EB-2 NIW Visa

EB-2 NIW is a second-preference, employment-based immigrant visa that waives the labor certification requirement normally needed for a U.S. green card. It lets professionals with an advanced degree or exceptional ability petition on their own behalf, without needing an employer to sponsor them.

For Indian applicants, that matters because it skips the traditional labor certification process, a route that can otherwise take years. It works well for people whose field counts as being in the national interest of the United States. To qualify, an applicant generally needs an advanced degree or exceptional ability, a proposed endeavor with substantial merit and national importance, and a strong case that they are well positioned to carry it out. They also have to show that the United States benefits more from waiving the labor certification requirement than from enforcing it.