EB-1A Approvals: Real Client Cases and What Helped Them

For each of the EB-1A success stories below, each client already had an extensive record of ability and accomplishments in their field. To these accomplished individuals, the hard part was mapping that portfolio in a way that would meet the extraordinary ability criteria outlined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Each case study below covers how the Manifest immigration attorney built the petition, and how the evidence was aligned with the EB-1A requirements.

Want to learn more about how the EB-1A works? Our full EB-1A guide breaks down the process, requirements, and how to know if you’re ready to apply.

Approved EB-1A examples from Manifest Law clients

These cases come from real Manifest Law clients approved for the EB-1A visa.

What does an approved EB-1A case look like for a startup founder?

• Field: Cryptocurrency and blockchain
• Attorney: Siel Timperman
• Outcome: EB-1A approved after a successful RFE response

This client founded several crypto and blockchain companies over more than a decade, and were already in the U.S. on an O-1 visa. Within this petition, venture funding across several companies was framed as recognition earned by the founder, in a field where fewer than 1% of founders raise money from institutions.

Despite the strength of the initial evidence, USCIS still issued an RFE. But instead of panicking, our client and Timperman worked together to build an RFE response that used the officer’s own conclusions as leverage. For example, the RFE had already accepted the client’s founding role at those ventures, and the response argued that the funding they attracted could not be split off from the client’s high salary.

What does an approved EB-1A case look like after a denial?

• Field: Product design for enterprise AI
• Attorney: David A. Santiago
• Outcome: EB-1A approved with no RFE

This client is a product designer and co-founder of a Y Combinator-backed enterprise AI company. Before they came to Manifest, they had tried to file Form I-140 with another law firm, and received a denial. That filing had thousands of pages and argued six criteria without naming a clear niche, which likely left the officer with too many doubts.

Our refile did the opposite of the client’s initial application. We reframed the field narrowly, dropped the weakest criterion and cut the vague evidence, including minor publications and thin reference letters. The reasoning? A strong argument for five criteria is harder to deny than a scattered argument for six.

What does an approved EB-1A case look like for a researcher?

• Field: Pharmaceutical statistical forecasting
• Attorney: Myron Morales
• Outcome: EB-1A approved after an RFE response, with only one criterion initially granted

This client, an H-1B holder born in India, builds systems that help drug makers predict supply shortages so medicines don’t run out. They self-filed their I-140 arguing five criteria, including judging the work of others. USCIS issued an RFE accepting only one: high salary. They hired Manifest Law for the RFE response alone.

In the RFE response, Morales and his client opened by explaining what the original petition never had: a clear definition of why their role mattered. In addition, the response used GitHub forks and star counts from the repository where the client published their framework, which helped prove that others were building on their work.

How do you prove extraordinary ability for an EB-1A?

USCIS lists 10 criteria and you need at least three. However, meeting the minimum is not the same as building a strong case.

Across the approvals above, three things recur:

• Third-party validation. Publications, citations, awards, media features, and leadership roles all showed that others in the field had already noticed the work.
• Demonstrated impact. The strongest cases name what the applicant’s work changed, whether a process, a product, an organization, or a field.
• A narrow field definition. Each petition defined the client’s specialty tightly enough that the officer compared them against the right peers.

Who qualifies for an EB-1A visa?

The EB-1A is one of the few Green Card options that requires no job offer or employer sponsorship. These are the kinds of professionals who often qualify:

• A medical researcher whose studies have been published in leading journals and cited around the world
• A founder who’s secured major funding rounds and built a startup with real market traction
• A professor with an international reputation, invited to speak, review, and collaborate with institutions worldwide
• A global executive who has directed operations and managed international teams for a major company
• A designer whose work has been featured in global exhibitions and shaped visual identities for top-tier brands
• A scientist with patents being used in commercial or academic settings
• A public policy expert whose work has influenced legislation or shaped large-scale social initiatives
• A technologist whose innovations in AI, robotics, or biotech have earned industry awards and press coverage

Partner with a legal team that knows EB-1A

All three clients above already had the record. What changed the outcome was the framing: a field defined narrowly enough that the officer compared them to the right peers, five well-argued criteria instead of six scattered ones, or an RFE response built out of the officer’s own findings.

Whether you’re filing for the first time, refiling after a denial, or sitting on an RFE that granted one criterion, a Manifest attorney can tell you which criteria your evidence genuinely supports.

Book a consultation to review your EB-1A case with an attorney.

FAQs about Manifest’s EB-1A success stories

Which EB-1A criteria are easiest to prove?

Four come up most often: original contributions of major significance, authorship of scholarly articles, judging the work of others, and critical or leading roles. Which are easiest depends on your background. A founder usually has the strongest case on critical roles, awards, and remuneration, while a researcher usually has it on authorship, judging, and citations. Difficulty is less about the criterion itself than about how well the evidence behind it is documented.

What achievements support an EB-1A?

Achievements other people in your field have already noticed. That covers awards and prizes, invited talks and peer review, patents in real use, publications with meaningful citation counts, press in outlets your industry reads, and pay well above the benchmark for your role. A single achievement rarely carries a case. A pattern of them, sustained over years, is what USCIS looks for.

How do you prepare evidence for an EB-1A petition?

Start by defining your field narrowly, then gather evidence that speaks to it. Every exhibit should answer two questions for a non-specialist officer. What did this person do, and how do we know it mattered? That usually means adding context to raw evidence. Pair a publication with the journal’s impact factor, or a pay stub with industry salary data. Letters work best when they name specific contributions instead of praising the applicant in general terms.

Can I get EB-1A without publications or awards?

Yes. Publications and awards are two of the ten criteria, not requirements. Founders, executives, and practitioners are often approved on critical roles, original contributions, high pay, selective memberships, and press coverage. Both the blockchain founder and the product designer above were approved without a research publication record.

What happens if my EB-1A petition gets an RFE or a denial?

An RFE is a request for more evidence, not a rejection. A denial does not bar you from filing again. Two of the three approvals above followed one or the other. The best responses answer the officer’s specific objections. They don’t resubmit a bigger version of the first petition.

Disclaimer. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it, or contacting Manifest Law through this site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes frequently, and the information here is current only as of the publication date. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This communication is attorney advertising.