MeritDraft    Free preview

    For EB-1A self-petitioners

    Self-petitioning for EB-1A? Get the strategy and letters attorneys build.

    Grounded in the published AAO decisions for your field — not a template.

    Free. No password, no card. Your CV is used only to build your preview and is never used to train AI. Takes about 90 seconds.

    See where your case stands first. Full package $79 one-time, only if you want it.

    4,547 published AAO EB-1A decisions analyzedZero data retentionEditable Word output

    What you get

    • Strategy memo mapping your CV to the ten EB-1A criteria, showing which you can actually prove
    • Recommendation / support letter drafts with exhibit references woven in
    • Criteria-by-criteria narrative and final-merits argument

    Every argument cites the USCIS Policy Manual, 8 C.F.R., and published AAO decisions. Attorney review recommended before filing.

    Sample — redacted O-1A petition draft17 pages · .docx

    II. QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

    The Beneficiary satisfies at least three of the eight regulatory criteria at 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(o)(3)(iii)(B). As the AAO has explained, the evidence must be evaluated first against each criterion and then in a final-merits determination…

    III. ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MAJOR SIGNIFICANCE (B)(5)

    The Beneficiary's work on ██████████ has been adopted by ████ and cited in ███ independent publications (see Exhibit C5-01 through C5-07). Unlike the petition in Matter of ████, where the AAO found letters "describe the work in general terms without explaining its impact," each letter here identifies…

    Read the full sample draft
    88.2%
    of 4,547 published EB-1A AAO appeals were dismissed
    (1999–2025)

    Most EB-1A petitions fail on the same things

    Most dismissals claim three or more criteria but document them with job titles and employer letters instead of independent evidence of how the field responded to the work.

    Your draft is built against those patterns: every criterion is argued the way the sustained cases documented it, and the free preview tells you which ones you can't yet prove.

    See the EB-1A outcome data by field Browse the decisions

    How it works

    Attorney-prepared EB-1A petitions typically run $5,000–15,000 in legal fees. Most of that pays for the drafting.

    STEP 1

    Upload your CV

    PDF is fine. Add publications, letters, press — whatever you have.

    STEP 2

    Free strategy preview

    In about 90 seconds: where your case is strong, where it's thin, and why — using AAO decisions in your field.

    STEP 3

    Generate the full package

    Pay $79 once. Strategy, letters and narrative are drafted from your evidence, usually within 10 minutes.

    STEP 4

    Review and file

    Editable Word file, 5 revisions included. Take it to an attorney for a review session, or file it yourself.

    $79one-time · full EB-1A package
    • Free strategy preview before you pay anything
    • Strategy memo, letters and criteria narrative · 5 revisions · editable Word
    • 7-day refund · attorney review recommended before filing

    Free. No password, no card. Your CV is used only to build your preview and is never used to train AI. Takes about 90 seconds.

    Questions

    You must document at least three of the ten criteria listed in 8 C.F.R. 204.5(h)(3), unless you have a one-time major internationally recognized award. USCIS then makes a final merits determination on whether the evidence as a whole shows sustained acclaim. The strategy memo shows which criteria your evidence can support, and the narrative argues each one and the final merits.

    No. EB-1A is the one employment-based category in which you can file the petition yourself, with no employer sponsor and no labor certification. You do still need to show you are coming to continue work in your field of extraordinary ability in the United States, and the draft addresses that.

    The regulation describes an individual who is among the small percentage at the very top of their field, with acclaim that has been sustained over time rather than from a single event. The draft does not rely on job titles or employer letters alone. It builds the argument from independent evidence of how the field has recognized and responded to your work.

    No. MeritDraft is a drafting tool, not a law firm, and nothing it produces is legal advice. It maps your record to the criteria using published AAO decisions and drafts the memo, letters and narrative for you. Whether and how to file is your decision, and we recommend an attorney review before you submit.

    Yes — that is the point. Draft here, then pay an attorney for a review session instead of for weeks of drafting. You get a standard .docx you can hand over.

    The free preview tells you before you pay. It flags where the evidence is thin using the reasons AAO has dismissed EB-1A petitions in your field. If the case isn't ready, you have spent nothing.

    One complete EB-1A petition draft: the strategy memo, recommendation letter drafts, and the criteria narrative, as an editable Word document with 5 revisions so you can add evidence and rebuild. One-time payment, no subscription.

    If the draft doesn't meet your standards, email us within 7 days and we refund it.

    Zero retention: once your draft is generated and downloaded, your evidence is deleted from our systems and is never used to train AI models. Encrypted in transit and at rest on US servers.