If you are working on your EB-2 NIW visa, you must have an impactful letter of recommendation. In this post, you will learn the key parts to an EB-2 NIW letter of recommendation. EB-2 NIW self-petitioners can use this template.

It is important to keep in mind the overall purpose of a recommendation letter for a self-petitioning NIW applicant. The EB-2 NIW self-petitioner is essentially telling the U.S. government that his work, his background, and his future contributions are SO IMPORTANT to his FIELD and to the US NATIONAL INTEREST that the U.S. government should outright give him residency rather than requiring an employer to sponsor him. As the recommender, you are being asked to back up this claim with your specific knowledge of the petitioner’s work, contributions, and his potential contributions to the FIELD and THE US NATIONAL INTEREST in the future.  As such, whenever you discuss a particular achievement, contribution, or role the petitioner has fulfilled, always explain how it is important to the FIELD and its greater impact on the U.S. as a whole.

Below is a general outline of the recommendation letter with specific information to potentially include in the listed sections. Please note that each section can be one or more paragraphs and not all questions/comments will apply to every petitioner, but it is always important to be as thorough as possible and address some portion of every section. Recommendation letters should be submitted on official letterhead. 

[Letterhead]

Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Re: Recommendation letter for Mr./Mrs. ______ Petition (EB-2 National Interest Waiver)

Dear USCIS Officer:

It is my great pleasure to support Mr./Mrs. _______ petition for Permanent Residency in the United States of America in category EB-2 National Interest Waiver.

1 - Introduction of the recommender

This section is where you, the recommender, introduce yourself.

  • Explain your current role/title, your credentials and background, including any publications, grants, and/or awards and industry achievements. 
  • Explain your area of expertise and the broader field/industry you are in.

2 - Recommender’s relation to petitioner

In this section you explain how you know the petitioner. 

  • Explain how you are familiar with the petitioner and his contributions.
  • Describe the petitioner’s contributions to the FIELD and areas of collaboration.
  • Mention any significant or major outcomes of the petitioner’s work with you and/or others. 

(Explanations in this section of the petitioner’s work and achievements do not have to go into detail here. But you should highlight the most important ones here and note how important and significant they are to the FIELD and/or the US NATIONAL INTEREST. In the sections below is where you will go into details.)

3. Petitioner’s body of work has substantial merit and national importance

In this section you will explain how the petitioner’s work, achievements, and future contributions have, and will have, substantial merit to the field and national importance.

  • First provide a short explanation of the field or industry that you and/or the petitioner is in and explain the significant importance of the field itself. 
  • Explain the important function the petitioner has in the field and how/why the petitioner stands out in this field. 
  • If possible, explain how small a percentage of people in the field can perform this type of work or have this type of knowledge as the petitioner.
  • Describe in detail specific work and contributions that the petitioner has made to the field. Explain the importance to the field and its greater importance to the national interest.
  • Describe the underlying goals of beneficiary’s work in the future as well as its potential greater impact.

4. Petitioner’s status as well positioned to advance his proposed endeavor (his future work.)

In this section you will explain why the petitioner is well positioned to advance his proposed endeavor. His proposed endeavor is the sum total of his past work and his future contributions and work in the field in the future. 

  • Provide a background on petitioner’s education, skills, knowledge, and/or work experience and especially explain anything that makes the petitioner unique or outstanding in this arena.
  • Provide a personal opinion on how other experts or notable groups or upper echelon of the industry perceive the petitioner’s work or contribution. Alternatively, provide your opinion on how the petitioner’s work and contributions will be perceived in the future once his greater goals and contributions to the field and society are further expanded.
  • Also make note of the significant interest of potential customers, users, investors, or other relevant entities or individuals to the petitioner’s work.

5. Specific Recognition

In this section you will explain the petitioner’s specific, major industry achievements, awards, and recognition.

  • Describe petitioner’s important publications and their significance and impact and/or how they have been cited or used.
  • Describe any notable presentations that the petitioner may have made and their scale and importance.
  • Describe any awards and grants the petitioner has received and/or how these can be considered industry significant or national recognition for excellence.
  • Describe how the petitioner’s Membership in an important Associations in the Field requires Outstanding Achievements. Explain how the associations are significant and require outstanding achievements and how such memberships are viewed in the field.
  • Describe any other distinctions as applicable.

6. Conclusion

In the conclusion section, you will explain why on balance it would be beneficial to the United States to waive the requirements of a job offer and thus of a labor certification for the petitioner. 

  • Explain that the petitioner and his past and future contributions are strongly in the national interest and why. 
  • Explain how and why what the petitioner does and/or his skills and knowledge are critical to the industry and national interest as a whole not just to a single company or job.
  • Explain why/how the petitioner and his contributions, knowledge, skills and future contributions are unique and not easily found within the industry or US workforce.
  • Explain how the petitioner’s past track of achievements is strong indication that he will serve to US national interest in the future.
  • Explain why the petitioner is critical and his contributions sufficiently urgent such that it is in the US interest to grant the petitioner the NIW.

Sincerely,

[signature]

[Name & Job Title]

[Department (if any)]

[Employer]