EB-1A · Extraordinary Ability · Profession Guide
EB-1A for Mechanical and aerospace engineers: Kazarian Criteria & AAO Patterns
How mechanical and aerospace engineers satisfy the Kazarian two-step analysis: which of the ten regulatory criteria are most accessible for this profession, and what final-merits evidence has cleared AAO scrutiny.
Based on 6,362 real USCIS AAO decisions · Last updated May 2026
Short answer
EB-1A requires mechanical and aerospace engineers to meet at least 3 of the 10 Kazarian regulatory criteria and then clear a final-merits analysis that the petitioner has sustained national or international acclaim. EB-1A denials for mechanical/aerospace engineers commonly fault sustained-acclaim when the record describes excellent work on a single program.
Most accessible Kazarian criteria for mechanical and aerospace engineers
The regulation requires that you meet at least 3 of 10 criteria from 8 CFR § 204.5(h)(3). Below are the criteria most commonly satisfied in EB-1A petitions by mechanical and aerospace engineers, with profession-specific evidence patterns.
- 1
Original contributions of major significance
Granted patents on flight-safety, propulsion, or thermal-management innovations with downstream adoption (in production, in flight, or in published standards).
- 2
Authorship of scholarly articles
Refereed conference papers (AIAA SciTech, ASME IMECE, IEEE/AIAA aerospace conferences) and journal publications with citation evidence.
- 3
Service as a judge of others' work
SAE / ASME / AIAA / ASTM committee positions, peer review for AIAA journals, NASA / FAA proposal reviewer service.
- 4
Leading or critical role for distinguished organizations
Principal-investigator or chief-engineer role on a named program (DoD program of record, NASA mission, FAA certification campaign).
Final-merits framing under Kazarian step 2
Final-merits framing here typically rewards program-level impact (flying hardware, certified designs, deployed systems) over publication volume. A petition strong on papers but light on deployed-system evidence often fails final merits.
Why EB-1A petitions by mechanical and aerospace engineers fail at AAO
EB-1A denials for mechanical/aerospace engineers commonly fault sustained-acclaim when the record describes excellent work on a single program. Multiple programs over multiple years with named-program roles is the cleanest counter-evidence.
For context: across all professions, 5.9% of NIW appeals are approved at the AAO level. EB-1A appeals follow similar dynamics — most denials are at first-pass USCIS, and AAO data reveals which arguments fail at the highest scrutiny level.
Build your EB-1A petition with profession-specific framing
Our $99 EB-1A Petition Builder generates a Kazarian-framework petition letter section by section, with criterion-by-criterion evidence framing tailored to your profile and references to similar approved AAO cases in our 6,362-decision corpus.
One-time payment, no subscription. Greenway AI is a data + document-generation platform, not a law firm; nothing here is legal advice.