EB-1A Criteria Deep-Dives
The ten evidentiary categories, analyzed one at a time.
What each Kazarian criterion requires, the strong and weak evidence we see most often, and the RFE patterns that show up.
EB-1A Criterion: Prizes and Awards
A working analysis of how the awards criterion is read in current adjudications, what officers tend to credit, and where petitioners most often run into trouble.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Membership in Associations Requiring Outstanding Achievement
A working analysis of how the membership criterion is read in current adjudications, why most professional society memberships fail it, and what officers look for in the bylaws.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Published Material About You
A working analysis of how the published-material criterion is read, why it is media coverage of the petitioner rather than by the petitioner, and what officers expect from the publication and the article.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Judging the Work of Others
A working analysis of how the judging criterion is read, what counts as judging the work of others, and the documentation officers expect.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Original Contributions of Major Significance
A working analysis of the load-bearing EB-1A criterion: what officers credit as original, what "major significance" has come to mean in current adjudications, and the RFE patterns that have multiplied around this criterion in recent cycles.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Authorship of Scholarly Articles
A working analysis of how the scholarly-articles criterion is read, what counts as scholarly publication across disciplines, and the RFE patterns around industry venues, preprints, and authorship position.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Display of Work at Artistic Exhibitions or Showcases
How USCIS evaluates evidence that a petitioner's work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(vii).
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Leading or Critical Role in a Distinguished Organization
How USCIS evaluates evidence that a petitioner has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations or establishments with a distinguished reputation under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(viii).
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: High Salary or Remuneration
How USCIS evaluates evidence that a petitioner has commanded a high salary or significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(ix).
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Commercial Success in the Performing Arts
How USCIS evaluates evidence of commercial success in the performing arts under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(x), the narrowest of the regulatory criteria.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Final Merits Determination
Why meeting three regulatory criteria is not the end of the analysis, and how USCIS conducts the discretionary final merits review under Kazarian v. USCIS.
Read moreEB-1A Criterion: Comparable Evidence
How USCIS evaluates comparable evidence for fields where the regulatory criteria do not readily apply, under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(4).
Read moreOther EB-1A Resources
By Profession
How researchers, executives, founders, and other professions build their EB-1A case.
ExploreBy Country of Origin
Country-specific guidance on building credentials and navigating consular processing.
ExploreScenarios
Real-world EB-1A situations: career stage, prior denials, dual filings, and more.
ExploreEB-1A vs. Other Visas
Side-by-side comparisons against O-1, NIW, EB-1B, and other paths.
ExploreRFE Encyclopedia
Decode the stock phrases USCIS uses in Requests for Evidence — what each means, the governing standard, and the authority behind it.
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Immigration counsel to Fortune 500 employers at a national firm · Adjudicated 12,000+ visas at the U.S. Consulate, Mexico · Working in U.S. immigration since 2008
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