Where can I find communities for the «Engineering / STEM» field?

In the chat ranking you can filter communities by field and visa, and the chat-picker tool suggests suitable ones in a couple of questions.

Does a Russian patent count, or do I need a US patent?

A Russian patent can be used - for example, it can be shown in translated form through public patent databases. But one patent by itself will not confirm your abilities; it is only one piece of evidence. Note that some countries require the patent to be valid in their territory, so the strategy should be clarified with an attorney.

Does a patent meet any criterion by itself?

No, a patent by itself is not a separate criterion. It shows originality, but for the contribution criterion you need to prove significance: that the invention is applied and has influenced the industry. In one RFE the officer wrote directly that a great many patents are issued and without distribution a patent means little.

Do contributions to open-source projects count?

Yes, contributions to widely used open-source projects can count under the contribution criterion if you prove their significance and distribution. For example, improving a popular project with tens of thousands of GitHub stars is a notable contribution, but a mere set of commits without proof of impact is usually not enough. It is important to show the scale of use properly.

Engineering / STEM

US talent visa for engineers

Updated: June 11, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

Engineers and STEM specialists are strong in original contribution (patents, deployments), authorship and judging, as well as awards from professional societies.

Key answer

Engineering cases usually rest on original contribution, authorship and patents. The main mistake is building the section around the fact that a patent issued: that establishes novelty, not significance. What works is the patent plus independent proof of use - a licence, a contract, deployment by a third party, citations in other filings.

Which criteria usually fit

Original contribution Authorship Judging Awards Leading role

94 AAO decisions in "Engineering / STEM": 1 sustained / 19 remanded / 74 dismissedMost often missing: original contribution, awards

Professions in this field

Mechanical engineer$104k Electrical engineer$121k Civil engineer$101k Aerospace engineer$135k Materials engineer$113k Robotics engineer$123k

Figures are the U.S. median annual wage per O*NET OnLine (BLS 2025) for the closest DOL occupation.

Associations

IAENG (International Association of Engineers)
from real cases
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
from real cases
APEC Engineer
from real cases
NOPRIZ
from real cases
Association for Engineering Education of Russia (Moscow)
from real cases
Russian Society of Civil Engineers (Lipetsk region)
from real cases
Russian Society for Soil Mechanics, Geotechnics and Foundation Engineering
from real cases
Association of Engineers - National Chamber of Engineers (of Russia)
from real cases
Construction Industry Development Union (Moscow)
from real cases
Association of General Contractors in Construction
from real cases
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
HSE / occupational safety
from real cases
HSE Caspian Association "HSE Professionals"
HSE / occupational safety
from real cases
Russian Association for Safety Managers "Top 100 Action Labor Safety"
HSE / occupational safety
from real cases
International Association of Experts "Profi" (ESG section)
HSE / ESG
from real cases

Awards and competitions

Profile engineering-society awards (IET, ASCE, ASME equivalents)

Journals

IET / ASCE / ASME peer-reviewed journals
IAENG journals (Engineering Letters, IJCS)

Judging

Engineering conference program committees
Standards / code review panels (NOPRIZ, society committees)

Associations marked «from real cases» were actually claimed in O-1 / EB-1 petitions in this field. This is not a guarantee of approval - membership must require outstanding achievement. You can check a publication or award in the publication & award verifier.

Journals, awards and conferences in this field

Documents and templates from the library

From community practice

Field chats advise gathering evidence for a specific criterion from the start, rather than bolting it onto the petition at the last moment.
For membership and awards, members advise keeping the organization's official selection criteria - the officer needs to see that admission is merit-based.
The community reminds that the same piece of evidence cannot be counted under several criteria at once - the officer expects separate evidence for each.

Distilled from public community chats - observations, not legal advice.

From community discussions

«mechanical engineer. They met 4 criteria. My husband has been involved in development for a long time, he has patents, articles in journals, and has attended conferences.»
community member · from public community chats
«By the way, based on my observations in the academy for Mechanical Engineering, salaries are quite high even compared to many other STEM fields.»
community member · from public community chats
«US EQUIVALENCY • Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering • Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering»
community member · from public community chats
«I started writing articles in the field of electrical engineering and electronics while thinking about where and how to go.»
community member · from public community chats

Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.

Where this field most often falls short

Share of criteria not met in the Engineering / STEM field
Criterion	Not met
Awards	88%
Membership	85%
Original contribution	73%
High remuneration	61%
Published material about you	54%

What works in this field and where cases stumble

Publications and technical articles with a verifiable author contribution
Participation in peer review, evaluation of work, program committees, or technical expert reviews
Leading roles in significant engineering projects or products
Media can work if the focus is on the personal professional contribution, not on the company

Most often not counted

Original-contribution often fails without independent evidence of significance and implementation
Awards rarely count if they are internal, team-based, or local awards
Membership does not work if it is paid or has no achievement-based selection
Media outlets are often denied if the publications are promotional, corporate, or not about the petitioner personally

From 94 decided cases in this field.

What the chats ask about the Engineering / STEM field

3×how strict is the consideration of the O-1 visa in California and Vermont? for Software Engineer
2×how to describe patents?
2×What is included in a successful O-1 case for a Software Engineer/IT?
2×I completed my Master's degree in Civil Engineering in 2014, have over 10 years of experience in the field, currently serve as the Head of the Construction Laboratory, speak English fluently, and hold several qualification certificates.
2×From your point of view, given the current policy, what is better? All LOIs from IT (if I am going as a Software Engineer, IT) or does it not matter which company's Letter of Intent for O-1 visa as long as it is well-written?

Community answers

Can an NIW case be based on a STEM project, app, research, or professional expertise?: Yes, an NIW can be built around a significant project, research, technology, product, or professional contribution if national importance, the applicant's ability to advance the field, and the benefit of waiving labor certification are shown. It is important not only to describe the idea, but also to document achievements, impact, and a realistic plan.
Do you need an evaluation of a foreign degree for EB-2 NIW?: If the degree is not from the United States, a credential evaluation is usually done to show equivalency to a U.S. degree. For STEM, it is also important to match the field of study, the degree, and the chosen occupation in the United States carefully.

Where people go wrong - from the chats

mistakeThey indicated the wrong profession in the petition, for example, 'engineer' instead of 'mechanical engineer.'
mistakeDid not specify a specific profession in the petition, for example, 'engineer' instead of 'specialist' or 'entrepreneur'.
mistakeIt is necessary to clarify the name of the specialty in WES for accurate reflection in the petition.
mistakeChanging fields can lead to additional checks and delays in the visa application process.

Real timelines named in the chats

Stage	Typically	Note
F-1 OPT / STEM OPT: EAD card through USCIS with expedited processing	about 30 days	The messages state that for an additional fee, USCIS makes the card in about 30 days.

Myths and reality

Myth: For EB-2 NIW, national importance can be proven only for STEM occupations.

In reality: A STEM occupation may make the national importance argument easier, but it is not required by itself. Applicants in other fields may also qualify if they clearly show the importance of the proposed work to the United States.

Myth: For engineering EB-1A or O-1, publications are always key evidence.

In reality: The significance of publications depends on the profile. For engineers and practitioners, projects, implementations, commercial or technical impact, leading roles, and other evidence of recognition are often important too.

Myth: All IT or AI professionals need a business plan for NIW.

In reality: A business plan is usually important for entrepreneurial cases. For employees, engineers, or researchers, the strategy can be built around a professional project, evidence of impact, qualifications, and a realistic plan for advancing the endeavor.

Rules and tips from the chats

ruleProfessions and training related to digital, AI, robotics, technical, and sensitive fields increase the likelihood of administrative processing, even with a strong passport or a solid profile.
tipFor study and research visas, a detailed research plan or explanation of the topic may be required, especially if the field involves sensitive technologies, artificial intelligence, medicine, or engineering.
ruleFor NIW, it is especially important to justify the national interest, the practical value of the project, and the applicant's qualifications; STEM, technology, healthcare, and areas of government significance are seen as fitting the criteria more naturally.
tipFor creative, IT, and engineering professions, applicants often try to strengthen a case through expert materials, publications, conferences, participation in professional projects, and evidence of recognition, but it is important to connect the evidence to the criteria for the category.
tipFor STEM professionals, a strong professional presentation at a major event can sometimes be framed as evidence of expertise or original contribution, especially if there is proof of selection, audience, and impact.

Cases from the community

EB-2 NIW · engineering · outcome not stated

An applicant with education equivalent to U.S. bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering is assessing whether he meets the basic requirements of the category.

What they did: Had a foreign degree evaluation done and received confirmation of equivalence to U.S. degrees.

EB-2 NIW · nuclear engineering · outcome not stated

An engineering specialist said he cannot work in his main field in the United States without citizenship or permanent residency because of industry access restrictions.

What they did: Planned to use the inability to work in the specialty and the public importance of the field as part of the argument for immigration status.

nonimmigrant visa related to a STEM profile · electronics, statistics, STEM · approved

An applicant with a STEM specialty underwent administrative review at a consulate in the early 2020s. The review was relatively short, about a month. After that, in later applications, the applicant described the specialties in the form in more detail.

What they did: Clarified the wording of the specialties in the visa application and then applied for new visas.

F-1 · engineering · denied

several applicants who were citizens of one country were refused when applying for certain engineering study programs in a third country

What they did: applied for a student visa through a consulate outside their country of citizenship

Questions and answers on the site

Distilled from the public community chats, anonymised; corpus as of June 2026. These are participants' observations, not legal advice and not USCIS statistics.

Chats in your field

Engineers / STEM EB-1
Engineers and STEM on EB-1: publications, patents, leading role and the evidence package for technical specialists.

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Journals, awards and conferences in your field Check your readiness against the criteria

What the US talent visa is AAO decisions: "Engineering / STEM"

Approval stories

Other fields

IT / software Science / research Business / entrepreneurship Marketing / PR Arts / design Beauty industry Sport Education / psychology

What the decisions in this field actually counted

Across 94 AAO decisions in this field, the share where each criterion was counted as met. These are APPEAL decisions - petitions that were refused and appealed - so this is not an approval rate and cannot be turned into one.

Reference guidance by field, not legal advice. The criteria that fit you specifically depend on your profile and evidence.