; and (iv) any other information required by the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, by regulation. (C) Eligible applicant pool (i) In general Each application that meets the points requirement set forth in section 220 shall be placed in an eligible applicant pool, which shall be sorted by total points. (ii) Tie-breaking factors Applications with equal points will be sorted based on the following tie-breaking factors: (I) Applicants whose highest educational degree is a doctorate degree (or equivalent foreign degree) shall be ranked higher than applicants whose highest educational degree is a professional degree (as defined in section 220(a)) or equivalent foreign degree, who shall be ranked higher than applicants whose highest educational degree is a master’s degree (or equivalent foreign degree), who shall be ranked higher than applicants whose highest educational degree is a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent foreign degree), who shall be ranked higher than applicants whose highest educational degree is a high school diploma (as defined in section 220(a)) or equivalent foreign diploma, who shall be ranked higher than applicants without a high school diploma, with United States degrees ranked higher than their foreign counterparts. (II) Applicants with equal points and equal educational attainment shall be ranked according to their respective English language proficiency test rankings (as defined in section 220(a)). (III) Applicants with equal points, equal educational attainment, and equal English language proficiency test rankings shall be ranked according to their age, with applicants who are nearest their 25th birthdays being ranked higher. (D) Duration Applications shall remain in the eligible applicant pool for 12 months. An applicant who is not invited to apply for a point-based immigrant visa during the 12-month period in which the application remains in the eligible applicant pool may reapply for placement in the eligible applicant pool. (2) Visa petition (A) Invitation Every 6 months,