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Lawyers Who Can Help You With A National Interest Waiver

A “national interest waiver” is a waiver of the job offer requirement to a U.S. worker for an employment-based petition if the alien’s work can be deemed to be in the “national interest.” The national interest waiver is available for professionals with advanced degrees and people of exceptional ability. This requires filing Form I-140 with the CIS regional processing center together with proof of the alien’s advanced degree (a master’s degree or higher or bachelor’s degree plus five years progressive work experience) or exceptional ability. In addition, documentation supporting that the work the alien undertakes is in the national interest must also be submitted. Typically, this will consist of letters of recommendation plus a resume from other professionals who have reviewed the alien’s work. We also provide proof of the advanced degree, copies of any awards, copies of research studies, copies of newspaper articles or publications of the alien’s work, copies of program seminars where the alien has presented professional papers, etc.

At Steven C. Thal, P.A., our immigration law attorneys help clients with all aspects of employment-based immigration, including national interest waivers. You can view just a few of our representative cases related to national interest waivers. You can call our office now at 612-424-2942 or toll free at 800-265-7441.

What Constitutes ‘National Interest’?

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) regulations have not explicitly defined “National Interest.” However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has recognized the following criteria in determining whether the national interest is met:

  1. Improving the U.S. economy
  2. Improving wages and working conditions of U.S. workers
  3. Improving education and training programs for U.S. children and underqualified workers
  4. Improving health care
  5. Providing more affordable housing for young and/or older, poorer U.S. residents
  6. Improving the environment of the United States and making more productive use of natural resources
  7. A request from an interested U.S. government agency

What Are The Advantages Of Filing For A National Interest Waiver?

There are several advantages of filing for a national interest waiver and obtaining an approval in this category. The first is that the alien can be the petitioner. Since the waiver is of the job offer requirement, it also does not require that a specific job be offered to a U.S. worker by an employer. As a practical matter, the principle advantage in many cases is that one does not have to go through the labor certification process to show that there is a shortage of qualified U.S. workers for a particular position. This not only saves time but also money in many cases. Please note that although the alien may file the petition, in some cases, employers are willing to sponsor the alien for the national interest and sign the petition as the petitioner. The regulations allow that anyone may file the national interest waiver petition. Another advantage of the national interest waiver petition is that, in many cases, it is not specific to an individual employer. For instance, if one should change jobs after the petition has been approved but before permanent residency is obtained, one can still proceed to adjust status provided that one continues to work in the area of national interest of the underlying petition.

How Long Does It Take To Get A National Interest Waiver Approval?

The processing times on national interest waiver petitions are extremely variable. In some cases, we have had approvals as quickly as 17 days from the date of filing. In other cases, the processing time has ranged between 10 and 12 months. The processing time may also vary if the USCIS returns the petition requesting additional information. Generally, one is provided 12 weeks to obtain additional information in support of the petition. Obviously, if it is returned more quickly to the USCIS for the continuation of the processing, a decision will be returned more quickly than if one waits to the end of the permissible return period.

How Do We Assist Someone In Seeking A National Interest Waiver?

We will review your education and work experience with you to determine whether a case might be presented. We will provide sample letters of support, which you can use to obtain recommendations from others who are familiar with your work. We will prepare all the necessary forms and advise you of current processing times. We will also research similar case reports of other cases that we may cite when we submit your application. And we will research government and other internet sites to find supplementary documentation to demonstrate that your work is in the national interest.

What Happens After The National Interest Waiver Petition Is Approved?

After an approval of the national interest waiver petition is obtained, one must still file for adjustment of status to permanent residency (or obtain an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate). When applying for adjustment, this is done by filing Form I-485, Adjustment of Status to Permanent Residence, at the CIS regional processing center, which has jurisdiction over your place of residence. We can also assist you with this application and the necessary documentation to complete its processing.

Schedule Your First Meeting Now

You can schedule your first meeting now with one of our attorneys by calling 612-424-2942 or toll free at 800-265-7441. You can also reach us by email.

Our attorneys are fluent in Spanish. Hablamos español.