I didn’t know WES could give a pre-PhD status — I thought after a master’s the next level was only the PhD. So does that mean you can apply for EB-1 without a PhD if WES evaluated your degree that way? Has anyone gotten that evaluation and what did they do with it afterwards?
For EB-1A it’s not about the degree at all — they look at the criteria of extraordinariness, not the diploma. WES prePhD can formally close the education question, but from what I’ve read, EB-1A probably won’t fly even with a bunch of papers without a PhD, simply because without the doctorate the portfolio is usually weaker. So a WES evaluation is more of a formality; the main thing is how strong the other criteria are.
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Got it, thanks. So even if WES issues a pre-PhD, is it still pointless to apply for an EB-1 without a strong portfolio?
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WES for EB-1 really isn’t required at all — USCIS doesn’t have a formal degree requirement there. I myself have a WES evaluation that says my PhD is comparable to an American one; I got it when I was thinking about EB-2. If you’re applying for EB-1, that paper will just go into the file as an additional document; nobody really looks at it — it’s all about the criteria.
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I have a bachelor’s degree, an engineering degree, and a certificate for the candidate-minimum exams — all together WES gave PrePhD. The more documents you send at once, the higher the evaluation may be. By the way about EB-2 — there are two different tracks: Advanced Degree, where a diploma is required, and Exceptional Ability, where you prove it by other means and a diploma is not mandatory. It’s a bit different from EB-1, but if your portfolio doesn’t yet reach extraordinary, it’s worth looking into.
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The Candidate of Sciences applied under six criteria — associations, media, jury, contribution, scholarly articles, critical role — and was approved. The degree was never discussed; only the evidence for each item was considered.
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One more point about EB-2 NIW — immigration authorities recently clarified the requirements: for the advanced-degree path it’s important that the education is directly related to the prospective work and the expertise claimed under the NIW. So if your PhD is in one field but you plan to work in another, that route won’t work the way you’d like; you should look at the Exceptional Ability track. That track requires a different set of evidence — the diploma isn’t the main thing.
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My husband, without finishing his PhD, got an I-140 approval under EB-2 NIW — he had publications and citations, and that was enough. Formal diplomas/credentials don’t matter to officials in the NIW context. If you want to see how people succeeded with different educational backgrounds, there’s a case study roundup with real examples.
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I’m currently assembling my EB-1A application — in none of the consultations was there any discussion about WES or a diploma. Everything revolves around the criteria: publications, serving on juries, membership in professional associations, a critical role. USCIS literally lists 10 criteria and you need to prove at least three — there’s not a word about a degree.
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Same story with the O-1 — my degree never formally came up anywhere. I got an RFE five days after filing; they asked to clarify the criteria for my achievements, not a word about the diploma. For EB-1A there’s no such criterion at all — having a PhD can be a plus for the case, but it’s definitely not a requirement.
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WES prePhD is for the EB-2 advanced-degree track — a degree is mandatory there. For EB-1A there’s no diploma requirement in principle; you need to meet 3 out of the 10 criteria, and that evaluation won’t do it.
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