SAMPLE EB2 NIW LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

Letters of recommendation are commonly used as evidence that a foreign national should receive a national interest waiver to live and work in the United States. If you are seeking an EB-2 NIW you will likely need three to five letters of recommendation from employers, professors, colleagues, and others whom you have impressed during your career. 

Because your potential recommenders are often as busy as you are, they may ask you to draft the letter yourself and provide it to them for signature and letterhead. But that then leaves you with the dilemma of how to write an EB2 NIW letter of recommendation, and you will likely look for sample LORs.  

How to Begin an EB-2 NIW Letter of Recommendation 
Since most foreign nationals provide USCIS with more than one letter of recommendation, each of the salutations on the EB-2 NIW LORs can vary, so that each of the 3-5 endorsements look different from each other. Some sample ways to begin a national interest waiver letter of recommendation include the following: 

• Dear USCIS Officer, 
• To USCIS/DHS: 
• To Whom It May Concern: 
• Dear Adjudicating Officer, 
• To United States Citizenship and Naturalization Service: 

The first paragraph of the EB-2 NIW letter of recommendation should then state what the LOR is about, such as, “I am writing to you to recommend Ms. Jane Smith for a national interest waiver. She is well-known and highly respected in our industry.” 

The second paragraph should be about the recommender 
The second paragraph of an EB-2 NIW letter of recommendation will differ depending on the type of recommender. It should state the person’s name, their title, and a bit about their education. For an executive recommender, the second paragraph of a national interest waiver LOR may describe their career or any specific accomplishments that they have such as awards. An academic recommender’s letter of recommendation might list examples of notable published research or patents. 

Although some sample NIW letters of recommendation may spend several pages on the kudos garnered by the recommender, spending too much time on these accomplishments can distract attention from the green card beneficiary. Although some discussion of the recommender’s education and awards can lend some credibility to the letter and show that this person’s opinion about you should carry some weight, ideally no more than two paragraphs about the recommender are likely necessary. 

What are the EB2 NIW beneficiary’s, talents and qualifications? 
After a few paragraphs about the signer of the NIW letter of recommendation, there can be a few sentences about how that person knows the EB-2 beneficiary. For example, they might be a work supervisor, a thesis advisor, or heard the EB2 NIW seeker speak at a conference.  

Next would be several paragraphs on how the foreign national stands out from among their peers because they have specialties in the areas of X, Y, and Z. Mentions of a sampling of specific awards, memberships, published research, and citations, might also be appropriate items to include in this section of the EB-2 NIW letter of recommendation. 

Substantial Merit and National Importance 
Then it might be prudent to include a section on how the EB2 NIW beneficiary's work has substantial merit and national importance. Going on whitehouse.gov and congress.gov are excellent websites to find examples of national importance. 

The information about substantial merit and national importance should read a natural, rather than quoted from the website. That way this section of the letter seems like more of a recommendation than a research paper.  

Write a closing for the letter 
The ending on an EB-2 national interest waiver letter of recommendation can be like any sample LOR. It can restate a vehement endorsement of the foreign national for a national interest waiver.  

Finally, it can tell USCIS that they can feel free to contact the recommenders should any other information be needed or if there are questions. The signer of the letter should include their title and contact information. 



​Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

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