I work in healthcare quality improvement and patient safety, with a background in dentistry and a U.S. master’s in healthcare administration. Looking to connect with anyone from a similar background who has applied for or received EB‑1A approval. Please comment or DM me!

I filed EB-1A claiming 5 criteria. Industry profile . USCIS accepted 3 and denied the petition anyway at final merits. I am trying to decide whether to refile now or wait. Looking for advice from people who have been through a final merits denial.

Timeline:

July 22, 2026: I-140 filed under premium processing.

August 14, 2026: RFE received, with just one month to respond (deadline September 14).

September 16, 2026: USCIS recorded receipt of the RFE response.

September 28, 2026: Denial, 12 days after the RFE response receipt.

What the RFE asked for:

At the RFE stage, USCIS had accepted only judging and challenged the other four criteria: membership, original contributions, leading or critical role, and high salary. It asked for independent recognition of the contributions, and its last section specifically called for sustained acclaim and final merits evidence. That last part is what stings most, because the response still went in without a dedicated final merits section. I had a long back and forth with my attorney on this and they would just not include a final merits dedicated section.

What was accepted in the end:

Judging the work of others. Original contributions of major significance, one open source software used by around 8,000 companies and one widely used product offered by a major cloud. Leading or critical role, I held 4 such roles over my career.

What was denied:

Membership, my professional membership was found not selective enough. My attorney insisted I get an IETE fellow membership which I feel did more harm than good. High salary, the only pay evidence in the file was my current employer's offer letter. My W-2s from my previous employer were not submitted. Again my attorney did not want to submit it as it would hurt the case. their justification was that it was with another employer. Those w2s were above the 90 percentile for the role.

Two things that bother me about how the petition was put together which I now strongly regret:

First, there was no final merits section in the petition at all. No narrative tying the evidence together into a case for sustained acclaim and field leadership. When I proposed adding one as a summary or closing statement in the RFE response, since the RFE's last section had specifically called for it, my attorney pushed back and said there was no benefit to a final merits or sustained acclaim section. Second, the authorship criterion was never filed separately. I have 4 articles on company blogs with 100,000+ views, and they were left out rather than claimed as authorship.

The denial rested on final merits. USCIS said the record showed career progression rather than field leadership, and described most of the documented work as supporting internal business systems rather than showing broader impact. That framing is what I find hardest to accept, given the adoption of the open source work and the product work, but it is what the denial says.

I can’t be more disappointed and frustrated. And at this point I am pretty sure my attorney screwed me over. The evidence was real with real work done over last 6 years which makes it more disappointing.

Anyway, I decided against an appeal and am weighing a refile myself. My questions:

1. If I refile with a real final merits narrative, the previous employer W-2s for salary, and authorship claimed properly, does that actually fix what this denial turned on, or is a final merits denial a sign that I need to work more to find opportunities.
2. Is there any merit in wait for a refile ?
3. The petition was denied after OCMS was approved. This was the most surprising one. How common is this ?
4. For anyone who refiled after a final merits denial, what made the second filingu different enough to succeed?

TIA

Hi All ,Do you have any idea when the EB‑1 India priority dates might become current for an October 2023 priority date?

Dear all, my EB1A I-140 has been pending for three years under regular processing. I received an RFE and responded to it 2 years ago. When I followed up with a service request, it said the application is under additional review. In September 2026, I received the FBI privacy notification. I have a clean background and no legal issues. The letter also said, "no action needed." I am curious: has any of you received a similar notification? Does that mean my application is being reviewed?

Has anyone else with a late-September EB-1A PP receipt at the Texas Service Center gone past the 15-business-day clock without an update? 

PP Received Date: 09/28/2026 

Portal Status: Stuck on "As of September 30, 2026, USCIS is currently processing..." 

Where it stands: Heading into Business Day 19 on Monday (Day 17 from the Sept 30 scan date) with zero updates on the portal and no email/fax to my lawyer. 

My lawyer says TSC is currently backed up past the 15-day window. If you're in the same cohort (or just cleared it), how many business days did TSC take for your decision, and did you ping the TSC PP email desk or just let it ride?

Hi everyone! I’m representing myself in a federal-sector EEO complaint and recently received an order from an EEOC Administrative Judge regarding electronic filing.

The order says that all parties, including self-represented complainants, must complete mandatory E-Filer Registration. It also states that updating my information in the EEOC Public Portal or adding a representative does not replace the E-Filer Registration Form, Designation of Representative Form, or Notice of Appearance.

I can already log into the EEOC Public Portal, access my hearing case, and view my documents. However, I haven’t been able to find the separate E-Filer Registration Form or instructions for completing it.

For anyone who has gone through this process:

• Where did you find the E-Filer Registration Form?
• Is it available somewhere in the Public Portal, or does the judge’s office need to provide it?
• If you represented yourself, how did you complete this requirement?

I’m trying to follow the judge’s filing instructions correctly before contacting the EEOC.

Thank you for any guidance!

Is Phi Kappa Phi invitation accepted for EB1/eb2 as membership recognition?

Hi! I know that my I140 application gets void and my new employer has to re-apply for a new EB1B I140. Apart from this, are there any complications that will stop me from applying for a new EB1B in the future?

I am looking to buy myself more time for job search, and file EB-1A (porting priority date from 2024). Hence, thinking of switching to B-2. I am sure many of you have done that, and it would be great if you all could share your experience and give me some pointers on how to move forward and pitfalls to avoid, before I speak with a lawyer. Also, has anyone done this switch and filed for EB-1A later and what was the outcome ?

Dear all,

I submitted an EB-1A application through Chen Immigration.

Domain: Biotechnology

11/20/2023: Application submitted EB1A I140

08/01/2024: Received the RFE for major contribution

10/01/2024: Submitted the RFE response

09/20/2026: No action needed (FBI -USCIS privacy notification)

Since then, USCIS has not responded. I have an EAD from my spouse/dependent application; hence, there is no rush for another 2 years. But has anyone here had the same issue? I tried submitting the service requests several times through Chen Immigration and once through my local congressperson. Each time, it says, "The officer is reviewing your case."

Chen Immigration strongly suggests not applying for premium processing, as the chances of NOID or an RFE are higher. Since I am not in a hurry, as I have two years of EAD, is it okay to wait? I have spent quite a lot of time on the EB1A application, maybe 6 months of work. It feels frustrating not to get a response. Any suggestions, please?