Harry landed work in US ‘after being given special talent visa’
PRINCE Harry could be working in the US on a visa designed for people with ‘extraordinary ability’, experts said yesterday.
Canadian singer Justin Bieber and Australian actor star Hugh Jackman have used the O-1 visa which lasts up to three years. The Duke of Sussex, 36, now has two jobs and TV and radio projects in the US, prompting many to question how he obtained a visa. As a British citizen, Harry, pictured, was not automatically entitled to seek employment after moving to California last year with American wife Meghan, 39.
He could have applied for a green card, but this comes with significant income tax implications and can take up to 21 months to process. The O-1 visa website says it is for ‘an individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognised nationally or internationally’.
Harry’s work with Invictus Games for injured servicemen could potentially qualify him. And his recent interview with Oprah Winfrey certainly earned millions for the TV industry. O-1 visa approval can take just weeks and finding a US citizen to serve as a referee would not have been a problem – Harry’s friends include ex-President Barack Obama,
Immigration expert Doug Lightman, of Lightman Law in New York, said: ‘Harry would have no problem getting the O-1 because he’s a prince. He’s travelled all over the world...and there is his work with Invictus. It’s going to be enough to qualify him.’ Harry’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, he hit the ground running in his new job yesterday by posting a motivational quote on the Instagram account of BetterUp, the life coaching firm he has joined as ‘chief impact officer’. He wrote: ‘Self-optimisation is not about fixing something that’s broken. It’s about becoming the best version of ourselves with whatever life throws at us.’