EB-2 NIW
EB-2 NIWLawyers
Tukki’s national interest waiver lawyers test your profile against the three Dhanasar prongs, write the endeavor statement and file your I-140 without an employer or a PERM.
Find out if your work qualifies with a national interest waiver attorney.
+95%
lawyer success rate
TUKKI’S NIW IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY
Meet ourNIW attorneys
Tukki’s immigration team has 15+ years of experience and has helped hundreds of researchers, engineers and founders self-petition for a green card.
Our free EB-2 NIW visa guide breaks down what the Dhanasar test asks, how an endeavor is framed so it reads as national in scope, and which records clear the third prong.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE EB-2 NIW
Is the EB-2 NIW right for you?
The EB-2 National Interest Waiver is an employment-based green card you file for yourself. It waives both the job offer and the PERM labor certification, so no employer is involved and nothing is tied to your current role.
Which profiles qualify for the EB-2 NIW
Researchers and PhDs, on publications, citations and the field’s reliance on the work
Engineers and technical specialists, on the systems built and the problems the industry uses them to solve
Physicians and healthcare professionals, on clinical work in underserved areas or on research
Founders and entrepreneurs, on the company’s traction, funding, hires and what the venture delivers
Data scientists and AI practitioners, on models in production, benchmarks and adoption
Specialists in economics, public health, energy and infrastructure, on policy work and institutional impact
EB-2 NIW ELIGIBILITY
EB-2 NIW requirements
An NIW petition is assessed as a whole. Below are the baseline tests every petition has to meet, and clearing them is where a case starts. What the petition turns on from there is the full record: how the endeavor is framed, what evidence sits behind it, and how the third prong is argued. Your national interest waiver attorney works through all of it with you.
1 of 3 paths
EB-2 eligibility
An advanced degree, or a bachelor’s plus 5 years of progressive experience, or exceptional ability shown through at least 3 of the 6 regulatory criteria.
3 prongs
The Dhanasar three-prong test
The endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, you are well positioned to advance it, and waiving the job offer and labor certification benefits the U.S.
1 documented record
A documented record behind the endeavor
Evidence that connects your past work to the endeavor you propose: citations, adoption, funding, letters from independent experts and a plan for the work ahead.
EB-2 NIW VERSUS OTHER ROUTES
EB-2 NIW vs. EB-1A vs. EB-2 PERM
What is the difference between the EB-2 NIW and the EB-1A? And when does the regular EB-2 with PERM make more sense? Here is how the national interest waiver compares with the other employment-based routes.
| EB-2 NIW | EB-1A | EB-2 with PERM | O-1A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employer needed | NoYou self-petition | NoYou self-petition | YesThe employer sponsors and files | YesA U.S. employer, your own company, or an agent |
| PERM | Waived | Not required | RequiredIncluding a recruitment test | Not applicable |
| Outcome | Green cardSubject to the EB-2 queue on the visa bulletin | Green cardUsually a shorter queue than EB-2 | Green cardTied to that employer and that role | TemporaryWork visa, often filed alongside an NIW |
| Who qualifies | Advanced degree or exceptional ability, plus the three Dhanasar prongs | Extraordinary ability, 3 of 10 criteria plus a final merits determination | Advanced degree or equivalent, with a permanent job offer | Extraordinary ability, 3 of 8 criteria |
TESTIMONIALS
Visa approvals filedby our attorneys
Professionals from all over the world got their U.S. visas with Tukki’s immigration attorneys.
“I got my O-1 visa approved thanks to the team at Tukki and their lawyers were amazing, a really good process.”
🇮🇳 Akrisht Pandey
Director of Real Estate Krea USA
“Tukki team's support was fast and responsive. I literally had someone responding in a couple of hours—sometimes even within minutes—so whenever I was a bit lost, there was always someone to help me out.”
🇧🇷 Camila Zancanella
Co-founder and CEO of Domu
“I'm glad that I leaned on a team that really can deliver that one-stop service.”
🇬🇧 Lauren Bell
Co-founder and CEO of Cosi Care
“Track record and responsiveness made all the difference. Both the tech and the legal team were top-notch.”
🇪🇸 Lois Rogel Vence
Co-founder and CEO of Momento
“I've worked with a few lawyers, and Tukki has by far been the best experience.”
🇨🇴 Gia Liu
Co-Founder of Fintegral
“The Tukki team's involvement plus the tech platform where you're able to track your own process were key to how smooth it went.”
🇨🇴 Carlos Mejia
Director of Real Estate Development at Delta
“Looking back, I feel that Dobrina's approach made the difference. Taking a more focused approach with stronger evidence made the response much easier to handle and more convincing.”
🇩🇪 Tobias Fischer
Digital Marketing Business Owner
“I didn't really know how to prepare my case, but the Tukki team walked me through the process and answered all my questions.”
🇦🇷 Gonzalo Piñero
PHD Researcher
“I really felt like every single person on the team… everything that I was asking, or everything that they were doing, was like their top priority. And it's so amazing to feel that support for something so important as immigration.”
🇨🇴 Lorenza Velez
Founder & Co-CEO in Ponte
“In a field without structure, Tukki helped me make sense of everything.”
🇮🇳 Archana Raja
Classical Dancer & Choreographer
“Tukki made a fairly unfamiliar process for me as a foreigner more reassuring.”
🇬🇧 Virginia Szepietowski
Co-founder and CEO of Nyad
“Tukki's lawyers and tech guided me all the way through the complex criteria and documentation required, all the way to EB-1A visa approval.”
🇨🇴 Samuel Urquijo
Founder of Keybe
“Overall, the experience was great. I liked very much all the paralegal team; they were super available.”
🇮🇹 Andrea Sguazzi
Head of Venture Builder & Startup Programs
“Tukki's flows make it impossible to upload information with inconsistencies, which I absolutely loved.”
🇦🇷 Guido Tagliavini
Software engineer at Google
“I've been through many immigration processes. Tukki's team was supportive, responsive, and made everything easier.”
🇨🇴 Daniel Baiz
CEO of OneAxiom
“I think everything about the Tukki experience brings a lot of transparency into the problem and into the execution of the process. So that is very, very important. And I would suggest everybody to look for that, because it brings you peace into your everyday.”
🇦🇷 Michelle Shocron
Co-Founder & CEO at Parsed
“Tukki gave us both the structure and the support we needed to make our U.S. move possible.”
🇭🇹 Clifford Nau & Anne-Marie Desormeaux
Co-founder of Kura Technologies | Public Health Specialist
“They explained every step clearly and gave me peace of mind knowing my case was in good hands.”
🇲🇽 Viridiana Aguilar
Founder and CEO of Vivantra
“I had spoken with some lawyers and firms before, and everything felt confusing, like a maze. With Tukki, I could visualize the entire process clearly.”
🇪🇸 Felipe de Sande Palma
Founder of Amrap
“I think this is never going to be an easy process, but you guys make it seem easier.”
🇨🇱 Andres Garbarini
Co-founder and CEO of Finvix
“They were honest from day one. That honesty is what got me approved without an RFE.”
🇮🇳 Shagun Kalra
Architect & Real Estate Developer
“The biggest difference was having everything organized. It turned a long process into something much easier to manage.”
🇪🇸 Pilar Baldominos
Cancer Researcher
“The Tukki team understands each candidate's profile and builds the strategy that works best for them.”
🇮🇳 Tharak Vangalapat
Senior Principal Data Scientist
“I got my O-1 visa approved thanks to the team at Tukki and their lawyers were amazing, a really good process.”
🇮🇳 Akrisht Pandey
Director of Real Estate Krea USA
“Tukki team's support was fast and responsive. I literally had someone responding in a couple of hours—sometimes even within minutes—so whenever I was a bit lost, there was always someone to help me out.”
🇧🇷 Camila Zancanella
Co-founder and CEO of Domu
“I'm glad that I leaned on a team that really can deliver that one-stop service.”
🇬🇧 Lauren Bell
Co-founder and CEO of Cosi Care
“Track record and responsiveness made all the difference. Both the tech and the legal team were top-notch.”
🇪🇸 Lois Rogel Vence
Co-founder and CEO of Momento
“I've worked with a few lawyers, and Tukki has by far been the best experience.”
🇨🇴 Gia Liu
Co-Founder of Fintegral
“The Tukki team's involvement plus the tech platform where you're able to track your own process were key to how smooth it went.”
🇨🇴 Carlos Mejia
Director of Real Estate Development at Delta
“Looking back, I feel that Dobrina's approach made the difference. Taking a more focused approach with stronger evidence made the response much easier to handle and more convincing.”
🇩🇪 Tobias Fischer
Digital Marketing Business Owner
“I didn't really know how to prepare my case, but the Tukki team walked me through the process and answered all my questions.”
🇦🇷 Gonzalo Piñero
PHD Researcher
“I really felt like every single person on the team… everything that I was asking, or everything that they were doing, was like their top priority. And it's so amazing to feel that support for something so important as immigration.”
🇨🇴 Lorenza Velez
Founder & Co-CEO in Ponte
“In a field without structure, Tukki helped me make sense of everything.”
🇮🇳 Archana Raja
Classical Dancer & Choreographer
“Tukki made a fairly unfamiliar process for me as a foreigner more reassuring.”
🇬🇧 Virginia Szepietowski
Co-founder and CEO of Nyad
“Tukki's lawyers and tech guided me all the way through the complex criteria and documentation required, all the way to EB-1A visa approval.”
🇨🇴 Samuel Urquijo
Founder of Keybe
“Overall, the experience was great. I liked very much all the paralegal team; they were super available.”
🇮🇹 Andrea Sguazzi
Head of Venture Builder & Startup Programs
“Tukki's flows make it impossible to upload information with inconsistencies, which I absolutely loved.”
🇦🇷 Guido Tagliavini
Software engineer at Google
“I've been through many immigration processes. Tukki's team was supportive, responsive, and made everything easier.”
🇨🇴 Daniel Baiz
CEO of OneAxiom
“I think everything about the Tukki experience brings a lot of transparency into the problem and into the execution of the process. So that is very, very important. And I would suggest everybody to look for that, because it brings you peace into your everyday.”
🇦🇷 Michelle Shocron
Co-Founder & CEO at Parsed
“Tukki gave us both the structure and the support we needed to make our U.S. move possible.”
🇭🇹 Clifford Nau & Anne-Marie Desormeaux
Co-founder of Kura Technologies | Public Health Specialist
“They explained every step clearly and gave me peace of mind knowing my case was in good hands.”
🇲🇽 Viridiana Aguilar
Founder and CEO of Vivantra
“I had spoken with some lawyers and firms before, and everything felt confusing, like a maze. With Tukki, I could visualize the entire process clearly.”
🇪🇸 Felipe de Sande Palma
Founder of Amrap
“I think this is never going to be an easy process, but you guys make it seem easier.”
🇨🇱 Andres Garbarini
Co-founder and CEO of Finvix
“They were honest from day one. That honesty is what got me approved without an RFE.”
🇮🇳 Shagun Kalra
Architect & Real Estate Developer
“The biggest difference was having everything organized. It turned a long process into something much easier to manage.”
🇪🇸 Pilar Baldominos
Cancer Researcher
“The Tukki team understands each candidate's profile and builds the strategy that works best for them.”
🇮🇳 Tharak Vangalapat
Senior Principal Data Scientist
“I got my O-1 visa approved thanks to the team at Tukki and their lawyers were amazing, a really good process.”
🇮🇳 Akrisht Pandey
Director of Real Estate Krea USA
“Tukki team's support was fast and responsive. I literally had someone responding in a couple of hours—sometimes even within minutes—so whenever I was a bit lost, there was always someone to help me out.”
🇧🇷 Camila Zancanella
Co-founder and CEO of Domu
“I'm glad that I leaned on a team that really can deliver that one-stop service.”
🇬🇧 Lauren Bell
Co-founder and CEO of Cosi Care
“Track record and responsiveness made all the difference. Both the tech and the legal team were top-notch.”
🇪🇸 Lois Rogel Vence
Co-founder and CEO of Momento
“I've worked with a few lawyers, and Tukki has by far been the best experience.”
🇨🇴 Gia Liu
Co-Founder of Fintegral
“The Tukki team's involvement plus the tech platform where you're able to track your own process were key to how smooth it went.”
🇨🇴 Carlos Mejia
Director of Real Estate Development at Delta
“Looking back, I feel that Dobrina's approach made the difference. Taking a more focused approach with stronger evidence made the response much easier to handle and more convincing.”
🇩🇪 Tobias Fischer
Digital Marketing Business Owner
“I didn't really know how to prepare my case, but the Tukki team walked me through the process and answered all my questions.”
🇦🇷 Gonzalo Piñero
PHD Researcher
“I really felt like every single person on the team… everything that I was asking, or everything that they were doing, was like their top priority. And it's so amazing to feel that support for something so important as immigration.”
🇨🇴 Lorenza Velez
Founder & Co-CEO in Ponte
“In a field without structure, Tukki helped me make sense of everything.”
🇮🇳 Archana Raja
Classical Dancer & Choreographer
“Tukki made a fairly unfamiliar process for me as a foreigner more reassuring.”
🇬🇧 Virginia Szepietowski
Co-founder and CEO of Nyad
“Tukki's lawyers and tech guided me all the way through the complex criteria and documentation required, all the way to EB-1A visa approval.”
🇨🇴 Samuel Urquijo
Founder of Keybe
“Overall, the experience was great. I liked very much all the paralegal team; they were super available.”
🇮🇹 Andrea Sguazzi
Head of Venture Builder & Startup Programs
“Tukki's flows make it impossible to upload information with inconsistencies, which I absolutely loved.”
🇦🇷 Guido Tagliavini
Software engineer at Google
“I've been through many immigration processes. Tukki's team was supportive, responsive, and made everything easier.”
🇨🇴 Daniel Baiz
CEO of OneAxiom
“I think everything about the Tukki experience brings a lot of transparency into the problem and into the execution of the process. So that is very, very important. And I would suggest everybody to look for that, because it brings you peace into your everyday.”
🇦🇷 Michelle Shocron
Co-Founder & CEO at Parsed
“Tukki gave us both the structure and the support we needed to make our U.S. move possible.”
🇭🇹 Clifford Nau & Anne-Marie Desormeaux
Co-founder of Kura Technologies | Public Health Specialist
“They explained every step clearly and gave me peace of mind knowing my case was in good hands.”
🇲🇽 Viridiana Aguilar
Founder and CEO of Vivantra
“I had spoken with some lawyers and firms before, and everything felt confusing, like a maze. With Tukki, I could visualize the entire process clearly.”
🇪🇸 Felipe de Sande Palma
Founder of Amrap
“I think this is never going to be an easy process, but you guys make it seem easier.”
🇨🇱 Andres Garbarini
Co-founder and CEO of Finvix
“They were honest from day one. That honesty is what got me approved without an RFE.”
🇮🇳 Shagun Kalra
Architect & Real Estate Developer
“The biggest difference was having everything organized. It turned a long process into something much easier to manage.”
🇪🇸 Pilar Baldominos
Cancer Researcher
“The Tukki team understands each candidate's profile and builds the strategy that works best for them.”
🇮🇳 Tharak Vangalapat
Senior Principal Data Scientist
TUKKI’S VISA ATTORNEYS
Why Tukki’s EB-2 NIWlawyers are different
| TUKKI | Traditional law firms | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality control | Tech-enabled with quality checks | Manual and informal |
| Speed | Fast turnaround | Delayed review process |
| Visibility | Transparent by design | No real-time updates |
| Communication | In-app chat with a touchpoint at each case stage | Mostly delayed emails |
| Interface | All-in-one platform | Scattered tools and emails |
| Guidance | Step-by-step with in-app help | Generic checklist |
| When work starts | After 1 document is uploaded | After everything is uploaded |
| Attorney involvement | More attorney time on the legal argument | Attorney time absorbed by paperwork |
EB-2 NIW PROCESS
How do our EB-2 NIW lawyers work?
STEP 01 OF 06
Before you commit
You start with our free EB-2 NIW visa guide and the Visa Match assessment, so you arrive at the first call with your NIW lawyer already informed.
STEP 01 OF 06
Before you commit
You start with our free EB-2 NIW visa guide and the Visa Match assessment, so you arrive at the first call with your NIW lawyer already informed.
STEP 02 OF 06
Free evaluation
A licensed immigration attorney reads your profile against the three Dhanasar prongs and tells you honestly whether to file now, strengthen the record first, or look at the EB-1A instead.
STEP 03 OF 06
Kick off
You sign, get platform access, and define the proposed endeavor with your attorney. This is the decision the whole petition rests on.
STEP 04 OF 06
Case production
You upload your evidence, and your attorney and paralegal draft the endeavor statement, request the independent expert letters, and organize the record against each prong.
STEP 05 OF 06
Petition assembly
Your immigration lawyer for the EB-2 NIW writes the legal brief that carries the argument, and the platform assembles the full I-140 package for your approval.
STEP 06 OF 06
Filing
We file the I-140 with USCIS, with premium processing if you want a decision in 45 days, and if an RFE comes back we prepare and submit the response at no extra cost.
VISA PRICING
EB-2 NIW attorney fees
One flat fee covers your national interest waiver petition from the first strategy session to the filing. From day one you know exactly what you are paying, and that number does not change.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Dhanasar assessment against all three prongs before you commit
- Endeavor statement drafting
- Independent expert letter drafting and evidence organization
- I-140 preparation and filing
- RFE response at no additional cost
- Live case tracking in the platform, and government filing fees quoted upfront before you start
FAQS
Need more clarity?
Find quick answers from our EB-2 NIW lawyers to common national interest waiver questions.
Can I get a green card without an employer?
Yes. Three employment-based green card categories let you self-petition with no employer and no PERM: EB-1A for extraordinary ability, EB-2 NIW under a National Interest Waiver, and EB-5 for investors. In each, you file your own Form I-140 (or the investor petition for EB-5) and make the case for yourself.
The rest of the employment-based categories, EB-2 and EB-3 through PERM, do require a sponsoring employer.
What happens if my EB-2 NIW is denied?
You can appeal to the AAO, file a motion to reopen or reconsider, or refile a rebuilt petition. Which one makes sense depends entirely on what the denial notice says, so the decision letter is the first thing to bring to a call.
Learn more about the next steps after an NIW denial.
Can I represent myself instead of using Form G-28?
Yes. You are always allowed to represent yourself before USCIS.
Form G-28 is only necessary when you want a licensed attorney or accredited representative to act on your behalf.
If you choose to handle your own visa process, USCIS will communicate directly with you.
However, for complex petitions or cases involving RFEs, many foreign nationals find that working with an immigration attorney leads to better outcomes.
Can I file an EB-2 NIW myself?
Yes. People with a clear research record and the time to study the Dhanasar framework do it.
The trade-off is that USCIS gives no feedback before the decision, so a weak prong only surfaces as an RFE or a denial months later, and refiling restarts the queue.
Does E-2 visa lead to a green card?
The E-2 doesn't directly lead to a green card, but E-2 holders have several pathways to permanent residence.
Options include the EB-5 immigrant investor program, EB-1A extraordinary ability, EB-2 NIW national interest waiver, or employer-sponsored green cards through the PERM process.
FREE CALL
Talk to a national interest waiver attorney
Schedule a free call:
- Free consultation with an experienced EB-2 NIW immigration lawyer
- A free evaluation of your profile against the three Dhanasar prongs
- Clear timeline and cost estimate for your case
- Walk away with an action plan: whether you proceed with us, strengthen the record first, or file an EB-1A instead.