The first thing my EB-1A had to explain was my field
Before my EB-1A petition could explain why I was extraordinary, it had to explain what field I was extraordinary in. That sounds obvious. It was not obvious to me at the start.
Topic
My Story
A collection of 5 issues
The 13-year timeline I drew before I wrote a word of my final merits section
Before I wrote my final merits section, I drew a timeline.
Not in a fancy tool. A list, in a Google Doc, by year, from 2011 to 2024.
For each year, one line for every concrete thing on record: a press piece, a launched program, a judging invitation, an award,
I had Forbes coverage from 12 years ago. Here's how I used it as EB-1A evidence.
In December 2011, Forbes ran an article called "Can't meet Eric Schmidt in Paris at LeWeb'11!? No Worries." It covered an event I had organized called the LeWeb Student Warm-up, held just before the main LeWeb conference in Paris. I was 22.
Seven months
I didn't think I was 'extraordinary' enough for EB-1A
When I first looked at EB-1A, I genuinely thought it wasn't for me.
"This is for Nobel Prize winners and unicorn founders."
"My profile is too weird: community, events, programs, some media... where does that even fit?"
"I don't have a
I published my full EB-1A petition. Here's what 50,000 people taught me.
A few months ago, I did something most immigration lawyers would call insane.
I published my entire EB-1A I-140 petition online. The full cover letter, all 40 exhibits, my reference letters, the supporting evidence. Everything exactly as USCIS received it, minus personal details and passport numbers.
Then I posted it