EB1A : Membership and showcase criteria

[gcpursuit]

Hello All,

I am researching into Eb1A category and have questions about the following two criteria :

1. Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members

-- I understand that all associations don't qualify for this. But if an association requires that you should be licensed ( Professional Engineer license in my case), does that qualify for this criteria?

2. Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases
-- What do they mean by this? Is this something like conference proceedings?

Any insights appreciated.

Thanks !!

[Spectator]

Comments inline.

Hello All,

I am researching into Eb1A category and have questions about the following two criteria :

1. Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members

-- I understand that all associations don't qualify for this. But if an association requires that you should be licensed ( Professional Engineer license in my case), does that qualify for this criteria?

USCIS are looking for a level of Membership that is only awarded to those people who have risen to the top of their field and are internationally recognized.

Memberships that merely require licensing would not qualify, since I imagine all Engineers have to be licensed to carry out their employment.

Typically, being elected as a Fellow of an association would qualify. Generally, ordinary Membership falls far short of the the level expected, even if that requires nomination.

If you look in the bylaws or Membership descriptions of the Society, you should be able to judge which level of Membership might qualify under this criterion.

Generally, this is one of the hardest criteria to satisfy, since it has a very high bar.

That's not to say a Membership should not be mentioned - just not necessarily trying to fulfill the Membership criterion.

2. Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases
-- What do they mean by this? Is this something like conference proceedings?

This criteria is for use by those applying under EB1A of a more artistic nature. Generally, it isn't used by those applying with harder scientific type skills. It certainly is not suitable for conference proceedings. You would show those where people might more normally highlight peer reviewed scientific journal publications.

Any insights appreciated.

My best thoughts from what i have seen elsewhere.

Thanks !!

[gcpursuit]

Spec,

Thanks for your inputs.

I am looking into an academy called AAWRE ( American Academy of Water Resources Engineers ) which comes under American Society of Civil engineer and am trying to see if I qualify for the Diplomate certification. To become a part of this academy, I have to undergo a review process which consists of a oral interview process. The number of people who have earned the Diplomate credential is < 1000 ( as far as I know ). Do you think this qualifies for the "distinguished" membership criteria.

Some FAQs on this (Sorry for so much info ) :

What is Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE)?
Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE) credential is a voluntary, post-license credential that provides recognition of advanced expertise in a specialty discipline of water resources engineering, advanced professional experience, strong ethics and a commitment to life-long learning and continuing professional development. To view current Diplomate roster.

What are the benefits of D.WRE?
D.WRE is a certification of recognition beyond licensure recognized by clients, employers, peers and the public.
D.WRE gives you recognition as a leader in the field of water resources engineering.
D.WRE demonstrates mastery of a specialty(s) within the broad field of water resources engineering and commitment to stay up to date on new technological innovations.
D.WRE demonstrates a strong commitment to professionalism through ethics and continuing professional development requirements.
D.WRE adheres to and supports AAWRE mission to elevate the level of standards in civil engineering.
What are the requirements to apply for D.WRE?
Licensure as a Professional Engineer (P.E.) in U.S. or foreign equivalent if outside U.S. territories.
A minimum of at least 10 years of professional work experience in an aspect(s) of water resources engineering.
A bachelors degree plus either a masters or doctoral degree or at least 30 hours in advanced/masters level curriculum.
Strong professional ethics.

Thanks!

[Spectator]

That's a difficult one which I'm not sure I can answer. I am going to give the least positive interpretation, because I think that will be more helpful in your decision making. I am therefore answering as if I was the "ISO from Hell" at USCIS.

I'm somewhat aware of Diplomate in other fields, but only very peripherally.

I don't know anything about Water Resources (interesting area by the way), but in the USA, I understand having a DABT (Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology) is pretty much compulsory if you want to be taken seriously as a Toxicologist (I don't know anything about Toxicology either!). That may not be the case in your area.

From my understanding, I would characterize Diplomate more as a Certification, Credential or Qualification (albeit a fairly advanced one), rather than a Membership and generally there is a paid element to study and take the examination.

It certainly might be useful as evidence that you are at the top end of your field. You could certainly try to claim it as a Membership, but I do not know how USCIS would treat it. I do note that there is a different class of Membership for DWRE holders. To play devil's advocate, it is different from a Fellow because it is not awarded solely based on the distinguished reputation and accomplishments made by the person it is being awarded to.

I would not want to RELY on it having to be accepted as one of 3 criteria (because of the potential ambiguity), but it would probably help with the Final Merits Determination.

Are there any current Diplomates who might have used it as evidence previously that you could contact?

Only you will know whether you qualify and what your overall evidence is. Clearly you have been working in the area for at least 10 years. I don't know what the publication or conference proceedings rate is for WRE.

I guess it is a fairly specialized area, but you only have to prove you are amongst the top in that specialized field. I would guess you will be thinking about also proving :

• Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work of others, either individually or on a panel
  
• Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field
  
• Evidence of your authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade publications or other major media
  
• Evidence of your performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations

I can only wish you good luck, but I fear I am out of my depth in this thread.

PS I want to make it clear again that the tone of the reply was deliberately downbeat. I can also see the positives.

Sometimes it is more difficult to find questioning responses than those that just agree. Despite that, I hope you find something useful in the reply.

[chengisk]

Strictly speaking, membership in associations refers to those memberships that were earned by peer nomination(s). Being a member of the National Academy of Sciences would be one such membership. Going through an examination/interview to become a member might not be acceptable with respect to fulfilling the criteria requisite for EB1A. The adjudicating officer will ask for a descriptive letter from the association that offered the membership describing the process by which you were nominated/selected as a member.

Artistic display exactly means what it says. If you are a painter or an artist of some sort, your artwork might have been exhibited somewhere to the public and even sold at an art gallery. Such exhibitions will fulfill the 'your work has been displayed' criteria for EB1A. However, scientific poster presentations are not accepted by the USCIS even if they are invited.

Being in the scientific field, it is better to fulfill at least 3 (preferably 4) criteria listed on http://tinyurl.com/yl7lwoq to qualify for Eb1A. A dozen or so publications and ~150 citations to prove the impact of your work ought to suffice to garner Eb1A approval.

All the best.

Hello All,
I am researching into Eb1A category and have questions about the following two criteria :

1. Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members

2. Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases

[gcpursuit]

Spec,

Thank you for taking time to give a detailed reply. Appreciate it. I have had bad experiences with USCIS before. I have a long immigration ( read struggle ) story

I have a PhD and have published papers and have a few conference proceedings as well. However, I am not in academia. My EB2 NIW petition was rejected in 2007 based on the number of citations though they agreed that my work was in national interest ( I worked on designing levees after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana ). This is not a field ( atleast my specialization) where you publish a paper and get 100+ citations. Having said that, I have few other friends who tell me that some of their friends got approved in EB1 with even less number of papers published and modest citation record. I guess it was just my luck . I have an approved EB2I petition with a PD of July 2009( with no I-485 filed yet - unfortunate again ). So, I have nothing ( except the money ) to lose here. I wanted to do my research and give this a best shot if I qualify.

I don't know anyone who used the Diplomate certification for immigration purposes. As I said, there are only a few hundreds of people in US who have earned it and I guess most of them would have gotten their GC before reaching the 10 year experience mark

I wouldn't worry about this EB1 if I had atleast an EAD. I am looking to see if this can be a backup option if CIR doesn't go through ( which is where it is probably heading to ) and if there is no end to the waiting game. I love what I do but the whole immigration battle has made me feel that I should have probably chosen IT and gotten into those consulting giants and get a GC through EB1C.

As a side note, when do you think my PD of July 2009 has a chance of being current ? With this new trend of moving PDs only in the last quarter, I cannot hope to get my GC even if I get current and that would be one more year added to the wait.

Thanks!!

[gcpursuit]

Thanks for your inputs, chengisk.

I recently heard a story from my friend that a guy with 2 papers published based on his Masters thesis had obtained EB1A approval. Thats what made me rethink about Eb1A. I am not sure about the citation history though.

[chengisk]

With 2 papers and a MS, it must be something really extraordinary... The least published EB1A approval I have seen is someone with 6 papers and 120 or so citations. Letters of recommendations also matter heavily as they are carefully read by the officer to assess if the worker is well recognized and if his or her findings are of value to others. NIW is relatively easy to clear, but if you already have an EB2 approval in 2009, it does not matter now. If you are in a R&D position, you can also ask your company to file for Eb1B. Hopefully the immigration system is set right sooner. Wishing you the best.

[Spectator]

Spec,

Thank you for taking time to give a detailed reply. Appreciate it. I have had bad experiences with USCIS before. I have a long immigration ( read struggle ) story

I have a PhD and have published papers and have a few conference proceedings as well. However, I am not in academia. My EB2 NIW petition was rejected in 2007 based on the number of citations though they agreed that my work was in national interest ( I worked on designing levees after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana ). This is not a field ( atleast my specialization) where you publish a paper and get 100+ citations. Having said that, I have few other friends who tell me that some of their friends got approved in EB1 with even less number of papers published and modest citation record. I guess it was just my luck . I have an approved EB2I petition with a PD of July 2009( with no I-485 filed yet - unfortunate again ). So, I have nothing ( except the money ) to lose here. I wanted to do my research and give this a best shot if I qualify.

I don't know anyone who used the Diplomate certification for immigration purposes. As I said, there are only a few hundreds of people in US who have earned it and I guess most of them would have gotten their GC before reaching the 10 year experience mark

I wouldn't worry about this EB1 if I had atleast an EAD. I am looking to see if this can be a backup option if CIR doesn't go through ( which is where it is probably heading to ) and if there is no end to the waiting game. I love what I do but the whole immigration battle has made me feel that I should have probably chosen IT and gotten into those consulting giants and get a GC through EB1C.

As a side note, when do you think my PD of July 2009 has a chance of being current ? With this new trend of moving PDs only in the last quarter, I cannot hope to get my GC even if I get current and that would be one more year added to the wait.

Thanks!!

You're welcome. Glad it was taken in the right spirit.

You really have nothing to lose (other than money and time) in pursuing EB1A.

A huge number of papers with a large citation number is not necessary, if it is uncommon in the field. It would be incumbent upon you to show USCIS that was the case and that you rank highly based on that.

I fear that since Kazarian, USCIS have become extremely tough on EB1A and that the approvals this year will bear that out.

Currently, reaching your PD in FY2014 might be a stretch, although I would say it is a certainty in FY2015. It's not impossible, but it would require extra numbers from FB to achieve. That is a possibility.

Very best of luck.