常见问题解答
​FAQ

NIW（国家利益豁免）属于职业移民第二优先类别（EB2）。与普通EB2移民申请不同，NIW申请不需要劳工认证（Labor Certification）或工作offer。这意味着，即使申请人没有终身教职（tenure-track position）或永久工作offer，也可以申请NIW，并自行提交申请。

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与EB-1A（杰出人才类别）类似，EB2 NIW要求申请人能够证明在其专业领域的重大成就和贡献。申请人需提供明确证据，表明其工作对美国的预期利益足够显著，并且这种利益超过了通过劳工认证保护美国工人的国家利益。

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要申请NIW，申请人首先需要符合EB2类别的条件，即拥有高级学位（advanced degree），或在科学、艺术或商业领域具有杰出能力（exceptional ability）。此外，申请人需要计划在美国从事其专业领域的工作。如果满足以上条件，还需通过以下“三步测试”：

• 申请人从事的工作具有重大的内在价值（substantial intrinsic merit）；

• 其工作成果的潜在利益具有全国范围的影响力（national in scope）；

• 如果需要进行劳工认证，国家利益将受到负面影响。

NIW (National Interest Waiver) is a second preference category for employment-based immigration (EB2). Unlike regular EB2 immigration applications, NIW applications do not require labor certification or a job offer. This means that even if the applicant does not have a tenure-track position or a permanent job offer, he or she can apply for NIW and submit the application on his or her own.

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Similar to EB-1A (Exceptional Ability Category), EB2 NIW requires applicants to be able to demonstrate significant achievements and contributions in their professional field. Applicants need to provide clear evidence that their work is expected to benefit the United States significantly enough and that this benefit outweighs the national interest in protecting American workers through labor certification.

To apply for NIW, applicants first need to meet the requirements of the EB2 category, that is, have an advanced degree, or have exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business. In addition, applicants need to plan to work in their professional field in the United States. If the above conditions are met, the following "three-step test" must also be passed:

• The work performed by the applicant has substantial intrinsic merit;

• If labor certification is required, national interests will be negatively affected.

• If labor certification is required, national interests will be negatively affected.

申请EB2 NIW绿卡有两个独立步骤：

• 提交I-140表格，向美国移民局（USCIS）证明申请人在美工作的国家利益足够显著，从而可以免除劳工认证（Labor Certification）的要求；

• 在I-140获得批准后，可以提交I-485表格申请绿卡。

相比基于PERM劳工认证的EB2，NIW具有以下优势：

• 可以自我申请（self-petition）： 申请人无需雇主的支持或知情，可以独立提交申请；

• 申请要求相对宽松： 与EB-1A（杰出人才类别）相比，EB2 NIW的要求更为灵活；

• 无需劳工认证： 劳工认证过程繁琐且耗时，而NIW允许申请人跳过这一步骤。

There are two separate steps to apply for an EB2 NIW green card:

• Submitting Form I-140 to prove to the USCIS that the applicant's national interest in working in the United States is significant enough to waive the labor certification requirement;；

• After the I-140 is approved, you can submit Form I-485 to apply for a green card.

Compared to EB2 based on PERM labor certification, NIW has the following advantages:

• Self-petition: Applicants can submit applications independently without the support or knowledge of their employers;

• Relatively loose application requirements: EB2 NIW requirements are more flexible than EB-1A (exceptional talent category);

• No labor certification required: The labor certification process is cumbersome and time-consuming, while NIW allows applicants to skip this step.

拥有硕士学位的申请人是否符合NIW的条件，需具体评估其资质。高级学位或杰出能力仅是NIW申请的基本要求，申请人还需证明其获得永久居民身份符合美国的国家利益。

NIW绿卡申请并不限于科学家和研究人员。尽管大多数NIW申请者为科学领域的研究人员，但法律并未排除其他行业或职业的从业者。实际上，美国移民局（USCIS）已批准过工程师、演员、音乐家、画家、电影导演、作家、教育工作者、企业家和厨师等领域人士的NIW申请

Whether an applicant with a master's degree is eligible for NIW requires a specific assessment of his or her qualifications. An advanced degree or outstanding ability is only the basic requirement for NIW applications. Applicants must also prove that their acquisition of permanent resident status is in the national interest of the United States.

NIW green card applications are not limited to scientists and researchers. Although most NIW applicants are researchers in the scientific field, the law does not exclude practitioners in other industries or professions. In fact, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USCIS) has approved NIW applications from engineers, actors, musicians, painters, film directors, writers, educators, entrepreneurs, and chefs.

O-1签证有以下优势：首先，它没有年度配额限制，也没有最长停留时间限制。其次，与H-1B不同，O-1签证申请不需要提交劳工条件申请（LCA）。然而，O-1申请需要相关行业协会或专家小组提供意见，这有时会有一定难度。此外，O-1签证和H-1B签证均需要有工作邀请，但O-1签证不允许配偶（O-3身份）工作，与H-1B签证的H-4配偶一样

Letters of recommendation are an important part of many EB2 NIW applications. Letters of recommendation written by experts in the applicant's field may be submitted as supporting evidence. However, letters of recommendation should not be the only core material for a successful application.

The content of the letter of recommendation should complement the other evidence submitted. The letter of recommendation needs to clearly explain why the expert believes that the applicant's work has great intrinsic value and how the applicant's work benefits the entire country. If the letter of recommendation only repeats the definition of NIW or makes empty statements about the applicant's achievements, such a letter of recommendation will lack persuasiveness.

申请人过往的贡献和成就是NIW申请中的重要支持性证据之一。对于证据的质量，USCIS会重点关注申请人在其领域中是否有宝贵的历史贡献，以及其在前沿项目中所发挥的关键作用。

如果USCIS未能发现这样的成就记录，可能会拒绝NIW申请。在某些情况下，USCIS还会从实际意义上评估申请人的贡献，例如这些贡献是否有实际应用价值。USCIS建议，只有体现“成功记录”的实质性、直接证据才能有效支持基于研究的NIW申请。

The applicant's past contributions and achievements are one of the important supporting evidence in the NIW application. Regarding the quality of the evidence, USCIS will focus on whether the applicant has valuable historical contributions in his or her field and the key role he or she has played in cutting-edge projects.

If USCIS fails to find such a record of achievements, the NIW application may be rejected. In some cases, USCIS will also evaluate the applicant's contributions in a practical sense, such as whether these contributions have practical application value. USCIS recommends that only substantial and direct evidence that reflects a "successful record" can effectively support a research-based NIW application.