EB-1A Criterion 3 Checklist: Complete Documentation Guide for Published Material Evidence

To satisfy EB-1A Criterion 3 (Published Material) under 8 CFR §204.5(h)(3)(iii), your evidence package must include: (1) the article itself with title, date, and author visible; (2) proof the publication qualifies as major media with traffic and category rank data; (3) a comparative traffic analysis showing the publication's standing relative to peers; (4) evidence the article is about you specifically, not just your company; and (5) exhibit assembly with cover page and labeled tabs. This checklist covers every step. Use it before every Criterion 3 exhibit you file.

Before You Start — Qualifying the Article

These are go/no-go criteria. If any are "no," the article does not qualify for Criterion 3.

• The article was written by someone other than you — a staff journalist or editor
• The article is primarily about you or your work (not a one-line mention in a list)
• The article relates to your field of extraordinary ability (not an unrelated topic)
• The publication date is verifiable — not undated or with an ambiguous timestamp
• You can identify the author — article is not anonymous or AI-generated
• The publication is not a pay-to-publish platform — not Forbes Contributor, Forbes Councils, or similar (see Forbes Contributor guide)
• The article is not labeled as sponsored, paid, or advertorial content

If all boxes are checked, proceed to the full documentation checklist.

Checklist Part 1 — The Article Itself

• Full printout of the article — not just the URL, not a screenshot of the headline
• URL clearly visible in the printout header or footer (use browser print settings to show URL)
• Publication name clearly visible in the masthead or header
• Author's name and title visible — confirm author is a journalist/staff member, not you or a council member
• Publication date visible — month, day, and year
• Passages about you highlighted or flagged with a tab — makes it easy for the officer to find the relevant text
• If the article is in a foreign language: certified translation included alongside the original
• If the article is paywalled: include a subscriber printout with the full article text (URL still visible in browser print)
• If the article has been updated since original publication: note the original publication date; both dates should be visible if they differ

Checklist Part 2 — Publication Verification (The Most Commonly Missed Step)

This is where most self-represented petitioners fail. USCIS does not automatically know whether a publication qualifies as major media — you must prove it.

• SimilarWeb monthly visitors screenshot — showing the publication's monthly traffic (last 3 months or most recent data point)
• SimilarWeb global rank screenshot — showing the publication's global position
• SimilarWeb category rank screenshot — the most important metric; shows rank within the relevant topic category (News, Technology, Business, etc.)
• Screenshots are dated — either visibly show the date accessed or are accompanied by a note of the access date
• Comparison table created — showing the target publication versus 2-3 peer publications in the same category

Comparison table format:

• If SimilarWeb shows insufficient data: alternative source included — SEMrush, Ahrefs, or for print publications, an ABC/BPA circulation audit certificate
• For print publications with circulation data: include the most recent ABC or BPA Worldwide audit certificate

See How to Use SimilarWeb as EB-1A Evidence for the complete SimilarWeb documentation methodology and how to handle publications where SimilarWeb shows limited data.

Checklist Part 3 — Editorial Standards Evidence

• Screenshot of the publication's masthead or editorial team page — shows the publication has a professional editorial staff
• Screenshot of editorial guidelines, submission policy, or about page — confirms editorial independence
• Confirmation the publication is not pay-to-publish — for any outlet where this might be questioned, a brief note explaining the publication's editorial model
• For Forbes articles specifically: verify the URL does not contain /sites/[name]/ or /councils/ — if it does, the article does not qualify (see Forbes Contributor guide)
• For trade journals or academic publications: document peer-review or editorial board process if applicable
• For digital-only publications: confirm the outlet employs staff journalists (check the About or Masthead page)

Checklist Part 4 — Comparative Standing Summary

This is the written component that ties the data together. USCIS officers are not traffic data experts — the interpretation paragraph translates the numbers into a qualification argument.

• Written summary paragraph drafted using this template:

"According to SimilarWeb, [Publication Name] receives approximately [X] million monthly visitors as of [Month Year], ranking #[X] globally and #[X] in the [Category Name] category — placing it among the top [N] [field] publications by audience reach. This compares favorably to [Peer 1] ([X]M monthly visitors, Category Rank #[X]) and [Peer 2] ([X]M monthly visitors, Category Rank #[X])."

• Publication positioned relative to its field — not just compared to NYT (which would make most outlets look small), but compared to true peers in the same topic category
• Category rank cited specifically — "ranks #24 among US News publications" is more meaningful than citing global rank alone for a US-focused outlet

Checklist Part 5 — Exhibit Assembly

A well-organized exhibit is easier for the USCIS officer to evaluate. Disorganized evidence packages are more likely to generate RFEs requesting clarification.

• Cover page created: "Exhibit [X]: Evidence of Published Material About [Petitioner Name] in Major Media"
• Tabs labeled and organized in this order: Article Copy → Traffic Data → Comparison Table → Editorial Standards → Supplementary Materials
• No loose papers — all materials in labeled dividers or clearly sequenced sections
• Publication verification memo included — a 1-page summary of the major media argument for this specific outlet
• Page numbers on all exhibit materials (counsel uses these to reference evidence in the petition letter)
• If multiple articles from the same publication: each article gets its own exhibit tab; the publication data can be shared across tabs with a reference note

Special Cases — Additional Checklist Items

Foreign-Language Publications

• Certified translation from a USCIS-recognized translator (translator must certify competency in both languages)
• Original language version included alongside the translation (both must be in the exhibit)
• Country-specific traffic data cited — use the publication's country rank rather than global rank for country-of-origin readership context
• If the publication is major media only in a non-US country: document the publication's standing in its home country and include a brief note on the field-relative major media standard

Broadcast / Television Appearances

• Video recording or transcript of the appearance
• Broadcast reach data — Nielsen ratings, affiliate market data, or network-provided viewership figures
• Network credibility documentation — about page, media kit, or Wikipedia article on the channel/network
• Segment clearly about you — timestamp or description identifying which segment covers you specifically

Podcast Appearances

• Episode link and description with your name and topic visible
• Listener count data — Spotify for Podcasters download stats, Apple Podcasts analytics, or Chartable data
• Podcast category ranking — where the podcast ranks in its Apple Podcasts or Spotify category
• Note that podcast evidence is generally Tier 3 and requires stronger documentation than print or digital publications

Common Checklist Failures That Cause RFEs

These are the five most frequent Criterion 3 documentation errors, based on RFE patterns reported by immigration attorneys:

1. No publication traffic or circulation data. The single most common failure. USCIS cannot assess whether an outlet is major media without data. Every Criterion 3 exhibit that is not for a universally recognized Tier 1 outlet (NYT, WSJ, Bloomberg) needs SimilarWeb or circulation data.

2. Article is about the company, not the petitioner. Criterion 3 requires material "about the alien" — the individual petitioner, not their employer or company. An article about Company X that mentions the petitioner as one of many employees does not independently satisfy this requirement. The petitioner must be a primary subject with substantive individual coverage.

3. Forbes Contributor or Forbes Councils article submitted as editorial evidence. USCIS officers recognize the /sites/[name]/ and /councils/ URL patterns. Contributor and Councils content is pay-to-publish and fails the editorial independence test. See Forbes Contributor Guide.

4. No comparative standing data. A SimilarWeb screenshot for the target publication alone is insufficient — without comparison data, the officer cannot assess whether the publication's numbers are strong or weak relative to peers in the category.

5. Foreign-language article without certified translation. USCIS requires certified translations for all non-English materials. An uncertified translation or a machine translation is not sufficient.

What MediaProof Handles Automatically

MediaProof automates the most documentation-intensive parts of this checklist:

• SimilarWeb data capture with timestamps
• Comparison table generation for peer publications
• Editorial vs. pay-to-publish verification
• Interpretation paragraph drafting
• USCIS-formatted PDF exhibit creation

What you still handle manually:

• Obtaining the full article printout (especially for paywalled articles)
• Highlighting passages about you in the article
• Certified translations for foreign-language articles
• Broadcast and podcast-specific data

For the complete framework underlying this checklist, see EB-1A Criterion III: Published Material and What Counts as Major Media for EB-1A. For the step-by-step documentation process, see How to Prove a Publication is Major Media for EB-1A. For the attorney-focused exhibit guide, see EB-1A Media Evidence: What Lawyers Include.

Start building your Criterion 3 exhibits at mediaproof.co

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an EB-1A Criterion 3 evidence package need to include?

A complete package needs: (1) full article printout with URL, date, and author; (2) SimilarWeb screenshots for the publication; (3) a comparison table against 2-3 peer publications; (4) editorial standards documentation; and (5) a written interpretation paragraph. Each article requires its own exhibit with all five components.

What is the most common mistake in EB-1A media evidence submissions?

Failing to include publication traffic and comparative standing data. USCIS must be shown that a publication qualifies as major media — it does not assume this. The second most common mistake is submitting Forbes Contributor or Councils content as editorial evidence, which USCIS specifically challenges.

Do I need to prove the publication's traffic for EB-1A?

Yes, for any outlet that is not a universally recognized Tier 1 publication. SimilarWeb monthly visitors, global rank, and category rank are the standard accepted metrics. The category rank is the most important number for field-relative major media arguments.

Can a paywalled article be used for EB-1A Criterion 3?

Yes. Paywalled articles fully qualify. Submit a full subscriber printout of the article with URL, date, and author visible. Publications including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Financial Times are paywalled — the paywall has no effect on evidentiary value.

Last updated: April 2026

MediaProof Team — specialists in EB-1A media evidence documentation