EB-1A for software engineers
How software engineers map patents, open source, staff-plus roles, and judging to the 10 EB-1A criteria — and what officers usually find thin.
Who this is for
Staff, principal, and founding engineers who self-petition without an employer sponsor.
Evidence that usually matters
- Original contributions: architecture adopted outside your company, patents with use, widely used open source
- Critical role: distinguished employer plus proof the team’s outcome depended on you
- Judging: program-committee or independent review, not only internal hackathon judging
- High salary: total comp vs peers in the same specialty and geography, with a survey
What often does not hold up
- Job title and FAANG brand are not a criterion by themselves
- Internal awards and manager letters without independent exhibits
- GitHub stars with no independent write-up of significance
EB-1A is a self-petition. You can be in any country. Meeting three criteria is only Step 1. Final merits still has to show sustained acclaim.