SiliconPath LawIf you have spent even ten minutes researching US immigration options, you have probably come across the EB-1A category and wondered whether it applies to you. The short answer is that thousands of professionals who never win a Nobel Prize or an Olympic medal qualify for EB-1A every year. The real question is not whether extraordinary ability visas exist for people like you, it is whether your specific achievements meet the standard USCIS looks for. This self assessment is designed to help you find out in about five minutes, without wading through pages of legal jargon first.
Take the Free EB-1A Eligibility TestDo You Qualify for EB-1A?
EB-1A is the employment-based first preference category for individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Unlike most other green card categories, it does not require a job offer, a labor certification, or an employer sponsor. You petition for yourself, based on your own record of achievement.
The catch is that USCIS holds this category to a genuinely high bar. You do not need to be famous, but you do need documented evidence that you are among the small percentage who have risen to the top of your field. That evidence usually comes from a mix of awards, publications, media coverage, judging experience, original contributions, memberships, leadership roles, or a high salary relative to your peers.
Most people asking “do I qualify for EB-1A” already sense they have accomplished something meaningful. What they lack is a clear framework for translating that accomplishment into the specific language USCIS evaluates. That is exactly what a self assessment does. It takes your career history and maps it against the actual legal criteria, so you get an honest read on your standing before you invest months into a full petition.
What Are the Minimum Requirements?
USCIS evaluates EB-1A petitions using ten possible criteria, laid out in the regulations at 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3). You do not need to meet all ten. You need to meet at least three, unless you have a single, internationally recognized, one-time achievement such as a major internationally recognized award.
The ten criteria are:
- Receipt of nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence
- Membership in associations that require outstanding achievement of their members
- Published material about you in professional or major trade publications or major media
- Evidence that you have judged the work of others in your field
- Original contributions of major significance to your field
- Authorship of scholarly articles in professional publications or major media
- Display of your work at artistic exhibitions or showcases
- Performance in a leading or critical role for organizations with a distinguished reputation
- Evidence of a high salary or remuneration compared to others in your field
- Commercial success in the performing arts
Meeting three criteria on paper is only the first step. USCIS then applies what is known as a final merits determination, essentially a second look at your entire petition to confirm that the evidence, taken as a whole, actually shows you have risen to the very top of your field on a sustained basis. This two-step process, sometimes called the Kazarian framework after the court case that shaped it, is why some petitioners who technically satisfy three criteria on a checklist still receive a denial. Quality and context matter as much as quantity.
This is precisely why an EB-1A criteria checklist alone rarely tells the full story. A proper self assessment digs into how strong your evidence is under each criterion, not just whether you can check a box.
Build Your EB-1A StrategyHow Does the Self Assessment Work?
Our EB-1A eligibility test was built to mirror the way an experienced immigration attorney would evaluate your case in an initial consultation, condensed into a guided online format you can complete in about five minutes.
Here is what happens when you take it. You answer a series of straightforward questions about your professional background: your field, your years of experience, your publications, awards, media coverage, salary, memberships, and leadership roles. There is no legal knowledge required on your end. The questions are written in plain language, and you answer based on what you have actually done, not what you think a lawyer wants to hear.
Behind the scenes, your answers are mapped against the ten regulatory criteria and weighted according to patterns we have seen across real, successfully filed EB-1A petitions. The tool then generates a personalized snapshot of where you stand: which criteria you likely satisfy, which ones are borderline and could be strengthened, and which ones are not yet supported by your current documentation.
This is not a pass or fail quiz. It is closer to an EB-1A quiz combined with a diagnostic report, giving you a realistic starting point instead of guesswork pulled from forum posts and outdated blog articles.
Speak With an EB-1A AttorneyWhat Should You Do If You Qualify?
If your self assessment results suggest you meet or are close to meeting the threshold, the next step is turning that potential into a filed petition, and that is where most of the real work happens. Meeting three criteria in theory and presenting them persuasively on paper are two very different things. Reference letters need to be substantive rather than generic. Evidence of original contributions needs context that shows significance, not just existence. Your overall narrative needs to tie every piece of evidence back to the same central story: that you are one of the small percentage who has risen to the top of your field.
This is the point where working with people who prepare EB-1A petitions regularly makes a measurable difference. If your assessment shows gaps, those gaps are often fixable with a bit of strategic planning, additional documentation, or a stronger framing of achievements you already have. If your assessment shows you are well positioned, the priority becomes building a petition that reflects that strength clearly and completely.
Either way, the self assessment gives you something concrete to act on instead of an abstract sense of “maybe I qualify.”
Identify Your Evidence GapsFAQs
Do I qualify for EB-1A?
You likely qualify if you can document at least three of the ten regulatory criteria, or if you hold a single major internationally recognized award. The strength and specificity of your evidence matters as much as the number of criteria you meet.
What are the minimum requirements for EB-1A?
At minimum, you need to satisfy three of the ten criteria defined in 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3), and your overall record needs to withstand USCIS’s final merits determination showing sustained recognition at the top of your field.
Can I check my EB-1A eligibility online?
Yes. A self assessment tool lets you answer questions about your career and instantly see how your background aligns with the EB-1A criteria, without needing to schedule a consultation first.
What happens after an EB-1A eligibility check?
If your results look promising, the typical next step is a deeper case evaluation and petition strategy session to identify how to present your strongest evidence and address any weaker criteria before filing.
Ready to Find Out Where You Stand?
Reading about the criteria is useful, but nothing replaces seeing your own results. Take the free EB-1A self assessment now and get a personalized snapshot of your eligibility in under five minutes. No legal jargon, no obligation, just a clear, honest picture of how your career measures up against the extraordinary ability standard.
Take the EB-1A Self-Assessment
The sooner you know where you stand, the sooner you can start building a petition that actually reflects your strengths.