To qualify for this category, the foreign national must be a researcher or professor who is recognized internationally as outstanding in an academic field. The petition requires documentation from categories such as major awards or prizes, published material about or by the foreign national, and proof of the foreign national's original scientific or scholarly research contributions. The foreign national must have at least three years of research or teaching experience, and must have a job offer from an employer that has at least three full-time researchers and has achieved documented accomplishments in an academic field, or from a US university or institution of higher learning.

These foreign nationals are exempt from the Permanent Employment Certification process.