EB-1A Published Material Criterion 2026: What Counts as Major Media - 100+ RFE Analysis

nomad · April 13, 2026, 8:42pm

This article is also available in Russian

Публикации в СМИ: что считается major media (русская версия)

This is Part 1

In Part 2 - practice: quantity, format, typical problems, RFE examples, and technical nuances. Here - what constitutes "major media", USCIS requirements, evidence examples, and international media.

Criterion 3 - Published Material (Media) - Part 1

Related Articles Awards Membership Scholarly Articles Final Merits Petitioner

O-1 / EB-1 Media Criterion 3 Major Media Evidence

Official USCIS Requirements
Assess Your EB1A Media Criterion Chances
Article Analysis Template
How to Prove a Publication Is Major Media EB1A
Examples of Proving Major Media Status
International Media
Online Platforms and Social Media
Formatting in the Petition
Types of Publications
Russian and Regional Media

We break down the eb1a published material criterion: what USCIS considers “major media”, how to prove a publication’s significance, examples from real cases, international and Russian media, online platforms, and formatting rules for the petition.

Official USCIS Requirements

Main guide on this topic: EB-1A Criteria: 10 Types of Evidence

This guide covers EB-1A specifically. For EB-2 NIW, see our dedicated guide.

Official USCIS Requirements (original + translation)

Criterion 3: Published material about the person in professional or major trade publications or other major media relating to the person’s work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence must include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation.

First, USCIS determines whether the published material was related to the person and the person’s specific work in the field for which classification is sought.

Examples of qualifying media may include, but are not limited to:

Professional or major print publications (newspaper articles, popular and academic journal articles, books, textbooks, or similar publications) regarding the person and the person’s work;
Professional or major online publications regarding the person and the person’s work; and
Transcripts of professional or major audio or video coverage of the person and the person’s work.

Considerations:

The published material should be about the person, relating to the person’s work in the field, and not just about the person’s employer and the employer’s work or about another organization and that organization’s work. Marketing materials created for the purpose of selling the person’s products or promoting the person’s services are not generally considered to be published material about the person (this includes seemingly objective content about the person in major print publications that the person or the person’s employer paid for).

However, the person and the person’s work need not be the only subject of the material; published material that covers a broader topic but includes a substantial discussion of the person’s work in the field and mentions the person in connection to the work may be considered material about the person relating to the person’s work.

Moreover, officers may consider material that focuses solely or primarily on work or research being undertaken by a team of which the person is a member, provided that the material mentions the person in connection with the work or other evidence in the record documents the person’s significant role in the work or research.

Evidence may include documentation such as print or online newspaper or magazine articles, popular or academic journal articles, books, textbooks, similar publications, or a transcript of professional or major audio or video coverage of the person and the person’s work.

Second, USCIS determines whether the publication qualifies as a professional publication, major trade publication, or major media publication.

In evaluating whether a submitted publication is a professional publication, major trade publication, or major media, relevant factors include the intended audience (for professional and major trade publications) and the relative circulation, readership, or viewership (for major trade publications and other major media).

→ Russian Translation

Criterion 3: Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media relating to the alien’s work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence must include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation.

First, USCIS determines whether the published material was related to the alien and their specific work in the field for which classification is sought.

Examples of qualifying media include, but are not limited to:

Professional or major print publications (newspaper articles, popular and academic journal articles, books, textbooks, or similar publications) about the alien and their work;
Professional or major online publications about the alien and their work;
Transcripts of professional or major audio or video coverage of the alien and their work.

Important Clarifications:

The published material should be about the alien and their work in the field, and not simply about the alien’s employer and the employer’s work, or about another organization and that organization’s work. Marketing materials created for the purpose of selling products or promoting the alien’s services are generally not considered published material about the alien (including seemingly objective content about the alien in major print publications that the alien or their employer paid for).

However, the alien and their work need not be the only subject of the material; a publication covering a broader topic but including substantial discussion of the alien’s work in the field and mentioning them in connection to that work may be considered material about the alien relating to their work.

Additionally, officers may consider material devoted exclusively or primarily to the work or research of a team of which the alien is a member, provided the material mentions the alien in connection with the work or other evidence in the record documents the alien’s significant role in the work or research.

Evidence may include documentation such as print or online newspaper or magazine articles, popular or academic journal articles, books, textbooks, similar publications, or a transcript of professional or major audio or video coverage of the alien and their work.

Second, USCIS determines whether the publication qualifies as a professional publication, major trade publication, or major media publication.

In evaluating whether a submitted publication is a professional publication, major trade publication, or major media, relevant factors include the intended audience (for professional and major trade publications) and the relative circulation, readership, or viewership (for major trade publications and other major media).

Source: USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 6, Part F, Chapter 2

What Does USCIS Require?

OFFICIAL SOURCE

Published Material in Media - Regulatory Text

Verbatim text from the Code of Federal Regulations for EB-1A and O-1.

8 CFR 204.5(h)(3)(iii) - EB-1A

"Published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media, relating to the alien's work in the field for which classification is sought. Such evidence shall include the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation."

8 CFR 214.2(o)(3)(iii)(B)(2) - O-1

"Published material in professional or major trade publications or major media about the beneficiary, relating to the beneficiary's work in the field for which classification is sought."

Published material: published material (not a draft, not a social media post)

About the alien: the article must be ABOUT YOU, not merely mention you

Major media: the publication must be major and recognized

Relating to work: the material must concern your work in the claimed field

Difference between EB-1A and O-1: EB-1A requires the title, date, and author + translation. O-1 does not formally require this, but in practice officers request the same documents.

4 Mandatory Elements of the Criterion

Officers verify ALL 4 elements:

USCIS Policy Manual

"The plain language of this criterion requires evidence (1) of published material, (2) that the published material contains the title, date, and author of the material, and any necessary translation, (3) that the published material is about the petitioner relating to the petitioner's work in the field, and (4) that the published material qualifies as professional or major trade publications or other major media."

Checklist of 4 Elements

✓

Published Material

Not a draft, not a social media post - a real publication in a media outlet

✓

Title + Date + Author

All three are mandatory. Missing the author or date - RFE guaranteed

✓

About YOU and Your Work

The article must be about you personally, not about the company or project in general

✓

In Major Media

Professional, major trade publications, or other major media - with evidence of the outlet's status

Important

Failure on any element = "criterion not met". This is one of the criteria where RFEs are most commonly issued. The eb1a media criterion also pairs well with the Awards criterion - if your award was covered in the press.

Detailed Requirements for Publications

What must be in the publication:

Title of the material (article headline)
Publication date (exact date, not just the year)
Author (journalist’s full name, NOT the publisher’s name)
Confirmation of publication (screenshot, PDF, link)

Acceptable	Not Acceptable
Article indicating “By John Smith, Technology Reporter”	Article without an author
Material with a clear date “Published: March 15, 2024”	Material where the author is the petitioner themselves
Publication on the outlet’s official website with a URL	Company press release
Print version (in that case a URL is not required)	Advertising material (Sponsored, Advertisement)

Requirements for Article Content

A) Focus of the Material:

The article is genuinely ABOUT YOU (not just a mention)
Related to your work in the claimed field
Not an article solely about the employer/organization

B) Scope of Discussion:

Contains substantial discussion of your work
If the article covers a broad topic - your contribution is discussed in detail
If about team work - your significant role is identified

C) Nature of the Material:

Not marketing/advertising
Not paid content
Objective journalistic coverage

Acceptable	Not Acceptable
Professional interview about your area of expertise	General article about the company that mentions you
Your expert comments on industry trends	Material about hobbies or personal life
Analytical article where you serve as an expert	News piece where you are one of many participants
Expert opinion on events in the industry	Paid PR material

What Constitutes Major Media?

USCIS Policy Manual:

USCIS Policy Manual

"For published material to qualify as major media, an officer looks at whether the publication or broadcast has significant national or international distribution."

How Do Professional, Major Trade, and Major Media Differ?

USCIS does not provide clear definitions, but in practice the distinction lies in the audience:

Professional publications - academic and scholarly journals for narrow specialists (doctors read JAMA, engineers read IEEE)
Major trade publications - industry publications for professionals in a given industry (Billboard for musicians, Variety for film, AdAge for advertisers)
Major media - mass media for the general public with national/international reach

For USCIS the key is: high circulation/traffic and significance within its category. A local newspaper will not qualify in any category.

Category	Audience	Examples
Professional publications	Narrow specialists (scholarly, academic)	IEEE Spectrum, JAMA, General Director, Hairbazar
Major trade publications	Industry professionals	Billboard, Variety, AdAge, The Hollywood Reporter
Major media	General public (Russia)	Forbes, RBC, Kommersant, KP, MK, AiF, Pravda.ru
Major media	General public (Ukraine)	Focus.ua, Meta.ua, Gazeta.ua, RBC.ua

How Many Articles Are Needed at Minimum?

There is no formal minimum. In practice:

4-5 in major media - sufficient
5+ in niche publications - may not be enough
Quality matters more than quantity

Does an Article About the Company Where I Am CEO Count?

Depends on the content. USCIS requires “about the alien”:

Your name in the headline/lead - yes
Discussion of your role and achievements - yes
Only the company name - no

Example from RFE: article about the company vs. article about you

Quote from RFE

“The submitted articles were primarily about your work. The articles mention your name or include your opinion, but published material must not simply be about your work, but about you - though it may not be unrelated to your work.”

Important clarification: an article about your WORK ≠ an article about YOU. The officer states: the article must be ABOUT YOU and related to your work - not simply about a project where you were mentioned. The focus must be on the person, not the project.

Assess Your EB1A Media Criterion Chances

From practice: 300+ RFEs analyzed

Formally, USCIS requires "published material in major media". But in practice, out of 300+ RFEs analyzed from 2023-2025, 78% of denials on this criterion were linked to a single problem: the petitioner failed to prove the publication's major status. Officers do not take on faith that "Forbes is major" - they need specific data on circulation/audience and comparisons with other publications.

Check your publications before filing

Each "bad option" answer reduces your chances of meeting this criterion. Be honest with yourself.

1. Type of Your Media

Your Answer	Chances
Only Major Media (KP, RBC, Forbes)	High
Major + niche (50/50)	Medium
Mostly niche publications	Low
Only niche publications	Very low

Tip

Niche publications are harder to prove. Beyond the "About Us" page and media kit there is usually nothing else, and officers consider this self-serving.

2. Article Submission Format

Your Answer	Chances
PDF with URL on each	Correct
URL only on the first	Risky
Screenshots	Will be rejected
Cropped excerpts	Will be rejected

3. How Many Sources Prove Major Status?

Your Answer	Chances
SimilarWeb + 5-9 sources	Excellent
SimilarWeb + 3-4 sources	Good
SimilarWeb + 1-2 sources	Minimum
SimilarWeb only	Will be rejected
Media kit only	Will be rejected

4. Author, Date, Title

Your Answer	Chances
All three + highlighted	Correct
Present but not highlighted	Risky
Author = “Editorial Staff”	Will not be credited
No date	Will not be credited
No title	Will not be credited

5. Article Content - Who Are They About?

Your Answer	Chances
Entire article is ABOUT YOU	Ideal
You are the main subject	Good
Mentioned substantially	Risky
1-2 sentences / a quote	Will not be credited
About the company / event	Will not be credited

6. Over How Many Years Were Publications Collected?

Your Answer	Plain Language	Final Merits (EB-1)
5+ years	Excellent	Sustained
3-4 years	Good	May be enough
2 years	Will be credited	Not sustained risk
1 year	Will be credited	Will be devalued
Only 2024-25	Will be credited	Will be devalued

Do not be afraid to file with 1-2 years

At the Plain Language step, the criterion will be credited - that is already a win. At Final Merits it may be devalued, but strengthen it with other criteria.

Summary: Count Your Answers

Result	What to Do
All	Criterion is ready for filing
1-2	Improve the weak areas
3+ or any	Seriously reconsider your strategy

Remember

The officer will NOT carefully read your articles and look for connections. They will skim through, and if they do not clearly see "article about [Name] and their work" with the author, date, and evidence of major status - they will deny. Make everything obvious.

Article Analysis Template

Use this prompt for ChatGPT/Claude to analyze your article for compliance with USCIS requirements:

Prompt for article analysis

Petitioner [NAME] is preparing an EB-1 petition for USCIS as: [SPECIALTY]

Analyze this article for compliance with USCIS requirements for the EB-1 Published Material criterion:

1. Mandatory formal elements:
- Title of the material
- Publication date
- Author
- Translation (if required)

2. Content analysis:

A) Focus of the material:
- Is the article genuinely ABOUT the alien
- Is it related to their specific work in the claimed field
- Is it not merely a mention/quote/photo without discussion
- Is it not an article solely about their employer/organization

B) Scope of discussion:
- Does it contain substantial discussion of the alien's work
- If the article covers a broader topic - is the alien's contribution discussed in sufficient detail
- If about team work - is the alien's significant role identified

C) Nature of the material:
- Is it not marketing/advertising
- Is it not paid content
- Objectivity of coverage

3. Publication type (identify one):
- Professional publication (for field specialists)
- Major trade publication (major industry publication)
- Other major media (major media outlets)

Article for analysis:
[PASTE ARTICLE TEXT]

How to use

Copy the prompt, replace [NAME], [SPECIALTY] and paste the article text. The AI will give an objective assessment of whether the article qualifies under this criterion.

How to Prove a Publication Is Major Media EB1A

How to Prove a Publication Qualifies as Major Media?

Use multiple sources:

Source	What It Shows	Where to Get It
SimilarWeb	Traffic, country and category ranking	Free (basic data)
Medialogia	Rankings of Russian media	Via Wayback Machine
Rambler Top100	Runet ranking	Archives
Citation by Western media	International-level recognition	Google News, LexisNexis
Media Kit of the outlet	Official statistics	Outlet’s website

How to Prove “Major” Status of a Publication?

Recommended sources:

SimilarWeb - traffic data (but one source is not enough!)
Alexa rankings (archival via Wayback)
Media Kit of the outlet - official audience data
Medialogia rankings - for Russian media
Comparison with well-known counterparts

SimilarWeb alone is not enough!

FROM RFE

"We note your submission of website traffic for SM.news and kp.ru from similarweb.com. Yet information from the website analysis tool similarweb.com is inconclusive. One web traffic analysis website on its own is not persuasive to establish these sources are considered major media."

The officer states directly: SimilarWeb alone = “inconclusive”. Additional sources are needed.

Example from RFE: need to prove the audience = professionals

Quote from RFE

“In evaluating whether a submitted publication is a professional publication, major trade publication, or major media, relevant factors include the intended audience (for professional and major trade publications) and the relative circulation, readership, or viewership (for major trade publications and other major media). The petitioner did not provide evidence indicating that the intended audience for any of the publications is professionals in the field of construction management, therefore the evidence does not demonstrate that they are professional or major trade publications.”

The officer states: you claim this is a professional publication, but you have not proven that the audience consists of professionals in your industry. You need to demonstrate the intended audience.

How to prove professional audience:

Media Kit with audience description
Subscriber data (job titles, industries)
Subscription terms (paid for specialists?)
Publication content (technical articles for professionals)

What Is More Important: Articles About You or Your Authored Articles?

These are different criteria:

Type	Criterion	What It Proves
Articles ABOUT YOU	Published Material	Recognition
Your articles	Authorship	Expertise

Is Circulation Required If the Media Is Online?

For online media, instead of circulation use:

Unique monthly visitors
Country ranking (SimilarWeb + other sources)
Comparison with recognized major media

Reprint in Another Outlet - Two Sources?

No. Officers look at the original. Reprints can be mentioned as evidence of distribution.

Do You Need to Prove the Publication’s Significance as of the Publication Date?

Yes. If the article is from 2014 but the SimilarWeb data is from 2024:

Use Wayback Machine for archival data
Show that the publication existed and was significant at that time
Explain: “At the time of publication, [outlet] was ranked…”

Example from RFE: data from a different year = denial

Officer’s requirement

“The submitted evidence does not show that the publications qualify as professional or major trade publications or other major media. Particularly because the circulation data is not from the same year the article and/or interview were published about the Petitioner, and the statistical data was not in the same format as the publication (episodic, monthly, quarterly, etc.).”

The officer rejected evidence because the circulation data was from a DIFFERENT year than the publication date.

Full data requirement

“The circulation statistics for the publications are to be compared against at least two separate media traffic analytics that are in the Petitioner’s country, during the same timeframe of the Petitioner’s publications, in the same format (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly etc.) and in the same field of endeavor.”

Officer’s checklist:

At least 2 analytics sources
In the same country
For the same period (year of publication)
In the same measurement format
In the same field

Is a Letter from the Outlet Certifying It Is a Professional Publication Required?

Not mandatory, but it can help if:

The outlet is niche and little-known
You need to confirm editorial control
The officer requested it in an RFE

What Media Should You Compare Traffic Against to Prove Major Status?

Compare with:

Category leaders in the country
American counterparts
Other publications the officer will definitely know

How to Show That the Outlet Is Cited by Authoritative Sources?

Collect 3-5 citation examples and format them as a separate exhibit. You do not need 50 pages - it is enough to show a pattern of recognition.

Do American Media Also Need Detailed Descriptions?

Yes. Even for Forbes/TechCrunch you need evidence:

Traffic/audience data
Comparison with other major media
Do not rely solely on name recognition

Do Article View Counts Matter?

View counts for a specific article are rarely required. What matters more:

Overall outlet traffic
Outlet’s ranking in its category
But if you have a viral article with millions of views - mention it

Medialogia Rankings from Prior Years - How to Obtain Them?

Ways to obtain archival data:

Wayback Machine - search mlg.ru for the needed dates
Press releases - outlets often publish their own rankings
Media market articles - analytics with historical data

If the Outlet Is Cited by NY Times - Is That Enough?

No. Citation by an authoritative source is a plus, but not proof of major status. You need audience data for the outlet itself.

Examples of Proving Major Media Status

Where to look for evidence

Search Google for "[outlet name] media kit", "[outlet name] audience", "[outlet name] circulation" or look up the outlet in SimilarWeb, Medialogia, or media rankings for your country.

Important

Use Wikipedia ONLY for finding information, but do NOT attach it to the petition. USCIS does not accept Wikipedia as evidence.

Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP.ru) - Gold Standard Example

Documents for proving KP.ru major status (full list)

Document	What It Proves
Roskomnadzor License	EL No FS77-80505 - official registration
Scimago 2024 (world)	#37 among 5,467 world media - alongside NYT
Scimago 2024 (Russia)	#3 among all Russian news media
Top 20 Brands	#1 in the newspaper category in Russia from 2013 to present
People’s Brand 2024	#1 in the print media category (popular vote)
Guinness Book of World Records	World circulation record: 21.9 million copies (1990)
The Guardian	Called “the most widely read newspaper in Russia”
Soviet Orders	Order of Lenin, October Revolution, Patriotic War, 2x Red Banner of Labor
Order of Honor	State award to employees for contributions to media development
Runet Prize 2020	Award in the “Culture, Media and Mass Communications” category
LiveInternet	#1 in News and Media category: 91 million visitors, 87% reach
Medialogia 2024	#5 among newspapers, #2 in social media citation (93,896 links)
Partnerships	Official media partner of SPIEF, EEF, Russian Investment Forum
Reach	89 regions + 13 countries, offices in the USA, Canada, Australia
Traffic Report	75.45 million visits (May 2025)

Why this is a gold standard example:

Global recognition: Scimago #37 in the world alongside NYT
Guinness Record - irrefutable historical significance
#1 brand among newspapers for 12 consecutive years (2013-2025)
State awards: Soviet orders + contemporary Order of Honor
Recognition by Western media (The Guardian)
Partner of Russia’s top forums (SPIEF, EEF)

Examples of Proving Major Media Status for Specific Outlets

Below are real examples of documents used to prove major media status. Use them as templates for your own publications.

Where to look for evidence

Search Google for "[outlet name] media kit", "[outlet name] audience", "[outlet name] circulation" or look up the outlet in SimilarWeb, Medialogia, or media rankings for your country.

Important

Use Wikipedia ONLY for finding information, but do NOT attach it to the petition. USCIS does not accept Wikipedia as evidence.

Forbes Kazakhstan - Global Brand

Documents for proving Forbes KZ major status

Document	What It Proves
Urker-2021	National award “Best Magazine of the Year”
Harvard Davis Center	Recognition as “major business media platform”
BusinessWire	Official announcement by Forbes Media of the launch
SimilarWeb	1.02 million visits, #337 in Kazakhstan

Works because: National award + academic recognition (Harvard) + connection to the global Forbes brand.

Express-Gazeta (eg.ru) - Example of a Federal Russian Media Outlet

How to prove eg.ru major status

Document	What It Proves
Roskomnadzor License	Distribution in Russia and abroad - international reach
Circulation data	Print version 400,000+ copies in 5 countries, 1.2 million readers per issue
Mail.ru ranking	#12 among newspapers by traffic (May 2025)
Medialogia 2025	#9 among Russia’s most cited newspapers (March 2025)
Medialogia 2022	#9 among the most cited newspapers (June 2022)
Mass newspaper ranking	#6 among Russia’s mass-market newspapers (Q3 2012)
Sales leader	Winner of “Sales Leader of the Year” 2011 in the “Entertainment Press” category (3rd consecutive year)
Lady Universe 2019	Outlet’s journalist - winner of international award in the “Lady Reporter” category
Traffic Report	2.96 million visits per month (April 2025)

Why it works: Medialogia rankings from different years (2022, 2025) + multiple types of recognition (Mail.ru, Medialogia, sales ranking) + international reach (5 countries) + journalist awards.

Svobodnaya Pressa - Example with International Journalist Award

Documents for proving Svobodnaya Pressa major status

Document	What It Proves
Roskomnadzor Certificate	Registration No FS 77-77526, December 31, 2019
TOP Mail.ru February 2025	#6 among newspapers
Medialogia June 2014	#17 in TOP-30 most cited internet resources
Brandanalytics June 2023	#21 in TOP-100 most viral Russian-language media
Brandanalytics January 2025	Included in TOP-20 most viral media
Kommersant (2006)	Coverage of the holding’s strategic growth; partnership with “AiF”; circulation of 2.3 million copies per month
PRC Award	Journalist Mikhail Morozov received the highest government award of China - the PRC State Council Friendship Prize
SimilarWeb	22+ million visits per month

Why it works: International journalist award (PRC Friendship Prize) + coverage in Kommersant + ranking dynamics (2014->2023->2025) + media holding with printing facility + 22 million visits.

Rossiyskaya Gazeta - Example of a Government Publication

Documents for proving RG major status

Document	What It Proves
Roskomnadzor Certificate	Registration No 302, September 28, 1993 - official media registration
Medialogia August 2024	#5 among Russian newspapers
Scimago Spring 2025	#5 among all Russian general news media; circulation of 700,000+ copies per day
TASS (25th anniversary)	5 million readers per week, circulation 3.32 million, revenue 3.114 billion rubles, 27 countries
LiveInternet	2.5 million visitors in 31 days
Traffic Analysis	31.38 million visits per month; top 140 in Russia
Golden Pen 2017, 2024	Awards from the Union of Journalists of Russia to RG journalists

Why it works: Official government publication (publishes Russian federal laws) + international scale (27 countries, 22 websites in 16 languages) + 30+ years of history + numerous awards.

Pravda.ru - Example with Rankings Across Different Years

How to prove Pravda.ru major status

Key facts:

One of the oldest online media outlets in Russia (since 1999)
International version in English
Millions of readers per month

Tip: Use Wayback Machine to show historical traffic data. This demonstrates sustained major status.

Argumenty Nedeli - Example with International Recognition

How to prove Argumenty Nedeli major status

Key facts:

Federal weekly newspaper
Print circulation 150,000+ copies
Online version argumenti.ru
Distribution in 80+ Russian regions

There are successful approval cases with this publication.

TAdviser - Example of a Trade Publication for IT

How to prove TAdviser professional/trade status

Document	What It Proves
Roskomnadzor License	EL No FS 77-86651 (January 2024) - official registration
Medialogia 2024	#8 in Top-20 most cited IT/Telecom media
CNews ranking 2023	#8 in Top-20 most cited IT/Telecom media
Rankings 2011-2022	Consistently in the top: #4 (2022), #2 (2019), #5 (2017)
Digital Journalism 2024	Laureate - best source of digital technology analytics
Digital Journalism 2023	Winner - one of the leaders in IT journalism in Russia
PR in IT Award 2016	“Best IT Media”
Russoft Award 2021	Award for popularization of the IT industry
Citation in Kommersant	Analytical materials cited by leading federal business media
IT PRIZE	Organizer of a national IT industry award
TAdviser SummIT	Organizer of major IT conferences with market leaders
Traffic Report	1.21 million visits (October 2025)

Why it works as a trade publication:

Target audience: business/IT professionals (CIOs, IT directors)
Multi-year rankings (2011-2024) - sustained recognition
Industry awards (Digital Journalism 2023-2024, PR in IT, Russoft)
Organizer of awards and conferences (IT PRIZE, TAdviser SummIT)
Citation by federal media (Kommersant)

Approval example

“In support of this criterion, you submitted articles from: www.eg.ru; www.tadviser.ru; Cover letters citing Similarweb statistics… USCIS has reviewed the evidence submitted in support of this classification and has determined that you have established eligibility under this regulatory criterion.”

Criterion credited! What worked: eg.ru + tadviser.ru + SimilarWeb data in cover letters.

International Media (Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, UK)

Ukrainian Media

For Ukrainian media, it is important to demonstrate national leadership within the country. USCIS understands that Ukrainian media have a smaller audience than American ones but evaluates them as major media within the context of their own country.

Dialog.ua (Ukraine) - example with Newsweek citation