The Reference Letters (Recommendation Letters) and Application Cover Letter

 For EB1 Extraordinary Ability application, an alien applicants needs to have four to five reference letters (also called recommendation letters) from experts in a field attesting to the alien's significant contributions to the field and national or international reputation in the field.

 It is recommended a alien should collect a variety of letters from people outside his or her current employer and/or outside the U.S., and from senior people in U.S. government and industry. The reference letters included in the EB1-Extraordinary Ability application and written by field experts should include the following:

1) Writer's qualifications to issue his/her opinion, and the position of the writer in the field;

2) How the writer knows of the alien's work, and alien's background and achievements as well as commentaries on how the alien's achievements are original contributions of major significance;

3) Commentaries on the significance of the alien's publications, awards, and any memberships in professional associations, and how the alien's work has made significant or outstanding contributions to the field;

4) The alien applicant possesses unique knowledge, abilities, or experience that sets him/her apart from the professional peers.

The worst thing is to obtain several reference letters which are all look same, and may have the same repeated grammatical errors. The USCIS examiners will believe that these letters were actually prepared by the applicant, rather than by the actual referrers.

Also, the EB1-Extraordinary Ability application should include a application cover letter, which should be used as a summary letter discussing the following items:

1) Describes the alien's work and how it affects the field, it’s potential for broader applications;

2) Explains the alien's current work and its future applications, both academically and in the private sector;

3) Describes how the alien is essential or intimately connected to the work, the effects of this work on the U.S. and its people.

The application cover letter and reference letters should be written in plain English. Immigration officers with bachelor's or higher degrees will usually read these letters. They may not know the alien's field, but they do spend most working days evaluating and synthesizing information and drawing conclusions. Therefore, an alien applicant should convince them that the alien is doing exceptional work and that somewhere down the line this work will help someone they know.

For more information, please see EB1 Extraordinary Ability application - The Reference Letters (Recommendation Letters)