Every word of the sponsorship objection is answerable, because the agent-based O-1 was built so the employer never files.
"We can't sponsor" ends most conversations about international hires. It should not end this one, because nothing here asks you to sponsor anyone.
The O-1 regulations allow a U.S. agent to act as petitioner for a beneficiary with multiple engagements. That is the structure behind decades of O-1 work in sport and entertainment — Team Canelo, the Raiders, the Packers, the Chargers, NASCAR teams and others engage extraordinary talent this way. O1DMatch applies the same structure to technical talent, with the agent side handled by people who have been filing agent-based O-1 petitions for over fifteen years.
Reasonable questions, with short answers: Is the letter binding? No. Are we the employer of record on a petition? No — the petitioner is the agent. Do we control the case? No. Can we still say no to hiring later? Yes, at any point. The legal read belongs to your attorney; the employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.
No. The candidate's case is filed through an authorized agent or petitioner — your company does not file, you do not pay the USCIS filing fee, and you are not running an H-1B sponsorship process.
The agent-based O-1 is an established structure in the regulations, used for decades in sport and entertainment. The legal read belongs to your attorney; the employer and itinerary problem belongs to O1DMatch.
