Of the ten EB1A criteria, original contributions of major significance is where the most petitions break. It is easy to claim and hard to prove.
A Request for Evidence lands in your inbox and your stomach drops. Breathe. An RFE is not a denial — it is a second chance, and most are winnable with the right response.
The EB2 National Interest Waiver is often pitched as the easier cousin of EB1A. That framing causes real damage. NIW is not a lower EB1A — it is a different test entirely.
The criterion calls for published material about you in professional or major media. There are two parts to satisfy: the material must genuinely be about you and your work, and it must appear in qualifying media.
A letter that says you are brilliant proves nothing. A letter that explains exactly what you did and how the field uses it proves everything.
“Sustained” is the quiet adjective doing most of the work in EB1A denials this year. Most petitioners hear “extraordinary ability” and focus on the noun. USCIS is reading the adjective.