EB-1A original contribution criterion
This is often the heart of a sciences or business file. USCIS wants proof the field, not only your employer, treated the work as significant.
What the regulation asks
8 C.F.R. 204.5(h)(3)(v) is original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance. Two parts. The work has to be original. It also has to matter beyond your team. A hard job done well is not enough.
What usually holds up
Independent people used, licensed, cited, or standardized the work. Letters can explain those facts. Letters cannot replace them.
- Independent citations and downstream papers that use the method
- A license, product, or protocol adopted outside your employer
- A standard, guideline, or textbook that names the contribution
- Press or trade coverage about the contribution, not a hiring announcement
- Unrelated labs or companies that implemented it without you on payroll
What usually does not
A feature the company shipped. A patent with no use. A protocol used only inside one hospital. Open source with stars and no independent write-up of significance. A letter that says “major contribution” and points to no exhibit.
How this site scores it
The free check looks for claim versus proof on this box. A resume line is a claim. An exhibit from someone independent is proof. On this site, 70 or above is treated as met for planning. USCIS does not grade 0 to 100. Meeting this box is still only Step 1. Final merits asks whether the whole record shows sustained acclaim.
Related: judging, EB-1A for software engineers, RFE notes.
This is not a law firm and does not file petitions. USCIS decides each case on its own record.