The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has shared some changes to the rules for the EB-1 visa. This visa helps talented people move to the United States more easily.
Recent news from TravelBiz says these changes make it simpler to prove someone’s “extraordinary ability”, and they are already happening.
The new rules will help people who work in science, arts, teaching, business, and sports.
The EB-1 visa, sometimes called the Extraordinary Ability Green Card, is for people from other countries with amazing skills. It helps them get a green card faster if they can show they’ve done great work in their jobs. Their husbands, wives, and kids can also get benefits from this visa.
Recognizing Team Successes
One big change is that the new rules now give more credit to team achievements. Before, the focus was mostly on what each person did by themselves.
Now, USCIS understands that many important things happen because people work together. So, if a group wins an award or does something great together, that counts as proof of someone’s special talent.
For example, if someone helped create prize-winning software or AI, they can now include these team awards in their EB-1 applications. Athletes on winning teams and scientists part of well-known projects find it easier to prove their talent with these new rules.
Just like before, showing you helped with award-winning research or made new technology as part of a team also proves you have extraordinary skills.
This change is good for engineers, scientists, and athletes who do great work with their teams.
How to Apply and the Costs
If you want to apply for the EB-1 visa, you need to fill out a form called I-140, the Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers. This costs $700 (about ₹58,779).
- People applying under the EB-1A category can apply for themselves. They have to pay this fee, but sometimes the company that wants to hire them pays it for other categories.
- The updates to the EB-1 visa rules mean that teamwork is now more recognized for skilled people.
- By including team awards, the rules now match how many jobs work today—where team efforts lead to success—and open doors for more people to apply.
- This approach helps engineers, athletes, and researchers use their teamwork experiences to get the visa.
These changes might make the immigration process kinder, inviting amazing people from different fields to come to the U.S. and contribute their talents to society.