Finally, good news in immigration! While it seemed that the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 have been filled with news about the struggles and uncertainty facing immigrants and people involved with immigration under a new presidency, a recent decision from the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) has made one pathway to a green card easier, that pathway being through a National Interest Waiver (NIW).
The basic idea of the National Interest Waiver is to allow people with exceptional abilities to qualify for residency in the United States with the presumption that these extraordinary individuals fill valuable roles in technology, engineering, and sciences while working in various sectors such as the medical field, software, and business. Because of the impactful work these individuals do, it’s in the best interest of the country to retain them.
In spite of our prior successes attaining National Interest Waivers for deserving clients, the standard under prior case law was so high that many deserving people did not want to pursue this path or were denied for not being a strong enough candidate. But now, thanks to the AAO’s new ruling, the standard for a NIW has been lowered and is a viable option for many more deserving individuals!
Under the new framework, you can successfully petition for a National Interest Waiver by meeting a few criteria:
1. Your endeavor will have substantial merit and importance to the United States.
2. Your qualifications will be well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor.
3. It will benefit the United States to have you here.
If you are able to meet all the criteria listed above, you may be able to proceed directly to a green card application. This ruling is fantastic news for deserving foreign nationals doing important work in the United States. Do you believe you may qualify for a NIW petition under the new criteria? GoffWilson is ready to review your credentials! Contact our office today for an assessment. Immigration is all we do!