I was a CEO, but my overseas company was small (8 employees). Can I qualify for EB-1C?

The EB-1C weighs the nature of your role far more than the size of the overseas company. Having served as CEO is a recognized leadership position, and a lean team does not, by itself, rule out eligibility.

The sensitive point with a small company is demonstrating that you genuinely performed managerial or executive functions, rather than day-to-day operational tasks. It typically helps to show that:

• The company maintained regular, real commercial operations.
• Your decisions set the strategic direction of the business.
• There was a structure in which you led people or a core function of the organization.

In addition, the EB-1C requires a qualifying corporate relationship (parent, branch, or subsidiary) between the overseas company and the U.S. entity, with continuity of your executive role. Smaller companies tend to receive closer scrutiny, which makes clear documentation even more important.

Since each case is evaluated individually, it is worth gathering strong evidence of your role and confirming current requirements with USCIS or a qualified 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.