Strategy walkthrough

A green card on your own merits

If you’re at the top of your field — or your work matters enough to the United States — you don’t need an employer to sponsor you. EB-1A and EB-2 NIW let you petition for a green card yourself.

An illustrative roadmap to help you picture the path — not legal advice or a guarantee of any outcome.

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Do you qualify?

Two ways to self-petition

Both let you skip the employer and the labor certification. The right one depends on your record.

Which sounds more like you? — tap to explore (optional)

EB-1A

Extraordinary ability

You're among the very top of your field.

EB-1A is for individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics — shown by sustained national or international acclaim. You qualify through a single major internationally recognized award, or by meeting at least 3 of 10 regulatory criteria. No employer, no job offer, no labor certification.

EB-2 NIW

National interest waiver

Your work has national importance.

The NIW waives the job-offer and labor-certification requirements of the EB-2 when your work serves the U.S. national interest. You need an advanced degree or exceptional ability, and your work must be important enough to justify waiving the usual job offer. Like EB-1A, you petition for yourself.

Many people qualify for both. We identify the basis — or file both — that is strongest for your record.

Do you qualify? · EB-1A

Meet at least 3 of 10

EB-1A asks for a single major international award — or at least 3 of these 10 criteria. Tick the ones you could document.

Nationally or internationally recognized awards or prizesfor excellence in your field

Membership in associations that require outstanding achievement

Published material about youin professional or major media

You've judged the work of otherspeer review, panels, competitions

Original contributions of major significance

Authorship of scholarly articles in your field

Your work displayed at exhibitions or showcases

A leading or critical role for distinguished organizations

A high salary or remuneration relative to your field

Commercial success in the performing arts

0 of 3 ticked

Tick at least 3 you could document. (A single major, internationally recognized award qualifies on its own.)

Leaning toward EB-2 NIW instead? That’s the next step.

Do you qualify? · EB-2 NIW

The national-interest test

NIW isn’t a checklist of credentials. It turns on three things, and you need all three. Tick what fits your situation.

Your work has substantial merit and national importanceit matters beyond a single employer or client

You're well positioned to advance ityour record, skills, and plan show you can move it forward

It would benefit the U.S. to waive the job offer and labor certificationinsisting on a specific employer wouldn't serve the national interest

The NIW turns on all three. Tick each that fits.

NIW also requires EB-2 eligibility — an advanced degree or exceptional ability in your field.

Proving the merits

Built to show you’re at the top

Meeting the criteria is only step one. The case is won on the final-merits picture: sustained contributions, and a position at the top of your field. Here is the kind of buildout we do — samples, to show the approach.

Sample — your contributions, mapped over time to show sustained acclaim rather than a single moment:

Early career

First publications and projects

Building

Invited talks, peer review, growing citations

Recognized

Awards, press, and leading roles

Now

Sustained recognition across your field

Sample — positioning your record at the very top of the field:

Top of the field

Recognized — cited, invited, awarded

Actively publishing or practicing

Everyone in your field

For EB-2 NIW, the approach is analogous but distinct: across the three Dhanasar prongs (substantial merit and national importance, your positioning to advance the work, and the benefit of waiving the job offer), the emphasis shifts to differentiating you from the pack — showing how you are uniquely positioned to further the U.S. national interest in a way that sets your case apart, in line with current USCIS adjudication trends.

Build the legal strategy

Your evidence and strategy

The petition lives or dies on how your record is framed and supported. We build the case to the standard.

Custom intake and supplemental questionnaires

we ask exactly what your case needs, so you can focus on what matters

An evidence portfolio

publications, citations, awards, media, leadership, salary and impact

Recommendation letters from recognized authorities

independent and well-chosen

Every piece of evidence reviewed twice over

Jack checks each item for individual merit and for how it fits your overall portfolio, catching the inconsistencies that draw government scrutiny

A custom client portal for your petition

your documents, status, and next steps in one place

That portal is jimmi™ — your immigration companion. A glimpse of your evidence coming together:

Evidence portfolio

Media coverage — industry profileReviewed

Judging record — panel invitationsReviewed

Recommendation letter — draft 2Your input needed

Portfolio buildout8 of 11 items in

Rec_Letter_Dr_M.pdf

Jack Attorney

Strong letter — I’d sharpen the paragraph on your original contributions. Notes attached.

S. Client Petitioner

Makes sense — I’ll ask Dr. M. to revise this week.

Illustrative sample — not a real case.

File your petition

The I-140 — and your green card

You file Form I-140 (the immigrant petition) for yourself. How you finish depends on where you are and your priority date.

Adjustment of status

If you're in the U.S. with a visa number available.

If you’re in the United States with a visa number available, you file Form I-485 to adjust status, often alongside the I-140, and get your green card without leaving. Current USCIS policy treats adjustment as discretionary, so we build out your positive equities to make the strongest case for being processed inside the U.S. Read more about Jack’s approach

Consular processing

If you're abroad.

If you’re outside the U.S., you complete the green card at a U.S. consulate once the petition is approved and a visa number is available for you.

Premium processing is available for the I-140 (15 business days). Wait times depend on your category and country of birth — EB-1A often moves faster than NIW.

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive derivative green cards on your petition.

Permanent residence

A green card — for you and your family

The result is lawful permanent residence, earned on your own petition — and a foundation for what comes next.

Lawful permanent residence on your own petition

no employer tie

Green cards for your spouse and children under 21

A path to U.S. citizenship down the road

Book a consultation

Eligibility and timelines depend on your field, your record, and your country of birth. We assess your case individually.

An illustrative roadmap — not legal advice or a guarantee of any outcome.

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