My advisor says I can use doctoral teaching time. Does it count for EB-1B?

It may count, but with caveats. The EB-1B is the green card pathway for outstanding professors and researchers and requires a qualifying record of teaching or research, along with a job offer from a recognized U.S. institution. Whether doctoral teaching experience qualifies depends on the nature of that involvement.

The key distinction is the type of role. Serving as a teaching assistant with limited responsibilities typically carries little weight. On the other hand, teaching that involved genuine academic engagement and contributed to your standing in the field tends to be viewed more favorably.

• Substantive academic involvement counts more than incidental auxiliary tasks.
• The experience must be documented and tied to your overall academic trajectory.
• The full body of evidence, such as publications, awards, and letters, supports the outstanding profile required.

Since each case is evaluated individually by USCIS and the standards are rigorous, it is best to build a strong evidentiary record and verify current requirements on the official USCIS website or with an immigration specialist before relying on that time.

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.