Could internationally recognized programming contests qualify their contestants for O1A or EB1 visa?

[ALTN 1]

I was wondering if world class programming contests such as Facebook Hacker Cup, Google Code Jam or TopCoder Open can qualify a contestant for an O1A or EB1 visa? and if so what percentile (first 1%? 0.1%? other?) should the contestant achieve in order to qualify?

Edited January 31, 2017 by ALTN

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Winners maybe contestant  no

[ALTN 1]

The reason I asked initially is because I already have the maybe in mind, so maybe is not really what I'm looking for , do you know of a similar case, or can refer an official doc?

 

Also depends on what you mean by winners, in the Facebook contest for instance the first 500 win a symbolic t-shirt, the first 25 win a trip to the final round onsite, while the top 3 win more than $1k. Tens of thousands participate initially from all around the globe. I'm familiar with this type of contests and trust me when I say the first 100... they just don't belong to this planet!

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

  I could go sign u as a contestant ,  what would that prove about my abilities  ? 

[ALTN 1]

I'm referring to top contestants, that's why I asked for a potential percentile threshold that would restrict the qualified ones.

[ALTN 1]

Ok let me change the term, top performers

[Boiler 45,525]

In itself no, as part of a portfolio of work, papers, presentations, peer reviewed studies, maybe.

[KierenHby 899]

Questions all over the place; What's the end game.. Canadian immigration\DV visa\etc? 

[ALTN 1]

@KierenHby stalking me? the end game is what will end up working  

 

@Boiler Thanks for the input, although not what I wanted to hear

 

 

[KierenHby 899]

That's too bad

[ALTN 1]

what's bad?

 

[goblin 26]

10 hours ago, ALTN said:

 

@Boiler Thanks for the input, although not what I wanted to hear

Boiler is right though... even if you are the winner none of those prices alone will reach the level of "Evidence that the beneficiary has received a major, internationally-recognized award, such as a Nobel Prize, Olympic Medal, Oscar, Grammy etc." and the O1 would require contracts for jobs and deal memos anyways on top. So not only the credentials are what matters here. For an EB1 you don't need to have work lined up but much harder to fulfill the criteria.

 

However in a combination with your other credentials maybe.

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by goblin

[randomstairs 303]

Maybe, if you get into the top 1%, you can convince them to sponsor you as an employee (EB2/3) - it's faster anyways. You can try EB2-NIW - with the new criteria you might have a reasonable chance (you need at least a Master's degree or Ph.D. in the field though). Obviously all of the above applies only if you're not from India. If you are from India, I don't see any options beyond what others have suggested. 

[ALTN 1]

@randomstairs That's very interesting! just read the required criteria for EB2 here, and wondering if I would satisfy the 4 below:

1. Official academic record showing that you have a degree, diploma, certificate, or similar award from a college, university, school, or other institution of learning relating to your area of exceptional ability.
   I do have an advanced degree, not a masters though. It's called "Diplôme d'ingénieur" and I had it upon 6 years of studies in the field of software engineering (related to the contests area), could that qualify?
2. A license to practice your profession or certification for your profession or occupation.
   A diploma qualifies here?
3. Evidence that you have commanded a salary or other remuneration for services that demonstrates your exceptional ability.
   Tech industry jobs in the US are very rewarding already, $150k/yr for instance is not an exception at top companies (see wages at Google here). Would a potential sponsor be required to offer a significantly higher wage in order to meet the criteria?
4. Recognition for your achievements and significant contributions to your industry or field by your peers, government entities, professional or business organizations. Other comparable evidence of eligibility is also acceptable.
   I take your input as the first 1% would qualify for the above? Note that 1% means the first 200 or more. A reference/related story would be much appreciated

I'm not indian.

@goblin thanks!

 

... to clarify why I'm digging into this, I tried my chance in a couple non official contests recently with thousands of contestants and managed to rank among the first 2% in both, which could be improved with proper training.

Edited February 1, 2017 by ALTN

[goblin 26]

You should also speak to a bunch of immigration lawyers on this... most of them give free first consultations on evaluating your credentials. Lots also via skype.

I talked to about 10 to then eventually pick one and had a successful EB1A application in the arts/ music. Any credit you have can be helpful. And even though I am not in the same filed like you I can tell you that you might get very different opinions from people especially on a forum. I got NO chance because of false evaluation of my material, to most likely O1 but not an EB1A yet, to almost 100% strong case towards EB1A. At the end I listened to the right guy and we had a good ride without any problems. It was a lot of work and expensive of course, but it was worth it.