Permanent residence United States
EB-2 National Interest Waiver (green card without an employer)
Run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Professionals with an advanced degree, or people with exceptional ability, whose proposed work has substantial merit and national importance. You can file for yourself. Immigrant visas are suspended under Proclamation 10998 for nationals of Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan (full suspension) and of Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe (partial suspension).
- Job offer
- Not required. You may self-petition on Form I-140.
- Language
- Not stated on the official page
- Education
- An advanced degree (above a bachelor's), or a bachelor's degree followed by at least five years of progressive experience in the specialty. Or exceptional ability shown by at least 3 of 6 criteria, where a degree is one option.
- Work experience
- At least five years of progressive post-bachelor's experience if you do not hold a degree above a bachelor's. One exceptional ability criterion is letters showing at least 10 years of full-time experience.
- Government fee
- Form I-140 USD 715 on paper or USD 665 online, plus Asylum Program Fee USD 300 for a self-petitioner. Employment-based immigrant visa application fee USD 345 if you get the visa at a U.S. embassy.
- Processing time
- Not stated on the official page
- Money you must show
- Not stated on the official page
- When and to whom you pay
- The I-140 fees are paid to USCIS when filing. The visa fee is paid to the Department of State.
Checked on 18 October 2026. What the page says
Read on uscis.gov on 2026-10-18: "Those seeking a national interest waiver may self-petition (you do not need an employer to sponsor you) and you do not need to obtain a labor certification from the DOL."; "A U.S. bachelor's degree (or a foreign equivalent degree) followed by at least five years of progressive experience in the specialty is considered the equivalent of a master's degree."; fee page (G-1055): "Paper Filing: $715" "Online Filing: $665" and "If filing as a Small Employer or self-petitioner" "$300"; travel.state.gov fee page: "$345.00" Another official page. Another official page. Another official page.