EB-1A Eligibility Checker
Free EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Eligibility Assessment
Wondering whether your achievements and background may align with the EB-1A extraordinary ability criteria? Use this free preliminary assessment to review evidence areas commonly considered in EB-1A cases.
Built for students, researchers, PhD students, engineers, technology professionals, founders, academics, professors, scientists, artists, and other professionals.
EB-1A Evidence Assessment Tool
What Is EB-1A?
EB-1A is an employment-based immigrant visa category for individuals who can demonstrate extraordinary ability in areas such as the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics through sustained national or international acclaim. It is part of the EB-1 first-preference employment-based green card category.
Unlike most employment-based categories, EB-1A allows self-petitioning — you do not need a sponsoring employer. Applicants typically present evidence across several regulatory criteria, such as nationally or internationally recognized awards, published material about their work, judging the work of others, original contributions of major significance, scholarly articles, leading or critical roles, and high remuneration. USCIS then evaluates the overall record, including a final merits determination, to decide whether the applicant has achieved sustained national or international acclaim.
How Does the EB-1A Assessment Work?
This free tool reviews the 10 common EB-1A evidence categories and provides a preliminary informational score based on your self-reported answers. Each applicable criterion is scored Yes = 10 points, Not Sure = 5 points, and No = 0 points. Not Applicable areas are excluded from the score and are not counted as negative answers. The maximum score is 100 when all 10 criteria are applicable.
Your responses also highlight which evidence areas you marked Yes, which you were unsure about, and which may need further development — a useful starting point before gathering documentation or consulting an immigration attorney.
Important: A score does not determine legal eligibility or guarantee approval. USCIS evaluates the evidence submitted, the quality of documentation, and the overall record — including the final merits determination — before deciding any EB-1A petition. This assessment is informational only.