I worked as a direct advisor to the CEO at the foreign company, without a formal manager title. Does that count?

It can count. In the EB-1 category for multinational executives and managers, what the authority evaluates is not the job title, but the actual nature of the functions you performed: the degree of authority, the scope of decision-making, and the responsibility over areas, policies, or teams within the organization.

Advising the CEO directly, even without a manager label, can qualify when your activities were genuinely managerial or executive in nature. Points in your favor include:

• You participated in strategic decisions or set the direction for business areas.
• You coordinated teams, projects, or relevant functions within the organizational structure.
• You held recognized autonomy and authority, rather than a purely supportive role.

On the other hand, if your role was limited to advising or providing support without managerial prerogatives, the classification becomes more difficult. The decisive factor is documentary evidence: organizational charts, job descriptions, employer letters, and records that show what you actually decided and directed.

Since each case is analyzed individually by the competent authority, it is worth gathering consistent documentation and verifying the updated requirements with USCIS or a specialist before filing a petition.

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.