Self-petition for a U.S. Green Card as an individual with extraordinary ability — no employer sponsor, no PERM required. Attorney Shair builds compelling EB-1A petitions for scientists, researchers, executives, artists, and athletes.
You may have significant achievements in your field, but EB-1A eligibility depends on how those achievements align with USCIS requirements.
Attorney Mohammad Shair reviews your professional record to determine where your strongest EB-1A arguments may be and where additional evidence may be needed. Your evaluation can include your publications and citations, awards, media recognition, judging experience, original contributions, leadership roles, compensation, memberships, and other achievements relevant to your field.
The goal is to understand the strength of your case before you commit to filing.
If your profile supports EB-1A, Attorney Shair can develop a petition strategy around the strongest parts of your record. If another employment-based pathway may fit your circumstances better, he can explain those options so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
The EB-1A immigrant visa category — the first preference employment-based category — is available to individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. It is a self-petition category: no employer sponsor, no job offer, and no PERM labor certification are required. You petition on your own behalf by demonstrating that you have sustained national or international acclaim and that your achievements have been recognized in the field through extensive documentation.
To qualify, you must demonstrate extraordinary ability by meeting at least 3 of 10 regulatory criteria established by USCIS — and then satisfy a final merits determination showing that your evidence, taken as a whole, establishes you as one of the small percentage at the very top of your field. Under Matter of Kazarian, USCIS applies this two-step analysis to every EB-1A petition.
"EB-1A is the gold standard of employment-based immigration — and building a winning petition requires more than strong evidence. It requires a compelling legal argument that connects your achievements to the regulatory standard. That is Attorney Shair's specialty."
USCIS has established 10 regulatory criteria for EB-1A. You must demonstrate you meet at least 3 — then satisfy the final merits determination showing sustained national or international acclaim.
Meeting three EB-1A criteria is an important threshold, but your case does not end there.
USCIS also considers your evidence as a whole when determining whether your record demonstrates sustained national or international acclaim and places you among the small percentage at the top of your field.
That means the strength of your petition depends not only on what you have accomplished, but also on how clearly those accomplishments can be documented and connected to the EB-1A standard.
Attorney Shair works with you to identify the strongest parts of your professional record and build a petition in which the evidence supports a clear legal argument for your eligibility.
Your strongest EB-1A evidence may not always be the achievement that appears most impressive on your résumé.
A publication record may become more significant when supported by citations and evidence of influence in the field. A leadership position may carry more weight when the reputation of the organization and the importance of your role are properly documented. An award may require evidence showing why it is nationally or internationally recognized.
Attorney Shair evaluates your achievements in the context of the EB-1A criteria and identifies the evidence that can best support each argument.
This gives you a clearer picture of where your case is strong, where additional documentation may help, and whether your overall record is ready for an EB-1A petition.
You do not need to make every EB-1A criterion fit your profile.
Your petition should focus on the criteria that your actual professional record can support with credible evidence.
Attorney Shair works with you to gather and organize documentation relevant to those criteria. Depending on your background, that can include citation records, peer-review activity, media coverage, award documentation, salary comparisons, evidence of original contributions, organizational records, and expert recommendation letters.
Each piece of evidence should have a purpose: helping USCIS understand not simply what you have done, but why those achievements matter within your field.
Qualifying under at least three regulatory criteria does not automatically establish EB-1A eligibility.
After reviewing the individual criteria, USCIS considers the record as a whole through the final merits determination.
Attorney Shair prepares your petition with both stages of the analysis in mind. Rather than treating each criterion as an isolated checklist item, he connects the evidence across your case to demonstrate the broader significance, recognition, and impact of your work.
This is particularly important for accomplished applicants whose expertise may be highly technical or whose influence is clear within their profession but may not be immediately obvious to someone outside the field.
Your petition needs to make that significance understandable and support it with evidence.
Not every piece of evidence carries the same weight, and USCIS may question whether particular achievements actually satisfy the criterion being claimed.
Before filing, Attorney Shair can identify areas of your case that may require stronger documentation or explanation.
For example, USCIS may look closely at whether an award is sufficiently recognized, whether a contribution is truly of major significance, whether a leadership role was critical to a distinguished organization, or whether published material actually focuses on you and your work.
Identifying these issues before filing gives you an opportunity to strengthen the record rather than waiting for USCIS to raise the question.
An RFE or Notice of Intent to Deny does not automatically end your EB-1A case, but it requires a focused response to the specific concerns USCIS has raised.
Attorney Shair can review the notice against your original petition, determine which criteria or final-merits arguments USCIS is challenging, and develop a response supported by additional evidence and legal analysis where appropriate.
The response should address the government's questions directly rather than simply resubmitting the same evidence in greater volume.
If you have already received an RFE or NOID on an EB-1A petition, Attorney Shair can review your filing and the USCIS notice to help you understand what needs to be addressed before the response deadline.
If you are considering an EB-1A Green Card in Tampa or elsewhere in Florida, Attorney Mohammad Shair can evaluate your professional profile and help you determine whether your record supports an extraordinary ability petition.
Shair Legal also represents EB-1A clients nationwide. Because EB-1A is a federal immigration matter, you can work directly with Attorney Shair even if you live outside Florida.
There is no single résumé, job title, citation count, salary, or achievement that automatically determines EB-1A eligibility. Attorney Shair can evaluate your record against the regulatory criteria and the final merits standard to identify the strengths and potential weaknesses of your case.
Not necessarily. Meeting at least three of the regulatory criteria satisfies the first stage of the EB-1A analysis. USCIS then considers the evidence as a whole to determine whether you have demonstrated sustained national or international acclaim and risen to the top of your field.
Media coverage is only one of the EB-1A criteria. Your case may rely on other applicable criteria depending on your professional record. Attorney Shair can evaluate which criteria your existing achievements can support rather than trying to force your case into evidence categories that do not fit.
Recommendation letters can help explain the significance and impact of your work, particularly when independent experts can provide context that is not obvious from the underlying documents alone. Their value depends on the circumstances of your case and how they support the broader evidentiary record.
That depends on the current strength of your evidence. In some cases, the record may already support a petition. In others, additional documentation or professional developments could strengthen important parts of the case. Attorney Shair can evaluate your current profile and help you understand whether filing now or developing the record further may be the better strategy.
If USCIS issues an RFE or NOID, Attorney Shair can review the specific concerns, determine what additional evidence or legal argument may address them, and prepare a response focused on the challenged parts of your petition.
Yes. Attorney Shair is based in Florida and provides EB-1A and other federal immigration representation to clients nationwide.
EB-1A petitions succeed or fail on the quality of the legal brief and the strength of the evidentiary presentation. Attorney Shair has deep experience analyzing EB-1A profiles across multiple fields — from STEM researchers and professors to business executives and performing artists. He knows what USCIS officers look for, how to frame evidence to satisfy the final merits determination, and how to respond to RFEs that challenge specific criteria.
Attorney Shair evaluates your profile against all 10 EB-1A criteria and builds the strongest possible petition — free consultation, no obligation.