent. We'd like to post some of your open positions on the platform at no cost, so candidates applying for O-1 visas can apply to them.

Here's why it's worth your permission. O-1 candidates need interest letters. An interest letter is one page on your letterhead saying you'd engage the person if they were work-authorized. That's the entire lift. You are not the petitioner. You pay no USCIS filing fee. There's no labor condition application, no prevailing wage determination, and no sponsorship process to run. The candidate's case is filed through an authorized agent.

If one of them works out, you get the hire without sponsoring anything. If none do, you've lost nothing but the time it took to read this.

No cap, no lottery, fifteen days with premium processing, and an O-1 holder can work for multiple employers at once.

Can we have your permission to post a few roles?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

The legal read belongs to your attorney. The employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.

E2 — Lapsed sponsor

Subject: The roles you stopped sponsoring in [YEAR]

[Name],

You filed [N] labor condition applications for [OCCUPATION] in [YEAR], and nothing since. I don't know whether that was cost, the lottery, or deciding it wasn't worth the process. All three are common answers.

Reaching out because there's a route that skips all of it.

O1DMatch is a marketplace connecting O-1 visa talent with US employers. You never become the petitioner. No filing fee, no labor condition application, no prevailing wage determination, no sponsorship program to maintain. You sign a one-page interest letter confirming you'd engage the person if work-authorized. Their case is filed through an authorized agent.

[INDUSTRY ANGLE — see below]

Practical differences from what you ran in [YEAR]: no annual cap, no lottery, fifteen days with premium processing, and the person can work for multiple employers at once. The H-1B filing fee reached 100,000 dollars in 2025.

The immediate ask is smaller than it sounds — permission to post a few of your open roles on the platform, free.

Worth fifteen minutes?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

The legal read belongs to your attorney. The employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.

E3 — On behalf of a named candidate (highest conversion)

Subject: A [ROLE] who can start without you sponsoring anything

[Name],

I have a specific person in mind for you, so this isn't a generic note.

[CANDIDATE DESCRIPTOR] is a [ROLE] with [ONE OR TWO CONCRETE CREDENTIALS]. They're on our platform with an O-1 readiness score and a full evidence record, and they're actively looking at roles like the [SPECIFIC OPEN ROLE] you have posted.

The part that usually stops this conversation doesn't apply. You wouldn't be sponsoring them. You're not the petitioner, you pay no USCIS filing fee, and there's no labor condition application or prevailing wage determination. You sign a one-page interest letter confirming you'd engage them if work-authorized, and their case is filed through an authorized agent.

No cap, no lottery, fifteen days with premium processing. They can also work for multiple employers at once if you'd rather start part-time.

Happy to send the profile over. Want me to?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

The legal read belongs to your attorney. The employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.

E4 — Small or founder-run company

Subject: Hiring internationally without the H-1B

[Name],

I run outreach for O1DMatch. Reaching out because [SPECIFIC OBSERVATION FROM THEIR FILING HISTORY], which for a company your size usually means the process wasn't worth the cost rather than that the need went away.

There's a route that skips it entirely.

We connect O-1 visa talent with US employers. You never become the petitioner. No filing fee, no labor condition application, no prevailing wage determination, no sponsorship program to run. You sign a one-page interest letter saying you'd engage the person if work-authorized, and their case is filed through an authorized agent.

No cap, no lottery, and fifteen days with premium processing instead of six to twelve months. The H-1B filing fee hit 100,000 dollars in 2025, so for a small team it's effectively off the table. This isn't.

The other piece that matters at your scale: an O-1 holder can work for multiple employers at once, so you can bring someone on part-time rather than committing to a full seat.

If you're hiring and running into work authorization as the blocker, happy to walk through it.

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

The legal read belongs to your attorney. The employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.

R1 — Recruiter, full

Subject: Placing the candidates you have to pass on

Hi there,

Quick intro. I'm with O1DMatch, a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1-eligible international talent. We're building out recruiter partnerships and I think there's a fit.

The part that matters for your desk: the employer doesn't participate in the visa process at all. They aren't the petitioner. No USCIS filing fee, no LCA, no prevailing wage determination, no sponsorship program to stand up. The candidate's case is filed through an authorized agent. The company's entire lift is a one-page interest letter confirming they'd engage the candidate if work-authorized.

No cap, no lottery, no employer lock-in. The candidate can work for multiple employers simultaneously, and premium processing runs fifteen days.

What that unlocks: every candidate you've had to disqualify because "the client doesn't sponsor" is placeable again. We can bring your existing pipeline onto the platform, or feed you candidates who already have evidence records and O-1 readiness scores attached.

We also have specialists who call and coordinate with employers directly, so the interest-letter conversation isn't something you have to run yourself.

Worth a short call?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

The legal read belongs to your attorney. The employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.

R2 — Recruiter, short

Subject: Your client doesn't file the visa

Hi there,

I'm with O1DMatch, a marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent, and we're partnering with recruiters right now.

The hook: your client never touches the visa process. Not the petitioner, no filing fee, no sponsorship. They sign a one-page interest letter. That's the whole ask.

Which means the candidates you've had to pass on for work authorization become placeable. We can route your existing pipeline through the platform or send you candidates who already have their evidence records built.

No cap, no lottery, and the candidate can work for multiple employers at once.

Open to fifteen minutes?

[Your name] O1DMatch o1dmatch.com

P1 — Advisor abroad / referral partner

This one goes from Sherrod, not from you. Flag good targets to him.

Industry angles — drop into any email

Games and creative

The O-1B covers arts and entertainment, and animators, character artists, concept artists and technical artists clear the evidence bar more often than studios expect. Shipped titles, credited work, industry awards, published art, festival selections. Our approved petitions run across Netflix, Paramount Plus and ESPN.

AI and machine learning

AI and ML people clear the O-1 evidence bar more easily than almost any other field. Published work, original contributions, critical role at a recognized company, peer review, compensation above peers. Most senior AI engineers already meet the criteria without knowing the category exists.

Robotics and infrastructure

Deep learning, robotics and computer vision benches skew heavily toward foreign-born PhDs, and early-stage companies are the least able to absorb sponsorship cost or a lottery. Work authorization becomes a structural constraint that caps the pool before sourcing even starts.

Biotech and medical research

Research roles map almost directly onto the USCIS criteria — scholarly articles, peer review, original contributions of major significance, critical role at a distinguished organisation. Postdocs and senior researchers usually meet three of the eight without realising it.

Sports

This is our deepest category. Approved petitions include Team Canelo, the Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, LA Chargers, NASCAR teams, ONE Championship, Top Rank Boxing and the NBA G League.

MODULE 11 — AI call agent configuration

Only if your role includes this. Otherwise skip.

Base instructions — paste into the system prompt once

You are an outbound scheduling assistant for O1DMatch. Your goal is to get permission to post the company's open roles on our platform, or to book a fifteen-minute call with Sherrod Seward. You are not closing a sale and you are not explaining immigration law in depth.

Identity. Open every call by identifying yourself as an AI assistant calling on behalf of O1DMatch. Never claim to be human. If asked directly, answer plainly and without apology.

What to convey. O1DMatch is a software marketplace connecting US employers with O-1 visa talent. The employer never becomes the visa petitioner. No USCIS filing fee, no labor condition application, no prevailing wage determination, no sponsorship program. The employer signs a one-page interest letter confirming they would engage the person if work-authorized. The candidate's case is filed through an authorized agent.

Supporting facts, used sparingly: no annual cap, no lottery, no employer lock-in; fifteen days with premium processing against six to twelve months on an H-1B; the candidate can work for multiple employers simultaneously; the H-1B filing fee reached one hundred thousand dollars in 2025.

Hard rules. Never say the candidate self-petitions — say the case is filed through an authorized agent and the employer does not file. Never say there is no legal exposure. Never guarantee a visa outcome. Never give legal advice. Never quote prices. Never describe O1DMatch as a law firm or filing service. If asked to be removed from the list, agree immediately, confirm it, and end the call without persuading.

Behaviour. Keep under two minutes unless they are engaged. Ask permission to continue within fifteen seconds. One idea per sentence, then pause. If you reach a gatekeeper, ask who handles hiring or talent and request a transfer or a name. Offer two specific time windows rather than asking open-endedly. If they prefer email, capture and confirm the address. Repeat any email or scheduled time back before ending.

Objections. [Paste Module 9.2 here.]

Per-contact block — fill in per dial

Number: [ ] Location and time zone: [ ] Context: [Company does X. Filing history: Y. This person's likely role: Z.]

Opening line: Hi, is this [NAME]? This is an AI assistant calling on behalf of Sherrod Seward at O1DMatch. Do you have about ninety seconds?

Hook: [One sentence tied to their filing history or industry.]

Industry angle if they engage: [From Module 10]

If wrong person: ask who handles hiring or talent acquisition and whether you can be transferred or given a name.

Voicemail — twenty seconds, number twice

Hi, this is an AI assistant calling for Sherrod Seward at O1DMatch. We work with companies hiring international talent without any sponsorship burden — the employer never files the visa. We'd like to post a few of your open roles on our platform at no cost. You can reach Sherrod at nine eight zero, four zero three, six five eight seven. That's nine eight zero, four zero three, six five eight seven. Thank you.

MODULE 12 — Reporting

Post daily to the O1DMatch Google Chat space, tagging Sherrod and Yusuf:

Outreach — [date] — [your name]
Connects sent: [n]      Accepted: [n]
Emails sent: [n]        Replies: [n]
Calls made: [n]         Booked: [n]
Jobs posted / permission granted: [n]
Notable: [anything worth a follow-up]

Post immediately, not in the daily roll-up, if:

Someone agrees to post jobs
Someone books a call
Someone asks a question you cannot answer
Someone requests removal
You get a LinkedIn warning

MODULE 13 — Who to ask

Need	Person
Email addresses you cannot find	Jonalyn
Tools, accounts, automation, LinkedIn access	Yusuf
Anything legal or immigration-specific	Sherrod
Pricing questions from a prospect	Sherrod
A prospect wants a call	Sherrod
Message wording you are unsure about	Ask before sending, not after

Never improvise on immigration. Hand it up.

MODULE 14 — Your first week

Day 1 Read Modules 1 to 3. Complete the setup checklist. Find ten companies on MyVisaJobs and log them. Send nothing yet.

Day 2 Have someone check five of your logged companies. Send your first ten LinkedIn connect notes using the templates. Nothing custom.

Day 3 Find email addresses for five people yourself before asking Jonalyn. Send your first three emails. Have them reviewed before sending.

Day 4 Full workflow, reduced volume. 15 to 20 LinkedIn actions, 5 emails. Handle any replies with Modules 9 and 13.

Day 5 Full volume. 30 to 40 LinkedIn actions, 10 to 15 emails. Post your first proper daily report.

End of week 1 — you should be able to:

Explain the interest letter without looking it up
Name the five hard language rules
Run a MyVisaJobs advanced search and pull contacts
Pick the right template without asking
Handle "we don't sponsor visas" from memory
Know when to escalate instead of answering

GLOSSARY

O-1 visa — Work visa for people with extraordinary ability. No cap, no lottery. O-1A covers sciences, business, education, athletics. O-1B covers arts and entertainment.

H-1B — The common work visa. Lottery-based, capped, employer sponsors, and the filing fee reached 100,000 dollars in 2025.

Interest letter — One page from an employer saying they'd engage a candidate if work-authorized. Not a job offer, not sponsorship, not binding.

Petitioner — The party who officially files the visa petition with USCIS. With O-1 through us, this is an authorized agent, not the employer.

Authorized agent — The entity that files the O-1 petition on the candidate's behalf.

USCIS — US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The government body.

LCA — Labor Condition Application. Required for H-1B, not for this.

Prevailing wage determination — Government wage floor process required for H-1B. Not required here.

Premium processing — Paid expedite. Fifteen days instead of months. The fee goes to USCIS, not to us.

EB-1A — The extraordinary-ability green card. Often the next step after O-1.

Active Match — Our top platform tier for talent.

Readiness score — AI-generated score showing how a candidate's evidence maps to the eight USCIS criteria.

MyVisaJobs — Public database of company visa filing history. Our main sourcing tool.

APPENDIX — Things that will get you in trouble

Saying a candidate "self-petitions"
Saying there's "no legal exposure"
Promising or predicting a visa outcome
Giving legal advice
Quoting prices
Calling O1DMatch a law firm or filing service
Exceeding 40 LinkedIn actions in a day
Sending an email with an unfilled [BRACKET] in it
Forgetting to BCC leads@o1dmatch.com
Contacting someone after they asked to be removed
Guessing at an answer instead of escalating

Reference Library