EB-1B without recommendation letters. Is it possible?

In the EB-1B category, recommendation letters are not a strict formal requirement, but they tend to be a central piece of the petition. They help demonstrate, through independent evaluations by experts, the quality and impact of your work as an outstanding researcher or professor.

This means it is possible to build a case without them, as long as you compensate for their absence with equally strong evidence of international recognition. Among the types of evidence that carry more weight in this scenario:

• High-impact publications and citations of your work by other researchers.
• Awards and distinctions relevant to your field.
• Research grants and other indicators of leadership and influence.

It is worth being realistic: without the letters, the bar for demonstrating relevance tends to be higher, and the body of evidence needs to speak for itself with great clarity. Since each case is evaluated individually by USCIS, it is worth assessing the strength of your evidence and confirming the best strategy with a specialist before filing.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.