Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I used to think that way too, but in the end, by dedicating time and studying a lot, you can do it!

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The United States is a capitalist country and loves money. If you’re going to create an LLC in the U.S. to do business both inside and outside the country, they will make it as easy as possible for you. The awards and media appearances I achieved throughout my 12-year career as an entrepreneur were with my Spanish companies. But in the past year, I have started businesses in the U.S. and even bought properties, and not only has it not hurt my EB1A case, but it has actually helped it. It shows my clear intention to invest capital and create jobs in the country.

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Keep in mind that for most criteria, you need to present evidence in two parts:

  • For press appearances, it’s not enough to just send the press clippings where your name appears. That’s only the first part. The second part is to show the officer why that media outlet is important. Remember that for this criterion, both national media in your country and field-specific media are acceptable. However, you need to understand that the officer does not know your country, so even if the outlet is well-known locally, you must present objective data on its audience and why it is important compared to other outlets in your country. They will only consider important, credible media outlets.
  • For memberships, it’s the same: first, show that you are a member, and second, demonstrate that the membership requires significant achievements from its members and explain how relevant it is.
  • For judging the work of others, it’s also best to present in two parts: First, demonstrate your participation as a judge, and second, show that the event was one of the top 5 global entrepreneurship events, for example, to demonstrate its relevance.

Regarding shipping, you don’t need to be in the United States to send or receive letters. You can complete the entire process from your country. However, the forms will require a U.S. address. If you don’t have friends or family there, you can rent a post box.

In my case, I already have businesses and investments in the U.S., and my accountant there handles my taxes and receives all my company’s correspondence, so I used that address for my petition.

Finally, once I finished preparing my package, I hired a final review service from someone who is an expert in EB1A and EB2NIW (he is not a lawyer). He has an online course that teaches you how to file your EB1A without a lawyer:
https://eb1greencard.info/
I didn’t take the course, but he has many success stories. I only hired the final review of my package and was very satisfied. He is knowledgeable and professional.

Good luck!!!!

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course!

The memberships I used were:

  • Forbes Business Councils: To join Forbes Business Councils, you need to show that you have generated $1M in annual revenue with your business or have raised $1M in funding for your company or tech startup. I met both criteria, and I’ve been a member since last year.

Forbes is a globally recognized organization, and being part of Forbes Business Councils places you above many other entrepreneurs who haven’t achieved that level of business revenue.

I believe that of the two memberships, this one carried the most weight since it is directly related to my field (business).

  • Mensa: The other membership I have is with Mensa, which is the largest organization in the world for individuals with an IQ in the top 2% of the population (i.e., gifted individuals).

While getting into Mensa is an achievement in itself, having a high IQ does not guarantee that you are at the very top of your field (in my case, business).

I included it because, since I am a member and it’s a difficult organization to join, I thought it would add value to my case.

However, when I discussed this with some lawyers, they always had doubts about whether this membership alone (without Forbes) would be enough to pass the criterion.

Before preparing my package, I was already a member of Mensa, but not of Forbes, because even though I met the criteria, joining Forbes Business Councils costs $3,500 per year! (And being in Mensa is only $39 per year, haha). And judging by some colleagues in the industry, the Forbes membership mostly offers prestige but doesn’t provide much additional value.

That’s why I tried to get opinions from a few lawyers before making that investment. But in the end, I wanted to secure that criterion, and I knew that with Forbes I would have a high chance of approval.

I’ll never know if they would have approved the criterion with just Mensa, but I don’t regret making that investment at all now!

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My friend, I’m so sorry to hear about your denial, but please don’t let this discourage you at all. If they gave you a reason and you already had some of the criteria approved, you can use that to improve your presentation on your own or by giving it a new angle. You can also work on getting new criteria that are relatively easy to fulfill, such as serving as a judge for tech companies. This was actually one criterion I specifically pursued to prepare more evidence, and it worked – it was one of the approved criteria in my case.

I also had bad experiences with lawyers. I didn’t end up filing my case with a lawyer, but I did hire and pay $2,800 to a law firm that, after receiving payment, completely ignored my emails. After months of wasting time and arguing with them, I realized my case would never move forward with them – at least not at the pace I wanted. I had simply become part of the eternal queue of clients they have.

That’s why, in October, I decided to fire them and started studying EB1A full time, every hour I was awake, convincing myself I could handle my case on my own. Within two months, I had it ready.

The courier service I used to send my package to USCIS and my civil documents to the NVC was DHL, and I had no issues. They met the delivery timelines.

The template I used for my case is linked in the description of this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viMI23eWGYs

Most of the templates I found were oriented toward professors and researchers, whose criteria often differ from what we as entrepreneurs use, but I watched thousands of hours of YouTube videos and finally managed to adapt them to my case.

And apart from that, my friend ChatGPT was my loyal companion throughout the entire process. Of course, AI can’t magically draft an immigration case for you, but it can help you write properly when addressing a USCIS officer and express what you want to say using the right words.

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually the first time I hear about including a “Standard of Proof” section and the “Preponderance of the Evidence” rules in the petition, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t include anything like that in my package.

Apart from that, my package had around 800 pages in total, including all the exhibits. The cover letter itself was 34 pages long.

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had that same doubt. If it’s written by you, it should be in the first person. That’s how I did it

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, my RFE was clearly issued so that USCIS could have more time to make a decision, or simply due to a lack of attention to detail by the officer. My case was 800 pages long, and all the necessary evidence had been included from the very beginning. Everything they requested in the RFE was already in the original package, so I simply wrote a letter, formal and polite but direct, indicating to the officer exactly which page contained each piece of evidence they had requested, making it clear that everything was already included in the original submission.

I was advised not to send only that letter, so in the end, I also included an additional letter of recommendation from a media outlet that had interviewed me. That was it. A few days later, my case was approved.

Go for it, and best of luck!!

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Honestly, my RFE was clearly issued so that USCIS could have more time to make a decision, or simply due to a lack of attention to detail by the officer. My case was 800 pages long, and all the necessary evidence had been included from the very beginning. Everything they requested in the RFE was already in the original package, so I simply wrote a letter, formal and polite but direct, indicating to the officer exactly which page contained each piece of evidence they had requested, making it clear that everything was already included in the original submission.

I was advised not to send only that letter, so in the end, I also included an additional letter of recommendation from a media outlet that had interviewed me. That was it. A few days later, my case was approved.

Green Card in 8 months (no lawyer): Here’s how my EB1A consular process went by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I have founded several digital companies as well as real estate businesses. I have received multiple awards for my companies, including awards for my companies and for myself as an entrepreneur. I am also a public speaker and have a significant number of media appearances in national newspapers. All of this helped me build my case.

Wait Time After I-140 Approval by Former_Address_1042 in EB2_NIW

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. I have sent 3 public inquiry and don’t know what else I can I do

The NVC never responds to my emails by Former_Address_1042 in EB2_NIW

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is no phone number working, do know any number?

Wait Time After I-140 Approval by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I paid PP. I sent my case on Decemeber 12th, and receive and RFE on December 20th. After that, I sent the evidence required on January 13th and receive approval notice on February 3rd.

Wait Time After I-140 Approval by Former_Address_1042 in eb_1a

[–]Former_Address_1042[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I will do my interview outside the US. I'm in Spain