How to Meet the O-1A Visa Membership Requirement (With Examples)

One of the most confusing parts of the O-1A visa application is the Membership criterion.

You’re often left asking yourself questions like, “Is my accelerator program good enough to count as a membership?” or “Can I list an organization I paid to join?”

It’s frustrating and even intimidating when your future in the United States hinges on vague definitions like “outstanding achievements” and “expert judgment.”

At Deel Immigration, we understand the challenges of proving exclusivity, expertise, and industry impact to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). And we’re here to help.

With our extensive experience supporting top talent worldwide, we simplify the Membership requirement, from defining your field to identifying qualifying associations and preparing airtight documentation.

By working with Deel’s immigration professionals, you can confidently present your case and accelerate your path to securing the O-1 visa.

Ready to claim your spot among the elite and explore new opportunities in the US? Let’s get started—your extraordinary career deserves seamless immigration support.

What is the O-1A visa?

The O-1A visa is a work visa that permits foreign nationals to work in the United States temporarily.

This visa grants employment authorization to high-achieving professionals in the sciences, education, business, or athletics.

With it, you’re authorized to work only for the employer or agent who filed your Form I-129—a form employers use to petition for a nonimmigrant worker to enter the United States.

Although the initial visa lasts for three years, there’s no cap on the number of times you can renew it in yearly increments.

O-1A visas are a subcategory of the O-1 visa, so do not confuse it with the O-1B meant for high-achieving individuals in the arts, motion picture, and television.

To be eligible for the O-1A visa, you must:

• Have won a major, internationally recognized award such as a Nobel Prize, Olympic Medal, or something similarly prestigious.

OR

• Meet three out of eight of the extraordinary ability criteria. One of those eight criteria is the “Membership” criterion.

See also: What is the O-1A visa?

What is the membership criterion?

Let’s start with the official wording in the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy manual describing the Membership criterion:

“Documentation of the beneficiary’s membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought, which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their disciplines or fields.”

In other words, USCIS isn’t interested in general professional groups or networks that anyone can join. They’re looking for proof that your membership signals genuine recognition of your expertise, specifically by experts in your field.

To qualify, your membership must meet three tests:

1. The organization must be in your field (e.g., AI research, biomedical engineering, tech entrepreneurship).
2. It must require outstanding achievements for entry.
3. Admission must involve evaluation by recognized experts—either through peer review, nominations, or a judging committee.

Examples of memberships that count

Common examples of qualifying memberships include fellow-level positions in organizations such as:

• Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
• Royal Society of Chemistry

For academia and research, these groups could include:

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Econometric Society
• American Psychological Association
• Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS)

These groups often publish their selection process and maintain high bars for acceptance.

Membership in a Slack community, a local tech meetup, or a peer group does not qualify for this purpose.

What is my field?

The O-1 visa category is designed for foreign nationals who are recognized as leaders in their fields. One way to demonstrate expertise is to be admitted into relevant elite organizations and establishments.

When you apply for an O-1 visa, you’ll have to designate what your field is. You should ensure the field is specific enough to show you are an expert, but also broad enough that all your O-1 criteria relate to your field.

For example, many startup founders designate their field as “technology entrepreneurship,” whereas some founders choose a more specific field like “mechanical engineering.”

When you work with Deel Immigration, your dedicated case manager will help you define your field.

What does USCIS mean by outstanding achievements?

When USCIS refers to “outstanding achievement” in the context of the O-1A visa membership criterion, it means that your admission into an organization must have been based on a recognized track record of excellence and not just credentials like education or experience.

To meet this criterion, the organization you’re a member of must:

• Require outstanding achievements for membership, and
• Evaluate those achievements using recognized national or international experts in the field.

Here’s how USCIS evaluates that:

The bar is selective

USCIS expects the organization to have strict and competitive admission standards. That could include things like:

• A nomination or endorsement process
• A competitive application with proof of significant contributions
• Selection by a panel of experts

The achievements must be meaningful and be in a relevant field

“Outstanding” means your contributions should be exceptional and significant within your field.

Such contributions could include technological innovations that advance the field, research widely cited or adopted, or leadership in a breakthrough product or company.

Membership must signal industry recognition

USCIS looks for evidence that others in your industry, especially credible experts, agree.

This is why the membership review process matters so much. If you were admitted because a selection committee reviewed your published work, awards, patents, or entrepreneurial impact, that could count.

What doesn’t qualify as “outstanding achievement”?

If your membership was granted based on things like:

• Paying a fee
• Holding a certain degree
• Years of experience
• Being employed in the field

Then it won’t count, even if the organization is well-known.

Documentation you might need

USCIS wants to know that the association(s) you joined are selective. To show that your membership requires outstanding achievements in your O-1 petition, you could collect documentation like:

• The membership organization’s bylaws (if they include membership criteria)
• Membership criteria on the organization’s website or other promotional materials
• Proof that the organization is very selective (under 5% acceptance rate)
• A signed letter from the organization describing the selection criteria, process, and/or acceptance rate

When you work with Deel Immigration, we’ll draft the letter for you.

We can also help if you’re unsure of how much weight your current documents carry. With our self-serve platform, you can upload your documentation to determine what you have or is missing.

Does joining an accelerator organization satisfy the membership criterion?

In many cases, yes. But only if you can prove your acceptance into the accelerator meets the strict standards laid out by USCIS.

Here are some things to consider.

Your accelerator must operate in the same field you’re applying under. For example, if your field is “technology entrepreneurship,” a tech-focused accelerator like Y Combinator, Techstars, or Seedcamp would be a relevant option. A general business or non-tech accelerator may be harder to justify unless its focus clearly overlaps with your expertise.

Simply being accepted into a program isn’t enough. You’ll need to prove that the accelerator has a highly selective admission process (typically an acceptance rate under 5%), evaluates applicants based on their achievements or startup potential, not just ideas or team size, and selection is made by a panel of experienced investors, founders, or domain experts.

If you’re unsure about where your accelerator program stands in all of this, we can help. At Deel, we have dedicated case managers and attorneys who have helped thousands of people like you build their cases.

The team will access your eligibility and let you know all the documents you need to have a successful application.

See also: Accepted into a US Accelerator? Here’s Your Visa Prep Checklist

What are the other O-1 criteria?

Additional criteria you must meet to qualify for the O-1 visa include:

• Judging the work of peers in your field, either individually or on a panel
• Published material about you in professional publications, major trade publications, or other major media
• Authorship of scholarly articles in professional publications, major trade publications, or other major media
• Employment in an essential or critical role at a company with a distinguished reputation
• Original contributions of major significance to your field
• Commanding a high salary or other significantly high remuneration
• Nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in your field
• Have received a major internationally recognized award such as a Nobel Prize or Olympic Medal

Fast-track your O-1A visa with Deel Immigration

One of the reasons the O-1A is so popular is its flexible criteria. No matter what field or industry you work in, there’s a membership you can join. With proper evidence, even an accelerator can support your O-1 petition when backed by a qualified petitioner.

For you to be considering this visa, it means you’re a high-achieving individual. You’ve already got a lot on your plate, and going through the nitty gritty of a visa application shouldn’t be one of them.

It’s best to leave it to an immigration and visa support service like Deel. But why us?

We have a US visa approval rate of over 98%. Aside from our results, working with us is easy. Deel’s platform is intuitive, and you can find all your needs quickly—whether that’s to upload a document, check your eligibility, electronically sign forms—or something else.

That’s not all. You also get a dedicated case manager who will provide support from start to finish. In addition, we support your dependents' applications and offer exclusive relocation service discounts.

If you want to learn more about how to qualify for the O-1 visa, join one of our free O-1 visa webinars. Our team goes through each O-1 criterion in detail and answers common questions you may have.

Alternatively, schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation with one of our immigration experts.