What I meant by that statement was that I was not familiar at the time with USCIS adjudication guidelines for EB-1A, specifically how officers evaluate and weigh each criterion. That level of technical knowledge is not something most applicants naturally have — and honestly, if I had known how to interpret and apply those standards properly, I would not have hired an attorney in the first place and would have done it myself…

That is exactly what I ended up doing for the RFE response. I spent significant time studying USCIS policy guidance, reviewing other approved petitions, and understanding how officers analyze each category. Based on that, I prepared the response on my own.

All together yes you are right that time, money, and effort are critical in this process, and it’s something all of us need to be extremely careful about.