O-1A and EB-1A share criteria, not a bar

A question that comes up a lot: "If I qualify for O-1A, does that mean I qualify for EB-1A?" Not necessarily, even though the two classifications share almost the same evidentiary framework (O-1A's eight regulatory criteria overlap heavily with EB-1A's ten). What's actually different: - O-1A is temporary, nonimmigrant status tied to a specific job or event; EB-1A is a path to a green card - O-1A generally needs a US employer or agent to petition on your behalf; EB-1A allows self-petitioning - The two sets of criteria overlap but aren't identical, and adjudicators can apply them somewhat differently between the classifications - O-1A has no annual numerical cap or country-of-birth backlog; EB-1A does Practically, most of the work transfers even when the standard doesn't automatically: award documentation, published material, expert letters, evidence of a leading or critical role — all of that evidence is reusable across O-1A, EB-1A, and, with different framing, EB-2 NIW. Building it once and reframing it for whichever classification you're pursuing is far more efficient than starting over for each one.