No PERM. Current priority dates for India and China. If your research profile qualifies, EB-1B is the fastest employment-based path to a green card available. Here's exactly what it takes.
EB-1B sits in the first preference (EB-1) category alongside EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability) and EB-1C (Multinational Managers). The EB-1 category is special because: (1) it is not subject to PERM labor certification, saving 12–24+ months of processing; (2) priority dates are current or nearly current for all countries including India and China; and (3) it reflects a Congressional intent to attract the world's best researchers and academics.
For an Indian national on EB-2 or EB-3 facing a 10–20+ year backlog, an approved EB-1B petition can mean getting a green card in 1–3 years instead of waiting a decade. This is not an exaggeration, EB-1 India priority dates have been current or near-current in recent Visa Bulletins while EB-2/EB-3 India dates are stuck in 2012.
To qualify for EB-1B you must satisfy all three baseline requirements plus two of the six evidentiary criteria:
National or international prizes for outstanding work in the field. Nobel prizes, Fields Medals, but also prestigious field-specific awards count.
Member of professional associations that require outstanding achievement as a condition of membership (e.g., National Academy of Sciences, IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow).
Articles or other published material (in professional publications, major trade publications, or major media) about the person's work in the field.
Serving as a reviewer for journals, conference program committees, grant review panels, or dissertation committees.
Contributions of major significance in the field, not just publications, but work that has demonstrably advanced the state of knowledge or practice.
Published works in scholarly journals or books with wide circulation in the field.
Meeting the minimum criteria threshold (2 of 6) is just the first step. USCIS then conducts a "final merits determination" examining the totality of evidence to assess whether the overall record demonstrates international recognition as outstanding. Common evidence elements include:
Sumit covers EB-1 immigration pathways for researchers and academics, helping scientists, engineers, and professors understand the fastest routes to US permanent residence.