r/eb_1a

Today is business day 16 of premium processing for our EB-1A I-140 petition. I was expecting either an approval or an RFE, but I hadn’t anticipated a delay with no update.
Is anyone else in the same situation? How many business days have you been waiting? If you eventually received a response after the deadline, how long did it take?

My EB1A case initial petition was submitted with 3 criteria, in premium processing. Received RFE with 1 criteria accepted. RFE response submitted with 5 Recommendation letters and strong evidence for a total of 5 criteria. 1 criteria was accepted and rest others were denied. Case has been denied.

Attorney suggested to refile the case. Please advise.

Speeding ticket while I-485 is pending — should I update USCIS?

Hi everyone,
My employment-based I-485 has been pending for a little over 6 months. I have a completely clean record — no previous speeding tickets, traffic citations, arrests, or any other legal issues.

Unfortunately, I recently received my first speeding ticket. It is a straightforward speeding infraction, with no other charges or violations involved. It is a prepayable citation, and I plan to pay the fine online rather than contest it. The citation currently appears on the district court’s online case search.

My question is what I should do after paying the ticket given that my I-485 is already pending.
I believe my interview is likely to be waived because this is an employment-based I-485 and my case is currently sitting at a non-local field office, so I may not have an opportunity to simply disclose this at an interview.

Should I proactively submit an update to USCIS, such as:
A copy of the speeding citation
Proof/receipt showing that the fine was paid
A short letter/addendum explaining that I recently received a speeding citation, that I have paid the fine, and that there were no other charges or infractions
Or is this something that I should simply keep documentation for and disclose if USCIS asks about it or issues an RFE?

I’m specifically wondering about the procedure for updating USCIS when the citation occurs after the I-485 was filed.

Has anyone been in this exact situation — especially with an employment-based I-485 already pending and no interview expected — and can share what you did and what happened afterward?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I just missed my DOF PD by a few days to file for I-485 against the October VB. I would like to understand if there are any realistic chances to file before Jan 2027 as I have to plan for something important accordingly. Extending the question, is it realistically possible for FAD to become current before Jan 2028? Thanks everyone for your insights.

My receipt date is Sept 11 and uscis is processing since Sept 14. No update after that. Any one else in the same boat.

IInitially filed under regular processing in March, then upgraded to PP on Sept 4. As of today, it’s been over 20 business days with no response. My attorney’s office hasn’t received a decision or RFE either.
I’m from one of the 39 restricted countries. My attorney sent a follow up email Friday, but no reply yet.

Has anyone experienced something similar at TSC? How long did it take, and any idea what this might mean?

What strategies are people using to prove high salary criteria, specially when you have huge bonus and RSU payouts?

I am in a situation where my base salary is below BLS 90p but my base+bonus and base+bonus+equity is significantly higher.

Looking for suggestions on how best to present this criteria.

Also any recommendations on tools/reports/services you’ve used for generating personalized data backed salary comparison reports?

Hi everyone,

I’m a PhD researcher with U.S. postdoctoral experience, working on quantum algorithms, mainly for optimization and scientific computing. I’m considering preparing an EB-1A petition myself and would appreciate feedback from people with similar research profiles.

I already have an approved EB-2 NIW and attorney-prepared materials from that case. I understand that the EB-1A argument would need to be developed separately.

My approximate profile, with ranges used for privacy:

• 8–10 peer-reviewed journal/conference papers, including several first-author papers.
• Another 8–10 preprints, counted separately.
• 100–150 total Google Scholar citations.
• Approximately 20 peer reviews in an earlier tally; I’m updating my complete review record.
• An independent research group used a method from my work in its subsequent algorithm research. I have both the relevant paper passages and a signed letter explaining how the method contributed to their research.

I’m considering scholarly authorship, judging, and original contributions of major significance as the three criteria.

Attorney feedback has been mixed: some firms declined based on my publication/citation record, while another offered drafting help. My main concern is whether the independent-use evidence is strong enough to support original contributions and final merits at my current citation level.

For researchers who have gone through this:

1. Would you consider preparing to file now, or strengthen the impact evidence first?
2. What evidence beyond citation totals helped demonstrate the significance of theoretical or algorithmic work?
3. How much of an existing NIW packet was reusable?
4. Was DIY preparation followed by a substantive attorney review worthwhile?

I’d appreciate firsthand experiences, including RFEs or denials and what you learned from them.

Hi all, I'd like some honest opinions before I commit.

I'm a physician-scientist working in clinical outcomes research in bariatric and metabolic surgery at a large academic hospital outside the US. I filed my EB-2 NIW with Chen Immigration and it's pending. I asked them to evaluate me for EB-1A and they said I have a viable case based on three criteria. Still, with how strict adjudication has become lately and how high the EB-1A bar already is, I want a reality check before spending the money.

Judging the work of others:

• 122 peer reviews for PubMed-indexed journals, each documented with the invitation email and the thank-you email confirming completion

Scholarly articles:

• 115+ peer-reviewed publications, 31 as first author
• 7 book chapters, 2 as first author

Original contributions of major significance:

• 1,143 citations
• Findings incorporated into clinical practice guidance: the IFSO 2024 position statement (international) and ASMBS guidance (US national society)
• Work cited in several Level I meta-analyses

Their proposal:

• Approval or Refund service, with a discounted fee since I'm a returning client: $5,000 reusing my NIW letters, $5,300 with 2 new letters, or $5,600 with 4 new letters

My questions:

1. Given current adjudication trends, is relying on exactly 3 criteria too risky, especially since original contribution is usually the one that gets challenged?
2. Does my profile realistically clear the final merits determination, or would I be borderline?
3. For those who used Chen's Approval or Refund for EB-1A, how did it go, especially with RFEs?

Thanks in advance, I'd really value hearing from people who've been through this.

Guys I need you suggestions. I have applied for EB1A I-140 alone on Sep 2025. My PD EB2-NIW is December 2023. I have H1b only till May 2027 and employer cannot extend it. Should I file a Premium processing? Molecular biology Researcher with 500 + citations and 25 papers.

Same as title

Hey everyone ,
I am preparing to file EB-1A, working in tech at a large company. For those approved (or RFE'd) on critical/leading role:

- What documents did you include besides letters?
- What level were your letter writers, and did any come from outside your company?
- How did you show org-wide impact, not just team/project impact?
- Anything your officer rejected or called weak?

Real experiences appreciated, will report back after my decision.

Long-time lurker here. Thought I’d share my experience and some data points to help the community.

First-time EB-1A filer. My approval email came from the Texas Service Center, and my case was approved in 14 business days from filing (PD 9/16).

I’m a musician currently on my second O-1 visa. I used the same attorney who handled my first O-1, and we spent about six months preparing the EB-1A petition. A lot of the materials from my previous O-1 filings were reused, updated, and refined for the EB-1A.

Happy to answer any questions about my experience, as long as they don’t require me to share too much personal information. Unfortunately, I can’t share my attorney’s information.

Good luck to everyone waiting on their cases!