Do EB1A Approval Rates Favor Researchers Over Business Professionals? (2023–2024 Data Explained)?

2. What USCIS Approval Rate Data Can Actually Tell You?

Before we talk about researchers versus business professionals, we need to define something important: USCIS does not publish EB1A approval rates by profession or industry. That means there is no official USCIS table that says how many EB1A petitions were approved for researchers compared to product managers, marketing leaders, founders, consultants, strategy professionals, or operations leaders.

USCIS reports EB1A under Form I-140 outcomes, and EB1A itself is captured under the classification E11 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability). The official USCIS data includes counts like how many E11 cases were received, approved, denied, and pending by fiscal year and quarter. That is the most accurate, USCIS-backed way to discuss EB1A approvals for 2023 and 2024. However, it also means we cannot honestly claim that USCIS data proves EB1A “favors” one profession over another, because the data does not separate those professions in the first place.

So when you see someone confidently sharing “business vs researcher EB1A approval rates from USCIS,” what they are usually doing is interpreting outcomes from outside sources, or making assumptions based on trends. That may be interesting, but it is not the same as official USCIS reporting.

3. Then Why Does It Feel Like Researchers Are Favored?

Even though the USCIS data does not show profession-level breakdowns, the perception exists for a reason. Researchers often have a type of professional footprint that naturally creates documentation USCIS officers can evaluate quickly. Academic and research careers produce standard forms of proof like peer-reviewed publications, citation counts, conference presentations, invitations to review papers, editorial roles, and awards that come from highly competitive selection processes.

These kinds of achievements often map neatly to EB1A criteria. That does not mean the law is biased toward research. It simply means the evidence format is familiar. When a case is easy to understand on paper, it often has fewer gaps that trigger questions.

That is why people assume researchers are favored. It is not necessarily because officers prefer them, but because research evidence often looks more standardized, more easily verifiable, and more widely recognized across borders.

4. Business professionals are not weaker, but their evidence needs stronger translation

Business professionals often have extraordinary impact, but the challenge is that business impact can look “invisible” unless it is framed correctly. A product leader may build a platform that supports millions of users. A strategy professional may lead modernization work that saves millions in costs. A marketing leader may drive measurable revenue growth. A founder may create systems that change how an industry operates.

In real life, that is extraordinary. But EB1A is not awarded based on how important your work feels to your team or how impressive your resume looks to your manager. USCIS evaluates whether the petition proves extraordinary ability through evidence that clearly demonstrates selectivity, recognition, and measurable influence at a level that places you among the small percentage at the top of your field.

That is where many business EB1A cases lose strength. It is not because the applicant is not qualified. It is because their documentation looks too internal, too team-based, or too close to standard job performance when it is not framed with the right narrative and supporting proof.

5. What Does “Favoring Researchers” Actually Mean In Practical Terms?

When someone says approval rates favor researchers, they usually mean one of two things. Either they believe researchers get approved more often because they have publications, or they believe business professionals get rejected because their achievements are hard to measure. Neither of these statements is automatically true, but both contain a partial truth: USCIS likes evidence that is verifiable, comparative, and easy to evaluate using familiar standards.

For researchers, that clarity often comes from citations, journals, and peer review history. For business professionals, that clarity needs to be built through impact metrics, selective leadership documentation, and third-party validation that proves your expertise is recognized beyond ordinary employment expectations.

In other words, the advantage is not a profession. The advantage is how easily your evidence speaks USCIS language.

6. What Do Business Professionals Need To Prove For A Strong EB1A Case?

A strong business EB1A case typically succeeds when it proves three things clearly and consistently. First, the case must establish selectivity, meaning you were chosen for roles, responsibilities, and opportunities that not everyone in your peer group would receive. This is where competitive promotions, differentiated compensation, high-trust ownership, and critical role selection matter.

Second, it must show measurable influence. Business professionals should not just claim they created impact; they must connect their work to outcomes in a way that is credible and specific. This could include revenue movement, cost reduction, performance improvement, growth acceleration, operational efficiency gains, risk reduction, security outcomes, or industry-level adoption. The evidence must show what changed because of your contributions.

Third, it must demonstrate recognition in a meaningful way. Recognition can look different for business candidates. It can come from speaking engagements, judging roles, selective memberships, invited expert contributions, credible media coverage, or strong reference letters from independent experts. The goal is to show that your expertise is recognized, not just appreciated internally.

7. The Real Takeaway From 2023–2024 Data Conversations

The most important takeaway is this: even though the keyword “USCIS EB1A approval rates 2023 2024 business fields” is trending, USCIS does not publish an official business-only approval rate for EB1A. What USCIS does publish is overall EB1A outcomes under E11, and those outcomes include every type of EB1A applicant.

So the smartest way to interpret approval rates is not to use them as a personal forecast. Instead, use them as motivation to prepare your case correctly. For business professionals, that means your strategy should focus less on copying research-style evidence and more on clearly translating your business excellence into criteria-aligned proof.

If your work is truly high impact, the goal is to make it undeniable on paper.

8. FAQS

1) Does USCIS publish EB1A approval rates for business fields separately?

No. USCIS publishes EB1A outcomes under Form I-140 classification E11 (Extraordinary Ability), but does not categorize or report approval rates by profession, such as business applicants versus researchers, in its official public data.

2) Are researchers more likely to get EB1A approved than business professionals?

USCIS does not publish profession-based approval rates, so there is no official proof of that claim. Researchers often have clearer documentation like publications and peer review records, while business professionals need stronger translation of impact and recognition.

3) Can business professionals qualify for EB1A without publications?

Yes. Publications can help, but they are not mandatory for EB1A. Business professionals can qualify by proving extraordinary ability through strong evidence of original contributions, judging roles, awards, leading or critical roles, and recognized influence.

4) Should I decide my EB1A strategy based only on approval rate numbers?

No. Approval rates provide a general context but do not predict your individual outcome. USCIS decisions depend on the strength of your evidence, how clearly it maps to EB1A criteria, and how convincingly your achievements show extraordinary ability.