OPT expiring on someone you want to keep

Why this sneaks up on good teams

The OPT hire required nothing from you, so nothing forced the follow-up conversation. Then the expiry date stops being abstract, the next H-1B window is approximately March 2027, and a person whose work you rely on is planning around a countdown.

What two years of work changed

The employee who joined on OPT has been building a record on your projects: shipped systems, publications, talks, maybe open-source presence. That record — not your petition — is what an O-1 case runs on. It files year-round through an authorized agent, decided in 15 days under premium processing.

Your move, concretely

1. Start early — the case assembles from evidence, and evidence takes runway. A call now beats a scramble later.
2. Your paperwork remains one page; the ongoing employment continues on your existing terms once status is granted.
3. Keep the lottery as a parallel option if you want it — the routes are not exclusive.