Can you apply for EB-2 NIW with only a bachelor’s degree and a few years of experience?

Here’s a post by immigration lawyer Amber Davis on applying for EB-2 NIW with only a bachelor’s degree and a few years of experience:

According to USCIS guidance, no.

You need at least five years of post-bachelor’s experience or exceptional ability if you only have a bachelor’s degree if you’re looking to apply for a national interest waiver.

“Should I jump straight to applying for EB-1A, which has no experience or education requirement”, is what most people ask next in this situation.

Generally speaking, no, because you’re unlikely to qualify for EB-1A.

If you really want to get started with EB-2 NIW as soon as possible and don’t want to wait until you have five years of professional experience, go for a master’s and start building your profile during your master’s degree.

Once you graduate, assuming you’ve done the work required to build your profile for EB-2 NIW, you’ll be in a strong position to apply for a national interest waiver.

If you do have five years of professional experience, you will be able to apply for EB-2 NIW. Having only a bachelor’s is definitely not a detractor.

In fact, USCIS does not seem to care if all you have is a bachelor’s degree. They’ll simply look at other parts of your case, especially your career experiences, to determine if you meet the criteria.

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Interested in EB-1A, EB-2 NIW or O-1? Feel free to reach out at amber.davis@waypointimmigration.org or via LinkedIn messages and I’ll get back to you shortly!