How a client from Brazil got an EB-1A approved in nine months

C. had publications, some awards and work in the industry, and she doubted it was enough. Nine months later the EB-1A was approved, one round of USCIS questions included.

In detail

A client from Brazil, whom we call C., got an EB-1A petition approved after nine months of work, counting everything: gathering and preparing the evidence, judging work and the rest of the file. The US immigration service (USCIS) asked one round of questions along the way. She had publications, some awards and work in the industry, and was not sure that would be enough.

"I got my EB-1A approved earlier this year," C. says. "I had a decent profile (publications, some awards, and work in the industry), but I wasn't sure it was strong enough on its own."

What the EB-1A asks for

The EB-1A needs no employer, no job offer and no labor certification: you can file Form I-140 yourself. In return you have to show that you stand at the top of your field. The threshold is three of ten criteria, or a single major international award. A profile like C.'s speaks to rows such as these, though which criteria carried this particular file stays between us and the client.

Three accepted criteria only open the second step. The officer then weighs all the evidence together and decides whether it shows sustained acclaim and places you among the small percentage at the very top. All ten criteria are on our page about the EB-1A green card.

An honest review came first

We told C. at the start which criteria were solid and where the file needed more evidence, and promised nothing beyond that. "The agency didn't overpromise - they told me upfront which criteria were solid and where we needed more evidence," C. says.

In 2026 that first review decides a lot. In the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, USCIS approved 5,232 EB-1A petitions and denied 7,620, a 41% approval rate against 72% two years earlier. From April to June 2026 the rate was 32%. A denial stays on your record and comes up in later filings, so a weak case is better built up or sent elsewhere first: the O-1 visa has a lower bar, and the EB-2 NIW asks a different question.

Where nine months went

The nine months cover the whole case, from the first document to the approval.

• Evidence. "We spent about three months collecting and organizing everything," C. says.
• The petition. Parts of it were rewritten a couple of times after we discussed them with her.
• Judging work and the rest of the file. The nine months include these as well.
• USCIS questions. "There was one round of questions from USCIS, but they prepared the response quickly and the case was approved shortly after."

"Overall it took longer than I hoped, but the process felt structured and I didn't have to figure out the requirements myself," C. says.

Premium processing is what makes a timeline predictable. For $2,965, USCIS acts within 15 business days, and the count starts again once you answer its questions. Without it, 80% of EB-1A petitions finish within 32.5 months, and 28,874 were pending at the end of June 2026.

What an EB-1A costs in government fees

For a self-petitioner the petition costs $965 online or $1,015 by mail, Asylum Program Fee included. Premium processing brings those totals to $3,930 and $3,980. The green card stage is paid separately.

Brazil and the EB-1 queue

Applicants born in Brazil do not wait for a visa number. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-1 is current for every country except China, with a final action date of August 1, 2023, and India, with February 1, 2023. USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for employment-based cases in November, and there too only China and India have a date, July 1, 2024.

An approved petition grants no status: it locks in your priority date and opens the last stage. Inside the USA that stage is Form I-485. From Brazil it runs through the National Visa Center and an interview at a consulate, and this is where the calendar can move. Brazil was among the 75 countries whose nationals received no immigrant visas from January 21 to August 21, 2026. A federal court vacated that pause, and on October 19 an appeals judge kept that decision in place until a three-judge panel rules. Our comparison of the US green card for talent shows how this category sits next to the NIW and the O-1.

If your profile looks decent but you are not sure

C. started with the doubt most strong professionals have: good work, some recognition and no way to tell whether it clears the bar. A clear answer on day one replaced that doubt with a plan, and the plan ended in an approval. "I'd use them again if I needed help with something similar," C. says.

Your publications, awards and years of work may already hold more than you think. Murblz reads the profile first, tells you which criteria are solid and where the evidence is thin, and takes the file from the first document to the decision. More client stories are on our about page. Check my EB-1A criteria

In accordance with our NDAs, we do not publish clients' surnames, photos or documents: the photos are illustrative.

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