Employment & work visasPOLICY UPDATE
Evaluating Eligibility for Extraordinary Ability and Outstanding Professor or Researcher Visa Classifications
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify how USCIS evaluates evidence to determine eligibility for extraordinary ability and outstanding professor or researcher first preference employment-based immigrant visa classifications.
Effective date and application
This guidance, contained in Volume 6 of the Policy Manual, is effective immediately
Key changes
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify how USCIS evaluates evidence to determine eligibility for extraordinary ability and outstanding professor or researcher first preference employment-based immigrant visa classifications.
- Adds clarifying guidance describing examples of evidence that may satisfy the relevant evidentiary criteria or qualify as comparable evidence, as well as considerations for evaluating
- Clarifies how officers evaluate the totality of the evidence to determine eligibility for E11 extraordinary ability and E12 outstanding professor or researcher petitions and provides examples of positive factors that officers may consider.
