Updated USCIS Policy Guidance for First-Preference Immigrants

USCIS announced two updates for its policy guidelines for the criteria it requires and reviews for first-preference immigrants. Individuals who fall under the first-preference category are individuals of extraordinary ability and are considered outstanding in their field of practice.

The new policy guidelines from USCIS are as follows:

Clarifies that for the extraordinary ability and outstanding professor or researcher classifications,
“published material” about the person (or the person’s work in the case of an outstanding
professor or researcher) in professional or major trade publications or other major media need
not be a printed article; rather, a petitioner may submit more varied forms of evidence including
a transcript of audio or video coverage.

Clarifies that, in the extraordinary ability classification, a person may satisfy the leading or
critical role criterion through a qualifying role for a distinguished department or division in
addition to an entire organization or establishment.

For More Information:

View the original USCIS Policy Alert here.

This blog post does not serve as legal advice and does not establish any client-attorney privilege. Do not take any action based on the information contained in this post without consulting a qualified immigration attorney. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our legal team directly.

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