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Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],

Happy Wednesday. ✨

Soundarya here, from Unshackled. :)

While layoffs have slowed down, there's still tens of thousands who are looking for a job. In case you were affected by the layoff -- or know someone who is -- check out this post where I share 10 communities that you can join to seek help.

Before we jump in, I want to thank our sponsor Inri who made this newsletter free for all. And, I'm delighted to welcome 99 new subscribers to our newsletter since last week. Welcome, welcome! 🙏

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This week's TL;DR

• ​USICS updates its EB-1 policy... and it's a good thing.
• ​Join a masterclass with me & Anu Ramakrishnan on EB-1 profile building!
• Watch the recording of my interview with Hemant Gangolia (O-1A). ​

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📌 UNfold: Top stories

​Good news: USCIS updates policy manual on EB-1 applications​

Good news! USCIS just updated its policy manual with a bunch of new information and guidance on the EB-1 applications. Mainly, they've made it possible for founders to use venture funding to satisfy both the "high salary" and "leading/critical role" criteria, expanded the meaning of "publications", and added more meat to the "comparable evidence" bucket. Check it out!

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​US Immigration Agencies Under Fire for Using Fake Social Media Profiles​

Recent documents reveal that U.S. immigration agencies, including Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have discussed using fake social media profiles for various operations, including investigating immigration benefit applicants. While it's unclear which platforms were involved, this practice violates the terms of service on platforms like Facebook. The revelations have raised privacy concerns about law enforcement's online surveillance tactics and data collection, especially without proper authorization.

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​Proposed Visa Bulletin Changes Could Ease Immigration Backlogs, Benefit U.S. Economy​

Immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta suggests advancing the dates in Visa Bulletin to alleviate the backlog issue in the U.S. immigration system. This is supported by 50+ members of Congress, as of now. Mehta argues that advancing these dates would help retain talented immigrants, benefiting the U.S. workforce and economy.

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🎁 UNlock: Relevant resources

​[Masterclass] Building your EB-1A profile [22nd Sept 2023, 6:00 PM PST]​

Are you actively working toward your EB-1A profile? Come join a Masterclass with me and Anu Ramakrishnan, an EB-1A recipient and product leader. After spending less than a year building her profile, she got her green card on hand in early 2022. Come hear the backstory behind her success, and how you can also build your profile to reach the end goal! (This webinar is being conducted as part of the Unshackled online community.)

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​Journey of a Fintech Founder | H-4 to O-1A | Hemant Gangolia, Founder & CEO, Inri​

I interviewed Hemant Gangolia, co-founder of Inri, a fintech platform that helps NRIs invest in India. Hemant has an interesting journey of building his startup for 16 months on an H-4 EAD (and not taking a salary) before filing and getting his O-1A. Prior to that, he worked at Meta as a software engineer. This was originally conducted within the Unshackled community. If you'd like to join it (and get free consults from lawyers & O-1/EB-1 recipients), use this private link for a 20% discount!​

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​Unlocking O-1 Visa: Hear from Two Past Recipients​

Actively preparing for an O-1 visa? Join this workshop with Mayank Bansal and Aakash Alurkur, both of whom are O-1 recipients who got their visa within 3 months of beginning the process. They'll be walking you through the criteria, building your profile, and getting your company to sponsor it!

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🪄 UNveil: This week’s sponsor

Want to upskill your personal finance game? Attend this webinar with Monika Halan, best-selling author of Let's Talk Money and Chairperson of SEBI's advisory committee. She also runs 4 TV series on this topic across NDTV, Zee and Bloomberg India. She'll discuss how to approach personal finance in India for long-term wealth creation!

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👉 Want to put yourself in front of 8000+ high-skilled immigrants? Just hit reply to start a conversation.

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🥳 UNshackled: What's happening in the community?

Exciting news: After 50+ hours of research and curation, I'm ready with 100+ awards, membership organizations, judging competitions, and publications that will help you grow in your career -- and in building evidence for your O-1/EB-1 visa.

Post some final touches, this will be shared within the online community by the end of this week! This was a mammoth project that I am glad is finally complete.

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

• Upcoming masterclass with EB-1A recipient: Anu Ramakrishnan, who is the Sr. Director of PM at Applied Cognition. This is free for members -- but you can also join by paying $25.
• 1:1 user research with members: I'm kicking off 1:1 interviews with community members, finally. Expect a WhatsApp message from me in the next 24 hours if you filled in the 1:1 user research survey.
• [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 ;)

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Whenever you're ready to join the community & make use of the above, use this private link that lets you join for $399 (20% off). Once you join, get access to top lawyers, O-1/EB-1 mentors, weekly events, & a growing resource hub.

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Until next week, stay lovely.

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Yours truly,

Soundarya 💚

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💡 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.

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💫 UNcover: Picks from the internet

• ​Visa Interview Waiver: How and why you should take advantage of it.
• Seeking an H-1B visa in Seattle is a trial of luck, strategy and hope.
• ​Beware: The DOL downgraded Computer Systems Analysts from Job Zone 4 to 3.

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