EB-1A RFE and common denial reasons
An RFE is not a denial. It is the officer saying the record, as filed, does not yet prove the claim. Denials often follow the same holes if nobody closes them.
What an RFE is asking
USCIS already has your I-140. The officer is not asking you to start over. They are pointing at boxes that look claimed but not proven, or at a final-merits story that does not hold the whole file together. A NOID is more serious. A denial is a decision. Read the notice before you add more PDFs.
Patterns officers raise
The same gaps show up across fields. Closing them means independent exhibits, not a longer letter from a colleague.
- Awards that are internal, local, or given for participation
- Membership that only needs a fee or a job title
- Judging that was invited but never completed, or only an in-house hackathon
- Original contributions that read as job duties, or a patent with no use
- Scholarly articles with no independent reaction in the field
- A leading or critical role that is only a title
- Letters from coworkers with no exhibits attached
- Final merits: three weak boxes, everything from one employer, or acclaim that stopped years ago
Exhibits that often answer those points
Match the officer’s list. If they challenged judging, send the invitation and proof the review was finished. If they challenged original contributions, send independent use: citations, licenses, unaffiliated teams, a standard that names the work. Do not answer a significance question with another praise letter.
What this site can do
On a paid plan you can paste or upload RFE, NOID, or denial text. The report tags language that looks accepted versus challenged and maps it to the ten criteria. That is a planning aid for you and counsel. We do not draft or file a response. USCIS still decides the case.
Related: original contributions, judging, EB-1A for software engineers.
This is not a law firm and does not file petitions. USCIS decides each case on its own record.