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Explore visasEB-1ACommon RFE topics

Specific evidence

Original contributions of major significance

Whether your original work has had major significance in your field.

What USCIS is questioning

  • Whether your contributions are original and whether they are of major significance to your field, not just to your employer or project.[1,2]

The legal standard

  • 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3)(v) covers original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field.[2]
  • The Policy Manual says funding, patents, or publication may show originality but do not by themselves show major significance. Widespread commentary, citations that are high relative to the field, or significant commercial use may be probative, and a pending patent usually needs extra support.[1]

How the request usually reads

  • Interpretation An RFE on this criterion typically says the evidence shows the work is original but not that it has had major significance in the field, and asks for independent evidence of its impact.[1,3]

Evidence petitioners often provide

  • Interpretation Citation data compared with others in the field; published commentary on your work by others; evidence that others adopted, licensed, or commercialized it; and detailed letters from independent experts explaining its significance, with corroborating documents.[1]

Where responses go wrong

  • Letters with general praise but no specifics are generally not persuasive; the Policy Manual expects recognition well beyond your circle of personal and professional acquaintances.[1]
  • A patent, grant, or publication alone does not show major significance.[1]

This information is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not predict the outcome of any individual case.

Sources

  1. 1.USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 6, Part F, Chapter 2 — Extraordinary AbilityUSCIS · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  2. 2.8 CFR 204.5 - Petitions for employment-based immigrantseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  3. 3.USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 - EvidenceUSCIS · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Sep 27, 2026