https://trymeritus.com/ Guides on EB-1A, EB-2 NIW and O-1 written from the regulation itself, with the source and the date each page was checked. en https://trymeritus.com/blog/visa-bulletin-november-2026/ https://trymeritus.com/blog/visa-bulletin-november-2026/ Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The employment-based chart for November. EB-1 shows C for all other chargeability areas, which means no queue at all for most applicants — including Brazil. https://trymeritus.com/blog/uscis-fee-schedule-october-2026/ https://trymeritus.com/blog/uscis-fee-schedule-october-2026/ Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Form G-1055 was reissued with the FY2027 fee set. What it means for a self-petitioned EB-1A, including the Asylum Program Fee line that most people read wrong. https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-the-final-merits-determination-asks/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-the-final-merits-determination-asks/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Counting to three is the first half of the analysis. The second half asks a question no checklist answers, and it is where strong-looking files fall apart. https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-an-rfe-actually-says/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-an-rfe-actually-says/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A Request for Evidence is not a rejection and not a formality. It names a specific gap, and the most common mistake is answering the volume question instead of the one that was asked. https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-an-eb-1a-actually-costs/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/what-an-eb-1a-actually-costs/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Government fees, the attorney who signs, and case preparation are three separate costs, and only one of them is ours. Current USCIS amounts, checked against the fee schedule. https://trymeritus.com/learn/scholarly-articles-criterion/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/scholarly-articles-criterion/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The sixth EB-1A criterion is the easiest to satisfy on paper and the least persuasive at the second step. What separates a list of papers from evidence of acclaim is what happened after publication. https://trymeritus.com/learn/published-material-about-you/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/published-material-about-you/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The third EB-1A criterion asks for material about the person and the person's work. Coverage that quotes you as an expert on someone else's story is the most common near-miss in the whole list. https://trymeritus.com/learn/prizes-and-awards-criterion/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/prizes-and-awards-criterion/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The first EB-1A criterion asks for lesser nationally or internationally recognized awards. USCIS says so explicitly — and then tells you exactly what sinks a local one. https://trymeritus.com/learn/o-1a-vs-eb-1a/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/o-1a-vs-eb-1a/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 They share a vocabulary and almost nothing else. One is temporary and needs an employer; the other is permanent and needs nobody. What changes between them is the standard the same evidence has to meet. https://trymeritus.com/learn/membership-criterion/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/membership-criterion/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The second EB-1A criterion is not about belonging to an impressive organization. It is about how you got in — and the guidance lists exactly what does not count. https://trymeritus.com/learn/leading-or-critical-role/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/leading-or-critical-role/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The eighth EB-1A criterion requires proving something about you and something about the organization. USCIS says the title does not decide it — performance in the role does. https://trymeritus.com/learn/l-1a-vs-eb-1c/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/l-1a-vs-eb-1c/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Almost the same three requirements, read against two different standards. A thinly documented L-1A approval is the most common reason a later EB-1C fails. https://trymeritus.com/learn/judging-the-work-of-others/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/judging-the-work-of-others/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The fourth EB-1A criterion is the most commonly satisfied and the most commonly under-documented. The invitation is not the evidence — the completed review is. https://trymeritus.com/learn/high-salary-criterion/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/high-salary-criterion/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The ninth criterion asks whether you command high remuneration relative to others in the field. A large salary with nothing to compare it against proves nothing. https://trymeritus.com/learn/h-1b-lottery-alternatives/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/h-1b-lottery-alternatives/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The lottery is not a merits test, so a strong record loses as often as a weak one. The categories worth looking at next are the ones that need no employer at all. https://trymeritus.com/learn/h-1b-100000-payment-where-it-stands/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/h-1b-100000-payment-where-it-stands/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 A proclamation imposed it, a federal court vacated the guidance implementing it, and an appeals court refused to pause that ruling. What applies right now, with dates. https://trymeritus.com/learn/eb-1a-vs-eb-2-niw/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/eb-1a-vs-eb-2-niw/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Both let you file for yourself. One asks how high you have risen; the other asks what your work is for. Choosing by queue length instead of by record is the common error. https://trymeritus.com/learn/adjustment-of-status-or-consular-processing/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/adjustment-of-status-or-consular-processing/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Same approved petition, two ways to finish. One lets you work and travel while you wait and ties you to staying; the other is faster to schedule and happens outside the country. https://trymeritus.com/learn/original-contributions-of-major-significance/ https://trymeritus.com/learn/original-contributions-of-major-significance/ Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 The fifth EB-1A criterion fails more petitions than any other. The regulation asks for two things at once, and most evidence proves only the first.