EB-1A Case Study: Approval for Cybersecurity Lawyer from Argentina Within 4 Months Argentina Cybersecurity LawyerColombo & Hurd secured approval of an EB-1A Extraordinary Ability petition for a cybersecurity lawyer from Argentina. His work focuses on protecting intellectual property and stopping digital piracy. USCIS approved the petition with Premium Processing after the firm responded to a Request for Evidence (RFE), completing the petition process in approximately four months. Software piracy and the online theft of creative work impose real costs on U.S. companies and creators every year. Investigating and preventing this kind of theft requires a combination of legal knowledge, technical expertise, and experience working across jurisdictions. Over a career spanning three decades, the client built that expertise through anti-piracy enforcement, cybersecurity investigations, professional training, and leadership roles across Latin America. His work has been recognized by technology companies, judicial institutions, and international organizations. Senior Immigration Attorney Rachel Slomski prepared the petition. Evaluate My Profile CLIENT PROFILE A Career Spent Protecting Software and Fighting Digital Piracy EB-1A VisaThe client is an attorney with more than three decades of experience protecting software, intellectual property, and digital systems from theft and misuse. He began by leading a regional software industry association, where he directed anti-piracy campaigns and enforcement programs for major technology companies. Later, he founded his own law firm and now heads its cybercrime and anti-counterfeiting practice. Over the years, he has advised technology companies and government agencies on how to investigate and stop software piracy and cybercrime. He also led anti-piracy work for a major U.S. technology company across several Latin American countries. He created a non-invasive software auditing tool that let investigators gather reliable evidence without disrupting the businesses under review. The client has also trained judges, prosecutors, and police officers in digital evidence and cybercrime investigation. His work has been recognized by the Argentine judiciary and major technology organizations, while a global software trade association and the U.S. Department of Justice have invited him to speak and teach. THE CHALLENGE Proving a Career Built Abroad Meets the Highest U.S. Standard The EB-1A category requires evidence of extraordinary ability and sustained recognition in the client’s field. The initial filing laid out the client’s full record, but the core challenge was that nearly every achievement came from his work across Latin America. These achievements were built under different legal systems, institutions, and professional bodies than the ones a U.S. officer may be familiar with. The petition therefore needed to provide enough context for USCIS to understand the significance of his record and the recognition he had earned across countries, organizations, and professional settings. When USCIS reviewed the petition, it agreed that the client’s published writing met the mark. The RFE then focused on whether his work had made a major, lasting mark on his field, and whether he had held genuinely leading roles at respected organizations. Both questions required evidence showing how other professionals and organizations had relied on, recognized, or been influenced by his work. See If You QualifyGet Your Free EB-1A Profile Evaluation Evaluate My Profile STRATEGIC RESPONSE Answering the RFE on Impact and Leadership The response returned to the two points the officer had raised and answered each one directly, using evidence already in the record and adding the context that made its importance clear. The first point was whether the client’s work had made a major mark on his field. The response showed that his influence reached well past his own cases. The non-invasive auditing tool he created went on to be used in enforcement work across the region, and other professionals and organizations took up the investigative methods he developed. Letters of recommendation from senior figures in the field described how his approach shaped the way they worked. Together, this evidence showed that his work had influenced professionals and enforcement efforts beyond his own clients and organizations. The second point was whether the client had held genuinely leading roles at respected organizations. The response pointed to the senior positions he had held over his career: directing a regional software industry association, leading a company that built biometric and cybersecurity systems for government use, and heading the anti-piracy work of a major U.S. technology company across several countries. Supporting letters from directors and senior colleagues who worked alongside him confirmed what those roles involved and how much depended on his judgment. THE RESULT EB-1A Petition Approved After the RFE Response USCIS approved the EB-1A petition through Premium Processing, shortly after the RFE response was submitted. The approval confirms that the work he has done to protect software and fight digital piracy meets the high standard U.S. immigration law sets for people at the top of their field. CASE OVERVIEW Category Details Visa Classification EB-1A Nationality Argentina Professional Field Intellectual Property and Cybersecurity Law Education Law degree Request for Evidence (RFE) Yes Premium Processing Yes Processing Time About 4 months Attorneys Senior Immigration Attorney Rachel Slomski (Initial Filing) and Senior Attorney Nizar Kafrouni (RFE Response) Outcome I-140 approved Date of Approval September 25, 2026 This case was handled by Senior Attorney Rachel Slomski at Colombo & Hurd, a U.S. immigration law firm specializing in employment-based visas, including EB-2 NIW and EB-1A petitions. The firm has secured more than 2,500 approvals in the EB-2 NIW and EB-1A categories since 2023.