Where ambitious immigrants meet and empower each other to get talent visas — and beyond

unshackled.club is an exclusive community.

We built it for ambitious immigrants who contribute significantly to their fields - and have big dreams for their future.

You should only join if:

You are clear about your motivation for getting a talent visa. E.g. starting your company, quitting your job, getting freedom via green card, etc.
You are willing to invest time and effort into the community and your future.

You should NOT join if:

You're looking for a "hack" to get your green card. There is none.
You want hand-holding through every step of the process until you file. We look for members who are proactive and make use of our resources well.
You come from a field that we don't have resources for. E.g. artists, actresses, chefs, etc. Our community is geared toward tech, STEM and business fields.

Sounds like you? Awesome.
This is the place for you.

Become a member
Hear it from Hitesh Kenjale, one of our members who got the O-1A
Hitesh Kenjale, Co-Founder of DesiHangover. UC Berkeley MBA Graduate.

We’ve got engineers, founders, product managers, scientists, and researchers.

Our community of 400+ aspirants span all corners of tech, STEM and business fields.
Aswarth Abhilash Dara
Staff Software Engineer Al/ML at Walmart Global Tech EB-2 NIW Recipient
Nikin Tharan
Founder of Mental Health
Startup | Ex-Cofounder of
Medsix
EB-1A Visa Recipient
Hitesh Kenjale
Co-founder of DesiHangover |
UC Berkeley MBA Graduate |
Acumen Fellow
O-1A Recipient
Chinmay Jog
Senior Machine Learning
Engineer
O1-A Recipient
Sunku Ranganath
Principal Product Manager.
EB-1A Recipient
Nirupama Narayanaswamy
Organizational Effectiveness
Consultant
Jenil Shah
CTO and Co-founder, Upview
Sharath Kumar
Data Science Manager

Our members come from top companies

Goal of unshackled.club = Help you get your talent visa

So every benefit we offer is geared toward helping you reach your goal.
Free consults with past recipients
Take actionable advice from O-1A, EB-1A, and NIW recipients who've been there, done that - for free.
Free profile evaluation with top lawyers
Save hundreds of $$$ and the stress of finding a trusted
lawyer. We've done the vetting for you.
Monthly workshops with experts in your field
Meet others like you, and get nuanced answers on your situation from experts who've been there, done that.
The ultimate “profile-building” tracker
Avoid overwhelm in gathering hundreds of pages of evidence. Use our "Unshackled Dream Tracker" template to document all your evidence.
Flagship course on O 1A, EB-1A, & NIW visas in simple language
Take the only course you'll need to master the requirements for an O-1A, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW visa. Vetted by our lawyers.
Monthly “Ask Me Anything” with licensed attorney
Don't waste money booking consults for simple questions. Attend our monthly webinar with a licensed attorney.
Success case studies of 10+ past recipients
Dive deep into the insider stories of 10+ O1/EB1/NIW recipients - and exactly how they built their case.
100+ curated awards, publications, & competitions
Don't waste your time starting from scratch to look for awards & publications. We've done the hard work.
Sample recommendation letters
We've curated sample letters from past filings so you don't need to start writing yours from scratch.
Discussion forum with 400+ aspirants like you.
Get nominated for awards, collaborate on a paper, or just get a nuanced question answered by someone in the same boat.
In-person meetups across key cities in America
Enjoy an evening of getting to know incredibly talented and motivated people like you in your city!
Virtual member meet-ups every other week
Make solid progress through accountability sessions. Walk away with answers (and a friend or two).
List of 30+ grants to apply as an immigrant founder
Want to raise money for your cool idea? Check out our list of 30+ grants to apply for as an aspiring founder.
Short masterclass-style videos on focused topics
We've created 5-minute clips of experts talking about everything from "How do I start judging?" to "How can I setup my company on OPT?"
On-demand recordings of all our past events
We meticulously record, edit, and publish all of our events, with neat timestamps. Jump in whenever you feel like it!
DM any of the 400+ aspirants just like you
Wanna meet an Al engineer from Seattle who's also working toward an EB-1A? We got you covered.

Hear it from another member, Dominic, who got his O-1A

Want more? Hear it from 10+ members who
got talent visas — and more

The community helped me more than I paid for.
I got everything I needed to create a solid O-1A case. The knowledge base introduced me to the websites I needed to build my evidence. I had access to people who were doing exactly what I was doing - as well as people who've
reached the finish line of the process! I could speak to vetted lawyers who evaluated my case. There is always new information being shared and discussed. Overall, I got more out of the community than I paid for!
Dominic Damoah
CTO of Vie, Inc. O-1A Recipient.
The biggest thing I got from the community was the belief that I could actually qualify for the O-1A. It wasn’t this giant, monolithic thing meant only for a select few. As long as I was doing good and strategically building my case, it was possible for me to get the visa. Since getting it, I’ve had the peace of mind I needed to get back to what actually mattered: building my company.
Digvijay Singh
Head of Product at DrizzleHealth. O-1A Recipient.
I decided to file a National Interest Waiver (NIW) because my PERM kept getting delayed by our company’s in-house attorney. Further, I wanted to lock in a priority date. I got to know about Unshackled very late in my NIW journey — and really wish I’d come across it before. But, now I am using the resources in there toward building my EB-1A profile which has been very helpful.
Hemadri Doma
QA Computer Systems Validation Engineer. EB-2 NIW Recipient.
Thanks to support from the community, I was successfully able to transition from an H-1B to a B-2 following a challenging period of company layoffs.
Vishal Pallerla
Developer Advocate, DevZero
I am immensely grateful to the Unshackled community for the support I got throughout my EB-1A process. The resources & personal stories shared there gave me the confidence to get through a rather overwhelming process. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone in their EB-1A process to join this space! I’m now just a month away from filing my case. Fingers crossed.
Mohit Kumar
Senior Radar System Enigneer at ARS. Doctorate from Colorado State University.
The most underrated benefit I got from the Unshackled community was the emotional support. I got an RFE during my O-1A journey and it was extremely painful, emotionally. I can't recommend joining the community enough.
Hitesh Kenjale
Co-Founder of DesiHangover. UC Berkeley MBA Graduate. O-1A Recipient.
I wish I had found the community earlier in my EB-1A journey. It could have saved me a lot of time and research. And, it would've given me a chance to meet others like me from my field, get their feedback, and made my petition better.
Aswarth Abhilash Dara
Staff Software Engineer AI/ML at Walmart. EB-1A Recipient.
I was in the H-1B lottery for three years straight and still didn't get selected. Eventually, my company's lawyer asked me if I had any papers or publications. When I said "no", they discouraged me from pursuing the O-1A path at that time. So I didn't. But then once again my name wasn't picked a fourth time in the H-1B lottery. This time my back was against the wall. That's when I discovered the Unshackled book and eventually the community. The chapter on O-1A in the book gave me confidence that I can build my profile. Within the next 6 months, I did it and got my O-1A approved.
Chinmay Jog
Sr. Machine Learning Engineer at PANGIAM. O-1A Recipient.
To me, Unshackled was the starting point of discovering a wealth of community, experiences, and resources that have been a friend through a pretty complex process. From simple tips to accessing others who were in similar boats to always having someone willing to help, the community has been unmatched.
Zoya Brar
Founder, CORE Diagnostics. EB-1A and 2x O-1A Recipient.
I joined the community only a few weeks ago. I've already been able to book a call with an EB-2 NIW recipient, who has now become a mentor of mine that I talk to regularly.
Imran Khan
RAN Visualization Engineer at Samsung.
Joining Unshackled was one of the best decisions I've made for my entrepreneurial journey.
Twinkle Mohan
Digital Product Designer. Aspiring Founder.

Why join a community? Why not do this alone?

Hear it from MrBeast himself. Watch from 13:54 - 14:52.

Never work solo.
Make progress with people like you.

Being an immigrant in America can be lonely. Applying for a talent visa only amplifies the loneliness.

So we designed unshackled.club to be the ONE place you can go to any day and get what you need - whether
that is connecting with another aspirant, speaking to a past recipient, consulting with a top lawyer, or getting a list of competitions to judge.

Become a member today and start your journey. 🚀

So, let's do a recap

By becoming a member, you get access to…
10+ past recipients
Top vetted lawyers
Monthly workshops with recipients
In-depth course
100+ list of awards & more
Case study library
Support of 400+ aspirants
Masterclass video library
Monthly Q&As with lawyers
Accountability sessions

Join 400+ ambitious immigrants

Student Tier
$499/year
$42/mo, paid annually
Choose this if you're a student and are just starting out in your talent visa journey. Email us at hi@unshackled.club to get an exclusive coupon code!
Email us for coupon code
Annual
Recommended
$1199/year $999/year
$83/mo, paid annually
Best for working professionals who
are actively building their profile
to get a talent visa within the
next 12-24 months.
Become an annual member
White-glove
$3999
Invite-only. Best for people who
want a high-touch experience with
1-on-1 coaching from past EB-1A
recipients.
Join the waitlist
Compare all Features
Student Tier
$499/quarter
$42/mo, paid annually
Annual
$999/year
$83/mo, paid annually
White-glove Service
$3999
6-months of one-on-one coaching
Dedicated success manager
Free profile evaluation with top lawyers
Short masterclass-style videos on focused topics
DM any of the 400+ aspirants just like you
Flagship course on O-1A, EB-1A, & NIW vetted by lawyers
Monthly "Ask Me Anything" sessions with a licensed attorney
Success case studies of 10+ past recipients
Weekly accountability sessions
Free consults with past recipients
On-demand recordings of all our past events
Discussion forum with 400+ aspirants like you
The ultimate "profile-building" tracker
Monthly workshops with experts in your field
100+ curated awards, publications, & competitions
In-person and virtual meetups every other week
Features
Student Tier
$42/mo, paid annually
Choose this if you've already found a lawyer for your case and need support only for 3
months.
Get Started
Student Tier Includes:
6-months of one-on-one coaching
Dedicated success manager
Weekly accountability sessions
Free profile evaluation with top lawyers
Free consults with past recipients
On-demand recordings of all our past events
Short masterclass-style videos on focused topics
Discussion forum with 350+ aspirants like you
DM any of the 350+ aspirants just like you
The ultimate "profile-building" tracker
Flagship course on O-1A, EB-1A, & NIW vetted by lawyers
Monthly workshops with experts in your field
Monthly "Ask Me Anything" sessions with a licensed attorney
100+ curated awards, publications, & competitions
Success case studies of 10+ past recipients
In-person and virtual meetups every other week
Annual Recommended
$1199/year
$83/mo, paid quarterly
Best for working professionals who are actively looking to work toward and get a
talent visa within the next 12 months.
Become an annual member
Annual Includes:
6-months of one-on-one coaching
Weekly accountability sessions
Dedicated success manager
Free consults with past recipients
Free profile evaluation with top lawyers
On-demand recordings of all our past events
Short masterclass-style videos on focused topics
Discussion forum with 350+ aspirants like you
DM any of the 350+ aspirants just like you
The ultimate "profile-building" tracker
Flagship course on O-1A, EB-1A, & NIW vetted by lawyers
Monthly workshops with experts in your field
Monthly "Ask Me Anything" sessions with a licensed attorney
100+ curated awards, publications, & competitions
Success case studies of 10+ past recipients
In-person and virtual meetups every other week
White-glove Service
$3999
Invite-only. Best for people who want a high-touch experience with 1-on-1 coaching
from past EB-1A recipients
Join the waitlist
White-glove Service Includes:
6-months of one-on-one coaching
Weekly accountability sessions
Dedicated success manager
Free consults with past recipients
Free profile evaluation with top lawyers
On-demand recordings of all our past events
Short masterclass-style videos on focused topics
Discussion forum with 350+ aspirants like you
DM any of the 350+aspirants just like you
The ultimate "profile-building" tracker
Flagship course on O-1A, EB-1A, & NIW vetted by lawyers
Monthly workshops with experts in your field
Monthly "Ask Me Anything" sessions with a licensed attorney
100+curated awards, publications, & competitions
Success case studies of 10+ past recipients
In-person and virtual meetups every other week

To put things into perspective for you

1-hour lawyer consultation costs
$500
1-hour EB-1 recipient consultation costs  
$250
An online course on EB-1 costs
>$1500
A co-working membership costs
$250/month
A decent gym membership costs
$80/month
Forbes Tech Council membership costs
$250/month

Not ready to commit yet?

No problem! Start with our free, 5-day course on talent visas first.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
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About the founder

Hi there,
I'm Soundarya, founder of unshackled.club. :)

I'm a founder, 2x author, and ex-product manager from Salesforce. I graduated from Columbia University with a master's in Management Sciences.

Honestly, I never dreamt of starting a community to help immigrants get talent visas. It happened because of an insane 2.5-year journey that I went through to get my O-1A visa as a solo founder.

By the end, I knew that if I had a community like this, it would have cut my time in half and made the journey less lonely - and a lot more enjoyable. That's why I built this.

The Team behind Unshackled

Soundarya Balasubramani
Founder & Author of
Unshackled
Disha Brara
Head of Sales,
unshackled.club
Bhuvan Shakthi
Sales & Operations Associate,
unshackled.club
Bhuvan Shakthi
Sales & Operations Associate,
unshackled.club
Mahantesh NG
Designer,
unshackled.club
Arjun Kamath
Community Head,
unshackled.club
Arjun Kamath
Community Head,
unshackled.club

Frequently asked questions

1. What's the cost of membership?

2. What are the benefits of membership?

3. Who is this community for, ideally?

4. How will this community help me in my O1A/EB1A/NIW journey?

5. What is the difference between the Student and Annual membership?

6. What is the selection criteria for the White-glove tier?

7. Why is there no monthly tier option?

8. Is this community entirely remote?

9. At what times will the weekly sessions be held?

10. What's your refund policy?

11. I have more questions.

Don’t waste your time and money trying to keep up with U.S. immigration.
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