EB-2 National Interest Waiver
Almost half of NIW petitions now get denied. Find out which half you're in.
Free 5-minute credential check against the USCIS Dhanasar framework. We verify your real publication record — and tell you exactly where your case is weak, including “not yet.”
Check my NIW odds — free5 min · No account · No sales call
The bar moved. Most people don't know it.
~80% → ~36%
NIW approval rate, FY2023 → late FY2025 — the first time on record USCIS denied more petitions than it approved.
~1 in 2
NIW petitions now draw a Request for Evidence. RFEs are the norm, not the exception.
$15K+
on the line if you file before you're ready — plus 6+ months lost to a denial.
Source: USCIS EB-2 NIW adjudication data, FY2023–2025. We score your real record against the new reality — free, in 5 minutes.
$300–$500
Typical NIW consultation
To find out if your case is even worth filing — after the attorney has already pitched you on retaining them.
$0
PetitionHQ assessment
Five minutes. Scored against the same Dhanasar framework. No pitch. Honest tier — including "not yet."
$6–15K
EB-2 NIW total cost
Attorney fees + USCIS filing fees once you commit. Worth knowing if your case is ready first.
How it works
Step 1
Answer 5 minutes of questions
Degree, field, publications, citations, awards, grants, and your intended U.S. endeavor. No payment or account required.
Step 2
Get your honest tier rating
Scored against the three Matter of Dhanasar prongs. Includes a prong-level gap analysis identifying where your case is strongest and weakest.
Step 3
See your biggest gap — and how to fix it
A prong-level read of where your case is strong, weak, or not ready — and what stronger cases usually have. Before you spend a dollar on filing.
Step 4
Optional: match with a vetted attorney
Only if you want it — you decide after seeing your result. Nothing is shared without your explicit consent.
Who NIW is for
The National Interest Waiver rewards advanced-degree professionals with demonstrable national-level impact.
Researchers & scientists
Peer-reviewed publications and citations in U.S. priority fields: biotech, climate, AI, materials, semiconductors.
Engineers & technologists
Patents, open-source impact, or systems deployed at scale in ML/AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors, robotics.
Healthcare professionals
Physicians, nurse-scientists, and biomedical engineers addressing U.S. healthcare-shortage priorities.
Founders & operators
Technical founders with funding, traction, or category-defining IP in tech, healthcare, climate, or defense.
Not in these categories? Take the assessment anyway — NIW has been approved across dozens of fields.
FAQ
Is the assessment really free?
Yes — tier rating, Dhanasar prong-level gap analysis, and pathway recommendation. No credit card, no account required. You only pay if you choose to engage a partner attorney.
How is the assessment scored?
Directly against the three Matter of Dhanasar prongs — the controlling USCIS framework for EB-2 NIW adjudication. Each prong is evaluated against evidence patterns USCIS has historically rewarded: publications, citations, recommender letters, grants, awards, peer-review activity, and the specificity of your proposed U.S. endeavor.
How honest is the tier rating?
About one in three applicants receive a 'Not yet ready' or 'Borderline' tier with concrete guidance on which evidence to build before filing. We would rather lose you to an honest result today than file a petition that gets denied.
Is my data secure?
Encrypted at rest, HTTPS with HSTS, JWT sessions with server-side revocation. Nothing is shared with attorneys or third parties without your explicit consent. We do not use your data to train AI models.
Find out where your case actually stands.
Five minutes. No credit card. Honest answer — including "not yet."
Start my free assessment