Understanding EB1 Criteria: Crafting a Strong Narrative for Extraordinary Ability

When applying for the EB1 visa, one must meet at least 3 out of the 10 listed criteria. While it's useful to review detailed explanations for each rule online, I believe the key to a successful application lies in building a clear personal narrative. You need to establish why you are extraordinary and then select the points that best fit this narrative.

Aligning Your Achievements with Your Narrative

For example, if someone has worked in the industry for 10 years and achieved notable results, it might not be the best choice to focus primarily on academic accomplishments. When evaluating a seasoned industry expert, it’s more natural to recognize their extraordinary abilities through their roles, the companies they've worked for, their salary, the impact of their products, influence in their industry, and any academic contributions they’ve made.

I came across a case where someone with 7-8 years of industry experience, over a dozen publications, and more than 600 citations was denied. The reason? It turned out that most of their academic work was co-authored, and their name was added as the nth author on many papers, particularly reviews. Despite impressive numbers, their narrative did not align with their actual professional role, and the immigration officer likely interpreted this as them lacking achievements in their primary job, resorting instead to "padding" their profile with irrelevant academic metrics.

A Case Study: Building the Right Persona

On the other hand, I saw a successful sample that was very inspiring. This individual had minimal citations and wasn’t particularly senior in a big tech company, yet they clearly outlined their salary, skills, awards, work accomplishments, and involvement in industry conferences. They also wrote papers outside of work and received recommendation letters from supervisors and colleagues that highlighted their professional performance.

After reading their petition, I was left with the impression that this was a highly proactive and well-rounded professional. Even though they weren’t a superstar, they were undeniably a strong candidate—a perfect fit for the role of a standout industry expert. Their narrative supported this, and they claimed five EB1 criteria: critical role, publications, judging, original contributions, and high salary.

For each of these criteria, they tailored their examples to fit the persona of a "valuable employee in a top tech company." For example, under judging, instead of the typical peer review of papers, they highlighted being asked to judge industry competitions and internal company contests, which aligned much better with their narrative. Their academic achievements, on the other hand, were briefly mentioned but not the main focus.