EB-1A lets you petition for a green card on your own, with no employer and no labor certification. That freedom comes with a high bar. CaseBuilder reads your full record, maps it to the ten EB-1A criteria, drafts your petition materials, and runs an officer-style review that flags the gaps most likely to trigger an RFE, while you can still fix them.
EB-1A is unusual: it's one of the few employment-based green card categories where you are your own petitioner. No employer sponsorship, no job offer, no PERM labor certification. You file Form I-140 on your own behalf, based on a record of extraordinary ability.
The trade-off is the standard. You need to satisfy at least three of ten regulatory criteria, and then clear a second hurdle most applicants underestimate: the final-merits review, where an officer weighs whether your record as a whole shows sustained national or international acclaim. Strong credentials are not enough on their own; how the evidence is presented decides a lot.
Deciding between EB-1A, NIW, and O-1A? See the comparisonRoughly one in three decided EB-1A petitions isn't approved in recent quarters, and much of that comes down to evidence that looks strong but isn't independently corroborated or clearly tied to the criteria. A Request for Evidence costs you weeks or months, and a denial follows your record into every future filing.
These are USCIS fees, paid directly to the government. They are not part of CaseBuilder's pricing.
Drag in your CV, publications, citation records, awards, judging invitations, media coverage, recommendation letters, anything that supports your case. CaseBuilder reads every document with OCR and pulls out the facts that matter for each criterion.
You get a breakdown across all ten EB-1A criteria: which ones your current evidence supports, which look borderline, and which would likely draw a Request for Evidence. Each flag comes with what's missing and what would close the gap.
Generate your petition brief, recommendation letter drafts, and exhibit index. Then run the USCIS Officer Review, which simulates how an adjudicator reads the case and flags weak language, thin corroboration, and likely RFE triggers before you file. You complete the I-140 form itself separately.
Most tools generate text. CaseBuilder pressure-tests it. The Officer Review reads your draft petition the way a USCIS adjudicator would, both criterion by criterion and across the whole record, and surfaces the specific weaknesses that turn into Requests for Evidence.
Multiple invitations to review work of others, documented with independent confirmation
Contributions described, but impact isn't yet corroborated outside your own organization
Individual criteria are met, but the record doesn't yet build a clear case for sustained acclaim
A lot of people researching EB-1A are weighing it against two close paths. EB-1A and EB-2 NIW are both green cards you can self-petition on Form I-140; O-1A is a temporary work visa that needs a U.S. petitioner. Many strong applicants file more than one, because the underlying evidence overlaps.
| EB-1A | EB-2 NIW | O-1A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Green card | Green card | Temporary work visa |
| Form | I-140 | I-140 | I-129 |
| Who files | You, self-petition | You, self-petition | U.S. employer, agent, or your own entity |
| Core test | 3 of 10 criteria plus final merits | Dhanasar three-prong | 3 of 8 criteria |
| Best for | Sustained acclaim, no employer | Work in the national interest | Faster, temporary first step |
It doesn't. CaseBuilder is document preparation software, the way TurboTax is for taxes. You stay in control and see every line. If you want a licensed attorney to review your materials before filing, that's available as an add-on, far below the cost of full-service representation.
EB-1A doesn't require a single famous prize. It asks you to satisfy at least three of ten criteria, and people are often stronger than they think once their record is mapped properly. The free assessment shows you where your record lands; it does not decide eligibility.
A general chatbot doesn't know the EB-1A criteria, doesn't check whether your evidence is independently corroborated, and doesn't simulate the final-merits review an officer applies. CaseBuilder is built around the specific structure and evidentiary logic of these petitions.
Founded by Platon Shamaev, an immigration case strategist and EB-2 NIW approval holder who has helped prepare extraordinary ability and national interest petitions at a Manhattan immigration law firm. A graduate of Columbia University's Human Rights Advocates Program, Platon brings legal-sector experience dating back to 2003, spanning investigative work, legal practice, immigration case preparation, and human rights documentation.
Ten minutes, no credit card. You'll see your criteria map and exactly where the gaps are.
Start free assessmentYes. EB-1A is a true self-petition. Unlike most employment-based green cards, it requires no employer sponsorship, no job offer, and no PERM labor certification. You file Form I-140 on your own behalf, based on evidence of extraordinary ability in your field.
EB-1A requires evidence of extraordinary ability through at least three of ten regulatory criteria: awards, selective memberships, published material, judging, original contributions, scholarly articles, artistic exhibitions, leading or critical roles, high salary, and commercial success in the performing arts.
Not by itself. Meeting three criteria is the first step. USCIS then applies a final-merits review, weighing whether your record as a whole demonstrates sustained national or international acclaim. Strong evidence presentation matters as much as the criteria count.
Both are green cards you can self-petition on Form I-140. EB-1A is based on extraordinary ability and requires at least three of ten criteria plus final merits. EB-2 NIW is based on the Dhanasar national-interest test.
No. CaseBuilder does not currently auto-fill USCIS forms. It helps you prepare petition drafts, organize evidence, build an exhibit index, generate recommendation letter drafts, run an AI officer-style review, and produce downloadable outputs. You complete the I-140 separately.
No. No software or attorney can guarantee approval, and USCIS decides every case independently. CaseBuilder helps you prepare a stronger, better-organized petition and flags weak spots before you file, but the final decision always rests with USCIS.
No. CaseBuilder prepares draft materials and evidence organization for you to review. You handle form completion and the actual filing. CaseBuilder is document preparation software, not a law firm, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship.