EB1-EA Green Card Details
The EB1-EA green card is for aliens of extraordinary ability engaged in the arts, sciences, business, education or athletics. No job offer or labor certification is required. An EB1-EA petition may be filed simultaneously with another green card application. One petition may be approved faster than the other and can offer additional protection if one petition should be denied while another is approved.
In order to qualify for the EB1-EA, the applicant must either have won a Nobel Prize OR show documentation in three (3) of the following areas:
Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence;
Membership in associations in the field that demand outstanding achievement of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts;
Published material about the foreign national in professional or major trade publications;
Evidence that the foreign national is a judge of the work of others in the same field;
Evidence of the foreign national’s original contributions of major significance to the field;
Authorship of scholarly articles;
Display of the the foreign national’s work at artistic exhibitions or showcases;
Evidence the foreign national has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations that have a distinguished reputation;
Evidence that the foreign national commands a high salary in relation to others in the same field; or
Evidence of commercial success in the performing arts
For whom is an EB1-EA Green Card appropriate?
Foreign nationals who have received either national and/or international acclaim for outstanding achievements in the field of Arts, Sciences, Education, Business or Athletics and their immediate family members.
What are the requirements for obtaining an EB1-EA Green Card?
Extraordinary ability means a level of expertise indicating that the individual is one of that small percentage who has risen to the top of his or her field of endeavor. To be considered as an foreign national with extraordinary ability, the foreign national in question must have sustained national or international acclaim in the field of science, art, education, business or athletics, which must be recognized in the form of extensive documentation. The foreign national must be seeking to enter the United States to continue work in the field, and the entry of such a foreign national must be deemed to substantially benefit prospectively the United States.
Although no offer of employment (including PERM labor certification) is required, for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability the foreign national must include with the petition convincing evidence that he/she is coming to the U.S. in order to continue work in the same area of expertise.