How to Define Your NIW Proposed Endeavor
Your proposed endeavor is not simply your occupation, job title or industry. It is the specific work you intend to advance in the United States. Defining that endeavor clearly is critical because USCIS uses it to evaluate national importance, whether you are well positioned, and ultimately whether the National Interest Waiver should be granted.
Evaluate My Proposed EndeavorA Strong Endeavor Explains
Your Proposed Endeavor Is More Specific Than Your Profession
“Engineer,” “software developer,” “AI professional,” “entrepreneur” and “executive” identify occupations or professional roles.
They generally do not tell USCIS what specific work the applicant proposes to advance in the United States.
Likewise, saying that an applicant will “work in artificial intelligence” or “continue working in cybersecurity” may identify an important field without adequately defining the endeavor.
A stronger presentation identifies the specific technology, product, business initiative, technical problem, industry challenge or other work the applicant plans to advance.
National importance asks why that endeavor matters. Prong two asks why you are well positioned to advance that endeavor. The balancing analysis then asks why waiving the normal job-offer requirement is beneficial in light of that endeavor and your qualifications.
Five Questions a Strong Proposed Endeavor Should Answer
What?
What technology, business activity, engineering solution, product, initiative, process or professional work will the applicant advance?
Why?
What concrete problem, opportunity, need or challenge does the proposed work address?
How?
What approach, expertise, technology, business model or professional activity will the applicant use to advance the endeavor?
For Whom?
Who may benefit from the work—companies, industries, consumers, institutions, communities, infrastructure or other stakeholders?
What Impact?
What broader technological, economic, industry, health, infrastructure or other prospective effects may result if the endeavor advances?
Why You?
What past achievements, expertise, relationships, resources and progress make the endeavor credible for this particular applicant?
Occupation vs. Proposed Endeavor
Too Broad: “I will work in artificial intelligence.”
Too Broad: “I will continue my career as a software engineer.”
Too Broad: “I will grow my U.S. startup.”
Too Broad: “I will work in advanced manufacturing.”
Too Broad: “I will serve as a senior executive.”
Too Broad: “I will continue working in finance.”
Three Ways the Proposed Endeavor Becomes Too Generic
Describing the Occupation
Explaining what software engineers, executives or entrepreneurs generally do does not define what this applicant specifically intends to advance.
Describing the Industry
Showing that AI, cybersecurity, semiconductors or healthcare are important does not identify the applicant's own endeavor within that field.
Describing Only the Employer
A prestigious employer or important company may provide context, but the NIW analysis concerns the applicant's proposed endeavor rather than merely the identity of the employer.
Your NIW Does Not Have to Be Defined by One Employer
A National Interest Waiver does not require the traditional permanent job offer that ordinarily accompanies an EB-2 labor-certification case.
The proposed endeavor may therefore be framed around the professional work the applicant intends to advance rather than around one specific position.
An applicant may expect to advance the endeavor through employment, entrepreneurship, consulting, business ownership, partnerships or other professional activities depending on the facts.
The petition should nevertheless present a credible and coherent plan. Freedom from a particular employer does not mean the proposed endeavor should be vague.
“Grow My Company” Usually Needs More Detail
For an entrepreneur, the company may be the vehicle through which the proposed endeavor will be advanced.
But the endeavor should generally explain more than the founder's desire to increase company revenue.
What does the company actually do? What problem does its technology or service address? What markets will it serve? What broader consequences could result from successful execution?
Existing customers, funding, product development, partnerships and revenue may then demonstrate that the plan is more than speculation.
NIW for startup founders →Do Not Write the Endeavor Around the Conclusion You Want
The proposed endeavor should accurately describe the applicant's genuine future work.
After the endeavor is defined, the petition should separately establish why it possesses substantial merit and national importance.
Trying to make every proposed endeavor sound like a government policy statement can produce an artificial case that is disconnected from the applicant's actual background and plans.
The strongest NIW strategy usually identifies the applicant's real work first and then develops the best evidence of its broader prospective impact.
NIW national importance →Documents That Can Make the Proposed Endeavor Concrete
Personal Statement
A detailed statement can define the endeavor, explain the applicant's plans and connect future work to past achievements.
Business Plan
For entrepreneurs, a credible plan may explain the product, market, operations, hiring, financing and intended expansion.
Product Materials
Product descriptions, technical materials, prototypes and deployment records can make a technology endeavor concrete.
Customer Evidence
Contracts, pilots, customers and letters of intent may demonstrate that the proposed work addresses an actual market need.
Employer Evidence
Job descriptions, project records and employer letters may establish how current work advances the broader endeavor.
Partnerships
Collaborators, commercial partners, institutions and industry relationships may demonstrate a concrete path for advancing the work.
Funding
Investment or grants may show that outside parties have committed resources to advancing the proposed activity.
Prior Results
Past products, projects, technology and business achievements can show that the applicant has already advanced work similar to the proposed endeavor.
Industry Evidence
Reliable evidence about the underlying problem, market or technology can provide context for why the proposed work matters.
The Proposed Endeavor Must Match the Applicant's Evidence
A proposed endeavor can sound important yet remain weak if the applicant's career provides little evidence that the applicant can realistically advance it.
The strongest endeavor often grows naturally from work the applicant has already performed successfully.
An engineer who has repeatedly improved manufacturing systems may propose to advance related manufacturing technologies. A founder with demonstrated success in fintech may propose a related financial-technology endeavor. An AI professional may build upon AI systems already developed and deployed.
This creates a logical bridge between the future endeavor and the well-positioned analysis.
Well positioned to advance the endeavor →How to Define an NIW Proposed Endeavor
Identify Your Best Work
Start with the applicant's strongest expertise, achievements, technology, business activities and demonstrated capabilities.
Define the Problem
Identify the specific technical, business, economic or societal problem the future work is intended to address.
Define the Activity
Explain what the applicant will actually develop, deploy, expand, commercialize, lead or otherwise advance.
Define the Impact
Identify the prospective broader effects that will form the basis of the national-importance analysis.
NIW Proposed Endeavor FAQ
Is my job title my proposed endeavor?
Generally no. A job title identifies an occupation or position. The proposed endeavor should identify the specific work the applicant intends to advance.
Can my proposed endeavor involve my current employer?
Yes. Employment can be one vehicle for advancing an endeavor. The NIW analysis, however, should focus on the proposed endeavor rather than merely the employer's identity or need for the applicant.
Can a startup be my proposed endeavor?
A company may be the vehicle for the endeavor, but the petition should explain the particular product, technology, service or business activity the founder intends to advance and its prospective impact.
Does the endeavor have to be completely new?
No universal requirement says the applicant must invent an entirely new field or activity. The relevant issue is the specific proposed work and whether the complete NIW requirements are established.
Can I pursue the endeavor through more than one employer?
Potentially. NIW does not require a traditional permanent job offer, but the petition should present a coherent proposed endeavor that remains consistent with the applicant's intended U.S. work.
Why is the proposed endeavor so important?
Because USCIS evaluates the national importance of that endeavor and then considers whether the applicant is well positioned to advance it. An unclear endeavor makes both analyses more difficult.
A Strong NIW Case Begins With a Proposed Endeavor That Is Specific, Credible and Supported by Your Record.
If your career includes significant technical, business, engineering, entrepreneurial or professional achievements, we can identify the proposed endeavor that best connects your past record with your future work in the United States.
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