The "High Salary" criteria for the O-1 visa requires evidence that your annual remuneration significantly exceeds the average salary level in your professional field. There isn't a specific benchmark for how much higher it needs to be above average figures, but based on our observations, if your salary ranks within the top 5-10% for your field in your region, you will meet the requirement for the O-1 visa successfully.

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You must furnish two types of evidence:

1. Documentary proof of income
   For this task, make use of the following documents:some text
   • If you are employed in the United States, provide forms W-2 or 1099.
   • In other countries, the analogues are personal income tax reporting forms, income statements from the employer, Labor contracts with confirmation of salary payments, bank statements.
2. Comparison with the average salary in this field
   To prove that your salary is significantly above average in your professional field in your region, it is advisable to use salary data from at least two independent sources. Typically, these are:some text
   • statistical agencies (governmental and commercial),
   • companies and websites for selecting employees.

In the United States and elsewhere these could be: CareerOneStop, Salary Expert, PayScale.com, GlassDoor, Levels.fyi, Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLCDC).

To prove the "High Salary" criteria for the O-1 visa for the USA, you can also use materials from well-known media outlets — such as articles and rankings about the salary levels of professionals in your field, screenshots of job listings from major agencies or job search websites.

For accurate comparison, it is important to provide comparable data — the same calendar year (preferably within three to five years). It is better to specify amounts in both local currency and their dollar equivalent, using the same exchange rate.