EB-2 NIW · Second preference
A U.S. green card for work the country needs
EB-2 NIW is a self-petition for professionals with an advanced degree or exceptional ability whose project has national importance for the United States. No employer and no PERM: we prove the value of your work to the country, not celebrity status.
We turn your work into an argument for the United States: the officer must see not a résumé, but a project the country has reason to back — and the person able to carry it through.
What we do
NIW is often called a “lighter EB-1A”. That is a mistake. The bar is lower — you need not sit at the top of the field — but the petition rests on something else: a specific project, its importance to the United States, and proof that you are the person who can advance it. Without a clear project, NIW fails, however strong the résumé. Below — how that looks, and where petitions most often break.
Why NIW is not a “lighter EB-1A”?
EB-1A asks who you are; NIW asks what you will do in the United States and why it matters to the country. The officer tests three prongs from Matter of Dhanasar (2016): the substantial merit and national importance of the project, your ability to advance it, and the benefit to the United States of waiving the job-offer requirement. Each prong is proven on its own, and failure on one is a denial of the whole petition. RFEs on NIW arrive far more often than on EB-1A, and almost always on the first or second prong.
What the officer looks for in an NIW petition?
Specifics. “Advance artificial intelligence” is not a project; “deploy system X in clinics across three states, cutting Y by Z percent” is a project. National importance is proven by figures and independent sources, not adjectives: the scale of the field, jobs, the priorities of government programs. Your position is proven by results, a plan, resources, and interest from third parties — clients, investors, institutions. We build an index in which every exhibit is tied to one of the three prongs.
Who belongs in NIW, and who in EB-1A?
A strong project with moderate recognition — NIW. Recognition without a U.S.-facing plan — EB-1A. Both at once — two petitions in parallel on a shared evidence record: that is lawful and often wise. EB-2 moves with the Visa Bulletin. In 2026, for Russia and most countries there is no queue: the category is Current, and Form I-485 can be filed right after I-140 approval or concurrently with the petition. The status changes every month, and retrogression is possible toward the end of the fiscal year — we watch the Visa Bulletin and tell you when to file. On the consultation we say which path is stronger for you — we do not sell both.
EB-2 NIW
The three NIW prongs
The Matter of Dhanasar standard: the petition must prove all three prongs — after the EB-2 threshold is met.
Practice
Typical profiles
In NIW it is not fame that decides, but a project with effect beyond a single company. Four profiles where that shows up most often.
Check your chances
IT and engineering
A system or product adopted beyond a single team
Science
Research aligned with U.S. priorities, not only with a lab
Medicine
A clinical or research project of national scale
Founders
A company or product with measurable effect on the field, not only on the business
Evidence
How we build the record
01
We define the project
We start not with documents, but with the proposed endeavor: what exactly you will do in the United States, for whom, and with what measurable effect. A poorly framed project will not be saved by any exhibit. You leave with a written case map: the project, the arguments on the three Dhanasar prongs, what is missing and how to close it.
02
We prove importance and position
Each prong has its own evidence set. National importance: industry data, government programs and priorities, independent sources on the scale of the problem. Your position: results with numbers, a plan with stages and resources, letters from clients, investors and partners. Benefit to the United States: why filing through an employer and PERM is unrealistic or harmful for your project. Weak points we close with publications, expert assessments and partner confirmations.
03
A complete package
A petition built around the three prongs, Form I-140 and ETA-750B, letters, and an exhibit index tying every piece of evidence to its prong. You receive a complete filing set; we stay on the case through the decision and prepare the RFE response if one comes.
Recommendation letters
For NIW, letters fall into two kinds, and mixing them up is a mistake. Independent experts — people who have not worked with you — confirm that the project matters to the field and the country and that you can advance it: they write about importance, not character. Partners, clients and investors confirm that the plan is real: contracts, intent, resources. A supervisor’s letter about what a valuable employee you are is almost useless for NIW — it proves value to an employer, not to the country.
Team
The team
Send a request
Sergei Voronin
Advocate
PhD in Law, professor
He has led EB-1A, EB-2 NIW and O-1 petitions since 2013 — more than 500 approved cases for clients from eleven countries. A PhD in law, a professor, author of more than forty scholarly publications and a reviewer for an international journal: he knows how USCIS reads papers, citations and recommendation letters because he lives in that system. He leads every case himself — from the audit to the finished package.
Liubov Voronina
Partner
Moscow
Your first contact on the case and the constant link at every stage: consultation, documents, timelines, answers to questions. She hosts video briefings on visa categories and rule changes on the Forward Visa channels.
Amelia Fenwick
Partner
Miami
Client support on the U.S. side: consular and AOS stages, work with U.S. attorneys and petitioners.
Months of preparation
3–6
I-140 business days
45
From preparation to the green card
Preparation
Project audit, evidence on the three Dhanasar prongs, letters and the petition — 3–6 months. We do not file until the proposed endeavor and the evidence are in substance, not in name.
I-140
With premium processing, USCIS adjudicates NIW in 45 business days. That is the time to read a finished file, not a promise of approval.
Priority date
EB-2 moves with the Visa Bulletin. In 2026, for Russia and most countries there is no queue: the category is Current, and Form I-485 can be filed right after I-140 approval or concurrently with the petition. The status changes every month, and retrogression is possible toward the end of the fiscal year — we watch the Visa Bulletin and tell you when to file.
Status
If you are in the United States in lawful status — adjustment of status without leaving. If you are abroad — consular processing: interview, immigrant visa, and entry as a resident.
Family
A spouse and children under 21 travel on the principal petition. A separate NIW for each of them is not required — they take status with you.
Fees
Transparent terms
Initial consultation
Complimentary
By video or messenger. We review your situation and say whether it is worth going further.
Profile audit
$250
A written opinion from counsel: the right category, which criteria are already met, what is missing, and a plan to close the gaps.
Legal representation
$10,000
Included:
- help collecting and structuring evidence
- preparation of recommendation letters
- preparation of the petition
- completion of all required forms
- ongoing support
- a complete document package ready for filing
- answers to your questions and case monitoring at every stage
- certified translation of the petition package documents
USCIS filing fees, premium processing, notarizations and PR services are billed separately. An RFE response is a separate service. A refiling after a denial is under the terms of the guarantee. The audit fee is credited against the representation fee.
Insights
Articles and cases
Visa-category breakdowns, USCIS criteria, and real cases.
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