Professors or researchers who can show that they are recognized internationally as outstanding in a specific academic area and that they have at least 3 years of experience in teaching or research in the that area may qualify for a green card as a "priority worker."  Applicants must be entering the U.S. for (1) a tenured position (or tenure track) position within a university or institution of higher education to teach in  the academic area; (2) for a comparable position with a university or institution of higher education to conduct research in that area; or (3) for a comparable position to conduct research in the area with a private employer who employs at least 3 persons full-time in research activities and has achieved documented accomplishments in the academic field.  While labor certification is not required for workers in this category, an employer is required (ie. a job offer from a university, research institute, private organization, etc.).

In order to show that they are recognized internationally as outstanding in their academic area, applicants in this category must show at least 2 of the following:

• Documentation of receipt of prizes or awards for outstanding achievement in their academic field;
  
  

• Documentation of membership in associations in the academic field which require outstanding achievements of their members;
  
  

• Published material in professional publications written by others about their work in the academic field. Such material must include the title, date, and author of the published material, and all documents must be translated;
  
  

• Evidence of participation as the judge of the work of others in the same or an allied academic field;
  
  

• Evidence of original scientific or scholarly research contributions to the academic field; or
  
  

• Evidence of authorship of scholarly books or articles in the academic field.

While labor certification is not required under this category, in addition to the above, the petition must be accompanied by an offer of employment for the applicant to work in his or her field from either:

• An accredited university - for a tenure-track position; OR
  

• A permanent research position with an employer (which has a research department / facility) with at least three full-time researchers and has documented accomplishments in that field of research.