Foreign nationals can become permanent residents of the United States and there are several ways to become a permanent resident and to get a Green Card. One of the ways to obtain a Green Card is through employment. Individuals of extraordinary ability can become lawful residents under the EB-1 category, the employment-based first preference category.
To get an EB-1 Green Card, a foreign national need not be sponsored by a US employer. He can file an immigrant petition for himself. People who apply for immigrant visas under this category need not wait for a long time to get their visas. If the foreign national who seeks to get a permanent resident card under this category, is in the United States, he/she can file Form I-485 along with Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker and adjust his status to permanent resident status and get a Green Card.
There is no visa backlog as there is not much demand for EB-1 visas. The demand is low because only the ones who establish that they possess extraordinary ability in certain fields can apply for EB-1 Green Cards. Outstanding researchers and multinational executives can apply for permanent resident status under this category.
At the time of applying for visas under this category, applicants must establish they are eligible by submitting documentation of their achievements. People who have won awards like the Nobel Prize, Olympic medals or Oscar awards, can self-petition for EB-1 immigrant visas.
People who apply for these visas must meet certain requirements. They need to establish their eligibility by submitting evidence of membership in associations in which only the ones who demonstrate outstanding achievement can become members. They can establish their eligibility by providing evidence of materials published by someone else about their work in the academic field. Evidence of participation as a judge of the work of others, evidence of scientific research contributions or of authorship of scholarly books, can be submitted.
Applicants must meet a variety of requirements and the evidence they submit must show that they have the required level of expertise. The requirements to apply for an EB-1 Green Card are strict and this category is not open to all. This is one of the easiest ways to get a Green Card and the applicants may not be required to wait for a long time to become lawful residents under this category. But to apply for permanent resident status under this category, applicants must establish that they meet the EB-1 requirements.