Merit-based · document checklist
EB-1A document checklist
EB-1A requires sustained national or international acclaim. Absent a one-time major award, the petition must satisfy at least three of ten regulatory criteria at step one, after which USCIS conducts a final merits determination on the totality of the evidence at step two. The two-step structure is what makes EB-1A packets so large: the same exhibit often supports several criteria and then has to be re-argued in the final merits section.
Governing standard
Kazarian two-step review against ten regulatory criteria
8 CFR 204.5(h)(3); Kazarian v. USCIS, 596 F.3d 1115 (9th Cir. 2010)
Top RFE trigger: Final merits determination not argued separately from the three-criteria threshold
Criteria and evidence mapping- Documents listed
- 10
- Always required
- 8
- Median exhibit pages
- 610
- Initial RFE rate
- 28.4%
The checklist
Grouped by the purpose each document serves.
Documents marked as always required belong in every filing of this type. The rest apply where the fact pattern calls for them.
Identity and eligibility
3 required of 3
Passport and I-94
Full travel history for status continuity
Curriculum vitae
Reconciled against every exhibit — dates and titles must match
Form I-140 draft
Preference category and priority date fields verified
Criteria evidence
3 required of 4
Criterion evidence bundle (min. 3 criteria)
Each criterion tabbed as its own second-tier exhibit
Independent expert letters
Six to ten, with signed CVs as sub-exhibits
Citation and impact report
With capture date and self-citation exclusion stated
Media coverage with translationswhere applicable
Title, date, author and outlet significance for each
Final merits and intent
2 required of 3
Statement of intent to continue work in the field
Signed by the beneficiary
Prospective work evidence
Offer letters, contracts, funding or business plan
Comparative eminence evidencewhere applicable
Where the beneficiary sits relative to the field
This page prints cleanly — use it as a client-facing document request list.
Failure modes
What draws a request on a EB-1A.
Having every document on the list is necessary and not sufficient. These are the structural problems that produce requests even when the evidence is present.
Full RFE trends hub- Exhibits stacked under a criterion without argument on why they satisfy it
- Reliance on citation counts alone for original contributions of major significance
- Expert letters from co-authors or direct collaborators presented as independent
- No separate final merits determination section in the cover letter
- Media exhibits with no evidence of the outlet's circulation or significance
Also merit-based
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