The United States is a traditional immigration country, attracting a large number of immigrants every year, especially those with outstanding talents and highly educated people, who have a soft spot for the United States.
The two most common options for these outstanding applicants are the EB-1A Alien of Extraordinary Ability (Category 1) and the NIW Nation Interest Waiver in the EB-2 (Category 2).
The two programs have many similarities, but they differ in criteria and dimensions. For many applicants who are waiting or preparing to act, they often confuse the two and do not know how to choose.
In this article, the immigration lawyer will briefly explain the similarities and differences between EB1A and NIW for your reference and choice:
US EB1A vs NIW
Similarities:
-- No age or language requirements;
• None of the investment and employment requirements;
-- None of the field and local employer requirements;
-- All need to prove their excellent materials from all aspects;
Differences:
-- Education: NIW master's degree or above, bachelor's degree plus 5 years of working experience, if the doctoral degree pass rate is greater. EB1A has no quantifiable criteria other than outstanding;
-- Background: EB1A focuses on previous personal achievements, NIW focuses on academic qualifications and related professional work experience;
-- Duration: Although both can be expedited processing, the expedited processing period for EB1A is 15 working days, and the IEW is 45 working days, and in terms of the length of the entire process, EB1A currently takes 1-2 years to obtain a U.S. green card, and NIW takes about 5 years;
-- Crowd and difficulty: The two groups of people can be interspersed, but EB-1A is more rigorous in considering excellence, and although NIW will also consider the material to contribute, it can be more simplified or lower than the EB-1A level.
Compare EB1A and NIW conditional options
NIW needs to meet 3 of the 7 criteria:
1. License qualification in related fields;
2. Member of associations in professional fields;
3. 10 years of experience in the professional field;
4. Academic certificate of related majors;
5. The professional field meets the needs of the interests of the United States;
6. Endorsement or recommendation in the professional field;
7. Get a high salary in related fields;
EB1A needs to meet 3 of the 10 criteria:
1. Awards: national or international awards;
2. Association members: achievements have been recognized by well-known associations;
3. Media coverage: The media has an influence on the applicant's major-related reports;
4. Professional review: review the works of others in the profession as a judge;
5. Original contributions: leading original contributions in related fields;
6. Exhibition of works: personal exhibitions or other exhibition activities;
7. Important positions: leaders or other important positions in professional organizations, groups, and institutions;
8. Publications: professional papers, works, books, academic articles, etc.;
9. High salary income: compared with peers, there is a more significant income for the same position;
10. Commercial value of art: such as CD sales, movie box office, work value, etc.;
In short, the popular understanding of these two programs is that EB1A aliens of extraordinary ability are targeted at applicants who are already well-known and outstanding talents, and a large part of NIW is outstanding semi-finished products, but are in line with the national interest or expected technical talents of the United States.
Although EB1A does not seem to have any quantitative application materials, the actual application threshold is definitely higher than that of NIW, and it is possible to apply for dual insurance at the same time if conditions permit, and there is no conflict between the two.