Skip to main content

EB-1 Visa

EB-1 PROCESSING AND INFORMATION

The types of evidence submitted in support of your application fall into three categories: testimonial (reference letters that explain your achievements and their significance in your field), corroborating (copies of documentation that established your achievements, such as publications or awards), and cover letter explaining your eligibility for the petition seeking.

  1. PREPARING FOR TESTIMONIAL EVIDENCE
    1. Provide a list of referees with their contact information and brief description about how you know the referees.
    2. Letters of reference templates for each of your referees will be drafted by our office with the information you provide about your expertise and the reference.
    3. You provide information in the form of a “personal statement”, samples of which are attached. This statement is for our internal use only, and is not included in nor submitted with the petition. It is merely for our records, to provide significant details for us to draft letters.
    4. Note that this petition is not a peer-review process; therefore information provided should be comprehensible to the “average person”.
    5. Your personal statement should be provided in electronic format (visa email), with your most up-to-date CV attached, also in electronic format.
    6. Our office will draft 5 reference letter templates. Once these reference letters are drafted they will be sent to you to review for accuracy.
    7. Once the reference letters are finalized, we will send them to your referees, to be reviewed, printed on letterhead, and signed. We will advise your referees to attach their full CV to establish their credentials.

 

IMPORTANT! Selecting Appropriate Referees

  • Letter of reference convey the weight of your achievements.
  • Letter from prestigious institutions that make a stronger impact on your
  • Geographical and institutional diversity is important.
  • A referee should be an objective independent source: referee does not have to know you personally; it may be better if they only know you by your reputation.

 

  1. CORROBORATING DOCUMENTATION
    1. This documentation needs to be submitted to our office as hard copies, in addition to electronic files if available.
    2. This primary source documentation will corroborate the information detailed in your personal statement and in the letters.
    3. Your CV is not considered evidence. If something is important enough to be on your CV, you should provide us with the primary source evidence.
    4. Translations – Regulations require any document not submitted in English to be translated. Word-for-word translations of short documents are necessary.

*Translation should be attached to un-translated documents. We will advise you regarding longer documents, such as articles and manuscripts.

  1. Copies are always sufficient; we do not need originals.
  2. The more corroborating documentation the better, so send everything you can and we will sort through and decide what to use.
    • Examples:
      1. Degree/diploma certificates;
      2. Patents;
      3. Awards/Honors, including the criteria for the award or honors;
      4. Grant Applications/Awards, including the criteria for the grant or award;
      5. Professional memberships/criteria for membership;
      6. Publications;
      7. Publication citations;
      8. Abstract presentations;
      9. Evidence that you have served as a reviewer and/or judge of others’ work;
      10. Invitation letters and emails to professional meetings and memberships;
      11. Request for reprints;
      12. Media reports;
      13. Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field;
      14. Performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations; and
      15. Employment verification letter stating your current job title and annual salary if available.

Even if you do not have a document, please still include the information in your personal statement.

IMPORTANT! Preparing Corroborating Documentation

  1. PUBLICATIONS
    1. Provide copies of all first author & last (senior) author article (entire articles)
    2. For books authored or edited, full copies are not needed. Provide copies of the book’s title and the table of contents.
  1. Any documents not in English, must have a copy of the original version with attached certified translation (just an abstract and title).
  1. PRESENTATIONS
    1. Provide copies of all published abstracts.
    2. Provide copies of all conference proceedings, or conference brochure highlighting your presentation.
    3. Provide copies of emails or letters regarding acceptance, invitation, or appreciation.
    4. Any documents not in English, must have a copy of the original

version with attached certified translation (just an abstract and title).

 

  1. C. PUBLISHED MATERIALS ABOUT APPLICANT

Citations & reference to your work/findings; acknowledgements to you or your work; websites discussing your work; press releases about your work; discussion of your work in the media; newspaper articles about you or your work; and newsletters mentioning you and your contribution to the field.

  1. Provide copies of any material notes above.
  2. Highlight where you or your work is referenced/discussed.
  3. Include printouts from websites that discuss you/your work.
  4. Citations:
    • For each of your publications, provide a complete official list of citations to your work. These lists should be directly printed out from an official search engine (e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, SciFinder, and etc.) Provide a separate list for each publication, which refers to that publication, shows the total number of citations to that publication, and lists the title of each citing article.
    • Highlight where in the article it discusses your work, and where your name is listed.

 

  1. D. LEADING AND CRITICAL ROLES (EMPLOYMENT HISTORY)
  1. Appointment letters/emails;
  2. Copies of Contracts;
  3. Offer letters.

 

  1. E. JUDGE OF THE WORK OF OTHERS

Manuscript/peer reviewer/grant reviewer; review articles/textbook chapters; editorials/letters to the editor; moderator/chair of presentations/panels, advisory boards/committees; or seat on editorial board.

 

IMPORTANT! Documentation:

  • Emails/letters acknowledging role;
  • Copies of editorials/chapters/reviews noting authorship;
  • For textbooks, do not provide the entire book. Provide the table of contents and your chapter/article;
  • Website printouts noting your role/title/position;
  • Excerpt from conference brochure noting position as moderator, etc.
  1. HONORS AND AWARDS
    1. Provide selection criteria/process for selection
  • What was the basis for the award?
  • What entity granted the award?
  • With whom were you in competition?
  • How many of such awards were granted?
  • Any publicity for the award?
  1. Example of Awards
  • Research funding in your name;
  • Travel grants to attend or present at conference;
  • Best presentation/poster;

IMPORTANT! Documentation:

  • Copies of the award, copies of selection criteria;
  • Copies of the grant, listing you as an investigator;
  • Copies of patent submissions/awards;
  • Copies of publicity for the award.
  1. MEMBERSHIP IN SOCIETIES THAT REQUIRE A LEVEL OF ACHIEVEVEMENT; SOCIETIES THAT REQUIRE MORE THAN PAYING A FEE.
    1. Academic honor societies;
    2. Certifying societies;
    3. Societies that require nomination and/or election consider:
  • What are the criteria for obtaining membership?
  • What is the selection process?
  • How many members does the society have?

IMPORTANT! Documentation:

  • Proof of membership.
  • Copy of blank application used to apply for the membership
  • Documentation of membership criteria (from website).

 

  • PROCESS FOR PREPARING COVER LETTER
    1. Letters of cover letter will be drafted by our office according to the information you provide about your expertise.
    2. Once the cover letter is drafted, it will be sent to you to review for accuracy.

If you would like further information about specific case scenarios or situations, please call our office or email us at ckuck@immigration.net to speak to one of our experienced immigration attorneys.

DISCLAIMER: The confidential information provided in this memorandum is for information purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. This information is not intended to create an attorney-client or other relationship between Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC and the recipient. The reader should consult with an immigration attorney before acting in reliance on any such information.