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Do achievements earned after filing count?

Key answer

No: USCIS evaluates the case as of the filing date, so evidence must exist before it. In an RFE response you may only add things that predate filing - even if the paperwork was issued later. Hence the community advice: do not rush to file until key achievements are documented.

Community answers

The answers below are translated from the original Russian - the language of the community chats.

  • Yes, you understand correctly: evidence of awards and judging must be gathered before filing the petition.

  • You can add any achievements in the RFE as long as they were before filing the petition. If articles were published after the submission, they can no longer be included.

  • I will apply after defending my dissertation because I will close the judging as a PhD candidate, and I will publish the monograph as part of my contribution - it's better to wait than to submit a raw case.

  • Yes, you understand correctly: evidence of awards and judging must be gathered before filing the petition.

  • New evidence cannot be added after the petition is submitted - unless at the interview stage.

The answers are anonymized community experience from the public chats, not legal advice. Officers may decide similar cases differently.

Sources

All questions on: General questionsAll questions on: The petition and formatting

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A reference page built from community experience, not legal advice. Requirements and practice change - verify on uscis.gov.

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