Can recommendation letters come from people on my own team?

They can, but they tend to carry less weight. In the O-1, recommendation letters help establish recognition of your work, and the strongest ones come from independent authorities who are well-regarded in your field and can vouch for your achievements with impartiality.

A letter written by someone directly connected to your team is not automatically disqualified, but the professional relationship may be read as a lack of independence, which weakens the testimony. The ideal approach is to strike a balance: recommenders from outside your immediate circle, with no direct ties to you, tend to lend greater credibility to the overall package.

• Prioritize recognized, independent experts in your field.
• Letters from team members can serve as a complement, not as the foundation.
• What matters most is the authority and objectivity of the person signing.

Each petition is evaluated individually by USCIS, so it is worth assembling your letter package carefully and verifying the latest guidance from the official source or with a qualified professional before filing.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.