PMI: membership for the O-1 / EB-1A visa
Association
A reference card from our catalog.
From the organisation's official site
What the organisation itself states on its site pmi.org. Paraphrased, checked Oct 2, 2026.
- Organiser
- Project Management Institute (PMI); the site calls it the largest professional association for project professionals.
- Founded
- The site gives 1969 as the year PMI started.
- How admission works
- The membership pages describe no selection: membership is purchased. Certifications such as PMP are a separate process from membership.
- Membership levels
- Options: a free website account, a free 30-day trial membership, and PMI Professional Membership for 12 months billed annually; discounted student membership and local chapter membership also exist.
- Fees
- The pages read (membership, FAQ) do not state the membership price; they say members get up to 30% off certification, learning and events.
- Members
- According to the site, PMI has 800,000 members and more than 1.7 million PMI certification holders.
- The PMP exam requires project management experience (e.g. 3 years with a bachelor's degree or 5 years with a high school diploma) and 35 hours of training; the exam fee is paid after the application is accepted.
Source: the organisation's site pmi.org (pages /membership, /certifications/project-management-pmp), checked Oct 2, 2026; the version on the site applies.
What officers look at: 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3)(ii) - admission terms and bylaws
Membership in PMI counts under the membership criterion only if admission requires outstanding achievement judged by recognized experts; paid membership does not qualify.
The "Memberships" criterion: what USCIS requires and how to meet itOpen the full catalogSimilar (General)
FAQ
- What do community chats say about "PMI"?
- Public chats mentioned "PMI" 11 times (2023-2026): 1 positive, 2 negative, 7 neutral (a count as of 2026-09-10, not a rating; quotes below).
Documents and templates from the library
Mentions of PMI in community chats
11 mentions between 2023 and 2026· 1 2neutral 7, questions 1
A count of mentions in public chats as of 2026-09-10, not a rating: one message is one mention, and the tone is classified automatically.
«I just found out that they give I-20 for university certificate programs (not diplomas). With a diploma in management, you can study project management and strengthen your case. They say the PMI certificate opens doors.»
community member· 2023-10· from public community chats
Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, selected automatically and unverified; not legal advice. The organisation may reply through the contact page.
Reference information, not legal advice and not a USCIS decision: the final assessment is the officer's.
Why "Membership" gets refused
Accepted in 12% of challenged petitions (22 of 188); not an approval rate.
The entry requirements do not amount to outstanding achievement. A fee, years of experience, a degree or a member’s referral is not the threshold this criterion demands.
All refusal grounds and the sample