We are only a few months into the Trump presidency’s second year, and immigration remains at the forefront of policy and public debate. Recently, however, scrutiny was turned on the First Family itself, with a March 1 article in the Washington Post calling into question First Lady Melania Trump’s qualifications for the permanent residency granted to her in 2001 under the EB-1 immigrant visa program. The piece quoted legislators and lawyers who described EB-1 as “the Einstein visa,” reserved only for the likes of renowned academic researchers, Olympic athletes and Oscar-winning actors. The article brought this elite means of employment-based immigration into the spotlight, igniting discussion across the news media.

This characterization of the EB-1 program, however, paints an unduly restrictive picture of its scope and bar for entry. Yes, a successful EB-1 applicant must show that they have established themselves among the top professionals in their field—but they need not be a household name nor a “capital-G” genius.