Criterion 5 of 10
View Evidence ChecklistOriginal Contributions of Major Significance
Have you made an invention or discovery that influenced the whole field?
Difficulty
Medium
Common for
Engineers, Scientists
Key Insight
Must show significant impact in the field
Evidence Strength Examples
USCIS evaluates the strength of your evidence. Here's what they look for:
High Evidence Strength
Strong evidence that clearly demonstrates extraordinary ability
Patents licensed by major corporations, widely used open-source software, or research that changed industry standards/guidelines.
Medium Evidence Strength
Moderate evidence that may need additional documentation
Innovations adopted by your company/clients, or research with moderate citations.
Low Evidence Strength
Weak evidence that typically doesn't meet USCIS standards
Patents that were never licensed/used, or research that hasn't been cited much.
How to Document This Criterion
Evidence to Collect
Types of documentation USCIS looks for
- Patent documents with usage/licensing information
- Citation counts and impact metrics (Google Scholar, etc.)
- Letters from experts confirming significance
- Evidence of adoption (GitHub stars, downloads, etc.)
- Industry standards or guidelines referencing your work
Pro Tips
Expert advice for stronger documentation
- 💡This is often the STRONGEST criterion—document thoroughly
- 💡Get expert testimonials explaining why your contribution matters
- 💡Show IMPACT: who uses it, how it changed practices
- 💡Quantify wherever possible: users, citations, revenue generated