Professionals · EB-2 NIW
Your experience can support a proposal relevant to the United States.
EB-2 NIW is a permanent-residence path for professionals who meet the EB-2 category and can show that the proposed work has merit, national importance and grounds to waive a job offer and labor certification, when legally applicable. MGM organizes trajectory, proposal, evidence and participants so the project moves with clarity.
Start with your goal, education, experience and the work you intend to develop in the United States.
A path that joins qualification, proposal and future impact.
EB-2 NIW may allow professionals with advanced education or exceptional ability to pursue permanent residence when the proposed work shows broader relevance to the United States.
Permanent residence
EB-2 NIW is one of the employment-based immigration categories that can lead to a Green Card, starting from a well-defined proposed endeavor.
Job offer waiver, when applicable
The National Interest Waiver allows requesting a waiver of the job offer and labor certification when the national interest is justified across the case as a whole.
Room for the family
A spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be eligible to join the process as derivative family members, subject to applicable rules.
A degree, a high-demand profession or isolated experience are not enough on their own. Eligibility depends on EB-2 qualification, the proposal and the evidence in each case.
NIW starts with the link between past, proposal and impact.
EB-2 NIW is not granted only because a profession is important, because the candidate holds a graduate degree or because there is demand in a field. The project must connect qualification, what you have already achieved, the work you intend to develop and the broader relevance of that work.
Education and specialization
Advanced education, progressive experience or differentiated knowledge related to the proposed endeavor.
Track record of results
Deliverables, projects, solutions, research, improvements or measurable impact that show the ability to execute.
A defined proposal
You can explain what you intend to do in the United States, for whom, how and with what expected result.
Relevance beyond a single job
The work can generate broader effects for a sector, region, technology, service, population or relevant priority.
No profession is automatically eligible. Engineers, physicians, researchers, educators, executives and entrepreneurs can present relevant projects · fit depends on the case.
EB-2 NIW involves two different analyses.
First, the professional must show they belong in the EB-2 category. Then they must show that waiving the job offer and labor certification is in the national interest. Meeting the first step does not automatically prove the NIW.
Stage 1
EB-2 qualification
An advanced degree related to the profession · or a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with at least five years of progressive post-degree experience · or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business, with evidence tied to the proposal.
Stage 2
National Interest Waiver
Show the proposal’s merit and national importance, the capacity to advance it and the overall benefit of waiving the job offer and labor certification.
Merit and national importance
The proposal needs broader implications · not just the benefit of a single job or a personal interest.
Well positioned to advance it
Education, track record, plan, progress, resources and third-party interest help show real capacity to advance the work.
Benefit of the waiver
On balance, the United States would benefit from allowing the work to advance without a specific job offer and the labor certification process.
National importance does not necessarily require work across every state. The focus is on the broader implications of the proposal.
The proposal is not just the name of your profession.
For NIW, you need to explain precisely the work you intend to develop in the United States · the problem or opportunity, the activities, the audience or sector, how it will be executed and the results that could follow.
Accumulated experience gains strength when it connects to a concrete plan for future contribution.
We connect your trajectory to the proposal that will be presented.
An NIW project loses strength when education, experience, results and future plans appear as separate stories. MGM coordinates operational organization so history, proposal and evidence advance in one shared structure.
We understand the goal
Education, experience, results, goal and the preliminary proposal you intend to develop.
We organize the timeline
Professional milestones and achievements are structured in a verifiable way, consistent with the proposal.
We structure the proposal
Problem, activities, audience, execution, progress and expected impact become clear to everyone involved.
We map the evidence
Documents, sources, letters, metrics, partners and pending items with owners and next steps.
Guidance
EB-2 NIW or EB-1A?
The choice should not be based only on academic degree, number of publications or the perception that one category would be “easier.”
EB-2 NIW
National-interest project
Starts from EB-2 qualification and a proposal whose waiver of the job offer and labor certification is in the national interest.
EB-1A
Extraordinary recognition
Focuses on the sustained recognition of the trajectory and a distinguished position in the field · without depending on a national-interest proposal.
Some professionals may present elements for both pathways. The decision must weigh the current picture, the quality of the evidence and the immigration goal.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers before you begin.
Is a master’s or doctorate enough for NIW?
No. An advanced degree alone does not conclude NIW eligibility. Case-element review belongs to an independent attorney; MGM organizes professional context and the next operational step · with no outcome guarantee
Can I qualify with a bachelor’s degree and experience?
There are scenarios where education and experience enter profile organization, but no public shortcut confirms eligibility. Legal analysis belongs to an independent attorney; use the preliminary assessment to gather context · with no guarantee of approval or outcome
Do I need a job offer?
In some NIW scenarios, the project is organized without starting from a job offer typical of other sponsored pathways. Whether that applies to your case — and under what conditions — is independent-attorney analysis; MGM coordinates information and the next step
Does high demand in my profession prove national interest?
Not by itself. Market demand alone does not confirm national interest or eligibility. MGM organizes proposal context; legal analysis belongs to an independent attorney
Must the proposal benefit the entire United States?
There is no single answer on this page. National importance and proposal applicability are case questions — reviewed by an independent attorney, not by this FAQ. The preliminary assessment gathers context for the next step
What is the difference between EB-2 NIW and EB-1A?
They are distinct residence pathways with different logics: one more tied to a proposed endeavor with its own analysis; another to recognition of the trajectory. Which, if either, fits your picture belongs to the preliminary assessment and, when legal service is engaged, to an independent attorney
Do I need to open a company?
No. Opening a company is not an automatic NIW condition or an outcome guarantee. Project structure must fit the planned work and be reviewed case by case — legally by an independent attorney when engaged
Can my spouse and children be included?
In some categories, a spouse and children may be included in project organization as family members. Whether and how that applies to your case depends on individual analysis by an authorized professional · the preliminary assessment helps gather context
Does the preliminary assessment confirm my eligibility?
No. The assessment organizes initial information and prepares the next contact. It does not replace individual legal analysis and does not guarantee eligibility, approval or outcome
Who performs the legal analysis?
Legal analysis, when required, is performed by an independent attorney duly licensed in the United States
What is NIW?
NIW means National Interest Waiver. In general terms, on certain EB-2 petitions project organization may not start from the job offer and PERM typical of other sponsored pathways · reading the criteria and case applicability belongs to an independent attorney
What is PERM?
PERM is labor certification before the U.S. Department of Labor, a common step on certain employer-sponsored residence pathways (such as many EB-3 cases). It is not the Green Card: it is an earlier phase before the immigration petition
What is a Green Card?
It is the common name for the document that proves lawful permanent residence in the United States. A Green Card holder may live and work in the country permanently, subject to the rules for maintaining that status. It is not U.S. citizenship
What is USCIS?
It is the U.S. government agency that handles many immigration and citizenship filings inside the country (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). When a case has steps abroad, other agencies (such as the Department of State) may also be involved
What is an immigration petition?
It is the formal filing submitted to the government (often to USCIS) to request an immigration benefit · for example, a work or residence category. The person who files is the “petitioner”; the person seeking the benefit is the “beneficiary.” On some pathways, the same person can be both
Relevant experience needs to be connected to a clear proposal.
Tell us about your education, key results and the work you intend to develop in the United States. The preliminary assessment organizes the picture before any conclusion about the path.
Initial contact with no guarantee of eligibility, approval or outcome. Submission does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not create an engagement. MGM provides global mobility coordination and administrative support; legal services, when needed, are provided separately by independent U.S.-licensed counsel.