The ten criteria for EB1-Extraordinary Ability immigration category are as follows:

1) "Documentation of the alien's receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor." The receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes is not like internationally recognized award such as a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

2) "Documentation of the alien's membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought, which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their disciplines or fields." Associations that are open to all members of a given profession may be considered, but associations that limit membership to only the most accomplished members of the profession are certainly more valuable.

3) "Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien's work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation." The material must concern the person’s work in the field. Publications could range from journals specific to the field to major newspapers.

4) "Evidence of the alien's participation, either individually or on a panel, as a judge of the work of others in the same or an allied field of specification for which classification is sought." Participating in the peer review process of a scientific article or acting as a member of a thesis review committee may fulfill this requirement.

5) "Evidence of the alien's original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field." This standard is wide open. Basically, the USCIS will base its judgment of the alien’s contribution on the letters of support that others in the field submit.

6) "Evidence of the alien's authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media." This refers to articles that the alien wrote concerning his or her work. The publications can range from major trade journals to mass media. Although the regulations refer specifically to "articles," other forms of publication such as visual media may fulfill this requirement.

7) "Evidence of the display of the alien's work in the field at artistic exhibitions or showcases." The regulations do not mention how prestigious the exhibition must be.

8) "Evidence that the alien has performed in a leading or critical role for organizations or establishments that have a distinguished reputation." This could be performing a critical or leading role for organizations that have a distinguished reputation, or serving as an essential researcher for an important laboratory.

9) "Evidence that the alien has commanded a high salary or other significantly high remuneration for services, in relation to others in the field." The regulation requires that the alien’s salary or remuneration be high in relation to others in the field, so an post-doctor needs not make as much as a professional engineer.

10) "Evidence of commercial successes in the performing arts, as shown by box office receipts or record, cassette, compact disk, or video sales." This can be demonstrated by box office receipts from the alien’s films or plays, record sales, or selling a video documentary to a network for a notable sum.