in itself, establish that the alien in fact meets the requirements for classification as an alien of extraordinary ability under section 203(b)(1)(A) of the INA. In making this determination, the court in Kazarian v. USCIS recognized that the quality of the evidence, such as whether the judging responsibilities were internal and whether the scholarly articles (if pertinent to the occupation) are cited, is an appropriate consideration in the final merits determination. In addition, the alien's performance at the so-called major-league level does not automatically establish that he or she meets the extraordinary ability standards. See Matter of Price, 20 I&N, Dec. 3241 citing to 56 FR 60899 (Nov. 29, 1991). Finally, Congress intended that in the absence of a one-time achievement, an alien could qualify for the classification based on a "career of acclaimed work." H.R. Rep. No. 101-723, 59 (Sept. 19, 1990). In Part Two of the analysis in each case, the adjudicator must consider all of the evidence to make a final merits determination of whether or not the petitioner, by a preponderance of the evidence, has demonstrated that the alien has: A level of expertise indicating that the individual is "one of that small percentage who have risen to the very top of the field of endeavor." 8 CFR 204.5(h)(2); and Sustained national or international acclaim and that his or her achievements have been recognized in the field of expertise. 8 CFR 204.5(h)(3). Advantages The EB-1A, unlike its non-immigrant counterpart, provides a pathway to citizenship. Unlike most employment based pathways to citizenship, if someone can qualify as an EB-1A alien of extraordinary ability, that person can self sponsor without the need for their employer to sponsor them. A green card can be granted on the basis of an EB-1A (but not an O-1) approval. Once the green card is granted, the standard waiting period of five years--which applies to immigrants in many categories--is generally required before applying for citizenship. However, by act of Congress, the waiting period was shortened to three years specifically for aliens of extraordinary ability who began the process before July 2002. This allowed ice dancer Tanith Belbin to become a US citizen in time to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Appeals process Although the EB-1A application is an administrative process, a denial can be appealed through the US federal court system. Another ice dancer, Christina Carreira, applied for EB-1A but was denied.