national interest waiver

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, certain nonimmigrant visa applicants are now eligible for a waiver of the visa interview requirement. The U.S. Department of State recently announced the following nonimmigrant categories

Continue Reading Interview Requirement Waiver Available for Certain Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants

The Greenberg Traurig team recently assisted a medical products client with a rush I-140 immigrant petition requesting a National Interest Waiver (NIW) to allow one of the client’s development engineers

Continue Reading Practice Spotlight: I-140 Immigrant Petition Requesting a National Interest Waiver – Expedited Filing and Approval

On Jan. 21, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address national interest waivers for advanced degree professionals or persons
Continue Reading USCIS Updates Guidance Adjudicating Requests for ‘National Interest Waiver’

The State Department has once again updated its guidance regarding those who qualify for travel ban exemption. The additional guidance expands the waiver criteria to include individuals who will provide
Continue Reading UPDATE: Waivers and National Interest Exceptions to the Travel bans from Certain Countries

shutterstock_338458820USCIS has established a new standard for adjudicating national interest waiver petitions by naming the Administration Appeals Office’s (AAO) Dec.27, 2016 decision, Matter of Dhanasar, 26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016), a precedent decision. This decision vacates Matter of New York State Dep’t of Transp., 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Acting Assoc. Comm’r 1998), which established the previous analysis framework.

A national interest waiver may be available to immigrants eligible for an employment-based, second preference (EB-2) visa under section 203(b)(2)(B)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to discretionarily waive the requirement of a job offer and of a labor certification, which would otherwise be required to get the visa. To be eligible for the waiver, the foreign national beneficiary must first demonstrate that he or she qualifies as a member of the profession, holding an advanced degree or as an individual of exceptional ability. The beneficiary must then establish that it would be in the national interest to waive the job offer requirement.Continue Reading New Framework for Adjudicating National Interest Waivers

Kate Kalmykov, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, and Jordi S. Bayer, associate at Greenberg Traurig, recently authored an article in the New Jersey Law Journal (NJLJ) discussing creative solutions for employers
Continue Reading Greenberg Traurig’s Kate Kalmykov and Jordi S. Bayer Featured in The New Jersey Law Journal for their article on Green Cards