EB-1A: Extraordinary Ability

Eligibility is established either by a qualifying one-time achievement or by satisfying at least three of the regulatory criteria: awards, membership in associations requiring outstanding achievement, published material about you, judging the work of others, original contributions of major significance, authorship of scholarly articles, and several more.

Then the adjudicator steps back and asks a separate question: does the record as a whole establish sustained acclaim and demonstrate that you are among the small percentage at the very top of the field? That two-step structure is settled, and the second step is where most denials happen.

This is why a checklist approach fails. A petition can satisfy five criteria and still be denied at the final merits stage, and a petition satisfying exactly three can be approved comfortably. What separates them is whether the evidence, read together, tells a coherent story about standing in the field.

Yes. Citations are one way to show impact, but they're not required, and many successful EB-1A petitions have none.

USCIS looks at ten categories of evidence, and you generally need to meet at least three. They include awards, memberships in selective associations, media coverage about you and your work, judging the work of others, original contributions of major significance, a leading or critical role at a distinguished organization, and a high salary compared to others in your field.

Engineers, executives, founders, and other professionals often build their case around judging, critical roles, salary, and evidence that others use or rely on their work. The question isn't whether you have citations. It's whether your record shows you're at the top of your field.

It's considered the highest standard in employment-based immigration. It's meant for people who have risen to the very top of their field, and USCIS reviews it closely.

USCIS decides these cases in two steps, known as the Kazarian method. First, it checks whether you meet at least three of the ten evidence categories. Then it looks at the whole record and asks whether, taken together, it shows sustained national or international acclaim. Many petitions that pass the first step are denied at the second.

USCIS's own data reflects this. For the first three quarters of fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 through June 2026), USCIS approved 5,232 EB-1A petitions and denied 7,620, an approval rate of about 41% of decided cases. From April through June 2026, it was about 32%.

Keep in mind that an overall approval rate says very little about any individual case. The difficulty is less about any single accomplishment and more about how well the evidence fits together. If your record isn't there yet, an O-1A or NIW may be a better fit for now, with EB-1A later.

No. You can file from anywhere in the world.

If you're outside the U.S. when the petition is approved, you'll generally complete the process at a U.S. consulate abroad and enter the U.S. as a permanent resident. If you're in the U.S. in valid status, you may be able to apply for your green card here instead, without leaving.

Which path makes more sense depends on where you are, your current status, and the Visa Bulletin for your country.