Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],

Happy Friday. ✨

Soundarya here, from Unshackled. :)

In case you missed, here's the newsletter from this week.

It's exactly a week since I landed back in the U.S. (from India). The first week has been intense, overwhelming, and scary (as it always is). I'm starting to get the hang now though.

I'm spending this month planning out the next 6 months in San Francisco, including 3 key projects: growing the Unshackled community, building a free O-1 profile evaluation tool for everyone, and beginning the work on my next book (🙈).

Before we jump in, I want to thank our sponsors LCR Capital and Snowfoll who made this newsletter free for all. And, I'm delighted to welcome 258 new subscribers to our newsletter since last week. Welcome, welcome! 🙏

This week's TL;DR

• Want to get press for your EB1 without paying a PR agency? This masterclass is for you!
• ​Join my FIRST masterclass & get sh*t done toward your O1/EB1.
• Major Cut in Visa Wait Times: Delhi Sees Drop from 542 to 37 Days.

📌 UNfold: Top stories

​Major Cut in Visa Wait Times: Delhi Sees Drop from 542 to 37 Days​

The US has opened up a massive number of visa slots, over 250,000, making it easier for people to get appointments. In Delhi, the waiting period for a visa appointment has drastically fallen from 542 days to just 37 days. Other Indian cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai have also experienced significant reductions in wait times -- although not as much as Delhi. This move is a big relief for visa applicants who were facing long delays.

​Will There Be a Third H-1B Lottery as Over 100,000 Winners Reject Visas?​

DHS is considering the possibility of a third H-1B visa lottery this year as over 100,000 visa winners have declined their offers. This is good news for you if you didn't get picked in either of the first or second ones! But, given that 100,000+ declined their offer, the situation raises questions about whether there is indeed a tech worker shortage in the US.

​AI Executive Order and Immigration: Promising Changes or Mere Window Dressing?​

The recent AI Executive Order by President Biden aims to ensure the safe and responsible development and use of artificial intelligence (AI). While it outlines eight guiding principles for AI, it also introduces provisions related to immigration policies for AI experts. The order calls for modernizing immigration pathways for AI experts, expanding the Schedule A list of occupations, and enhancing the H-1B program. These changes have the potential to benefit noncitizen AI professionals, but their effectiveness depends on future rulemaking.

🎁 UNlock: Relevant resources

​Masterclass: How to get press for EB-1 without paying a PR agency (Ft. Daniela Herrera) [10th Nov, 8:00 AM PST]​

Want to get PR for your work without paying a PR agency? This masterclass is for you. Daniela Herrera is a Talent and DEI Consultant, Speaker, and Career Coach with 17 years of experience in Recruitment, Talent Operations, and Leadership. In this session, she will teach you how building a powerful professional brand on LinkedIn can attract the media, press, and speaking opportunities you need and want. You don't wanna miss this! (This webinar is being conducted as part of the Unshackled online community.)

​Masterclass: Get sh*t done toward your O1/EB1 goal by Soundarya Balasubramani [16th Nov, 6:00 PM PST]​

On September 12th, 2023, I got my O-1A extraordinary visa approved as the solo founder of an educational venture that publishes books & builds communities.
This is the FIRST masterclass where I will be diving deep into my journey to help you -- an ambitious immigrant -- build your roadmap and reach your end goal. You don't wanna miss this! (This webinar is being conducted as part of the Unshackled online community.)

BONUS: You get a free copy of my book with the ticket.

​[Free Webinar] Modernization Rule, New Lottery & Clear Path for Founder-Owners [08th Nov, 12:00PM PST]​

Join Sophie Alcorn, an immigration lawyer, for a comprehensive webinar on the new developments in the H-1B landscape, in addition to other key immigration announcements. Learn about the modernization rule, potential lottery changes, and increased access for startup founders!

🪄 UNveil: This week’s sponsor

​Want a free private consultation with an EB-5 expert? Awesome! We've got someone from LCR Capital flying into the Bay Area just to meet with you next week (Nov 16th-20th). LCR has helped over 1000 immigrants get green cards through the EB-5 investor route. Spots are limited to 20 people. Schedule your free consult here.

​Do you hate logging into multiple portals to pay your credit card bills? Enter SnowPay. Built by an IITian, SnowPay provides a single portal to track, manage, & pay your credit card bills, while rewarding you with $ for doing it! Instead of logging into a dozen websites, let a single one rule them all. Best part? They're currently enrolling Campus Ambassadors. If you're a student, click here to join & earn money.​

👉 Want to put yourself in front of 9000+ high-skilled immigrants? Just hit reply to start a conversation.

🥳 UNshackled: What's happening in the community?

Exciting news: After 25+ hours of preparation and shooting interviews, we're done with interviewing the first 10 immigrants for our "Extraordinary Visa Library" project! We will finish the post-processing by the end of November and launch it publicly in the coming weeks. Members of our community will get first access!

This has been a vision of mine for six months, so I'm very excited to launch this into the world soon.

Besides the above, here's what brewin' in the community:

• ​Upcoming masterclass with yours truly: I'm doing my FIRST masterclass to help you get sh*t done toward your O1/EB1 visa goal. This is free for members -- but you can also join by paying $50. Bonus: you get a free copy of my book.
• ​​Upcoming masterclass with Daniela Herrera: In this session, Daniela will teach you how building a powerful professional brand on LinkedIn can attract the media, press, and speaking opportunities you need and want. This is free for members -- but you can also join by paying $30.
• ​"How to choose a niche for my EB-1A?" was one of the discussion threads we had from last week.
• We welcomed 4 new members in the past week, including Kousalya, Alikanti, Phani, and Rishi!
• [Coming soon] Case Study Library: Imagine if there was a library filled with case studies of past O-1/EB-1 recipients, sharing exactly how they got to the finish line. Coming soon.
• [Coming soon] A course on the O-1A ;)

Whenever you're ready to join the community, use this private link that lets you join for $539 (10% off). Once you join, get access to top lawyers, O-1/EB-1 mentors, weekly events, & a roadmap to reach your goal.

p.s. we're almost at 300 members now!

Until next week, stay fantabulous.

Yours truly,

Soundarya 💚

💡 None of the information shared in this newsletter is meant to be legal advice. If you're looking for legal advice, speak to a lawyer, or hit reply and let me know so I can connect you with one.

💫 UNcover: Picks from the internet

• Is the AI Hype Translating to AI Jobs? Read more​
• Where do unicorns come from? Endeavor study reveals.​
• Do you have an idea for a startup? Try Techstars Boston Accelerator!

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