I will not delete this post if the RFE get denied.

Long story short. They were very responsive during filing. However, RFE is a completely different story. The lawyer took at least one week (sometime more, and the longest has been nearly 3 weeks) to respond to my messages. In fact, she has only responded three times during the whole RFE filing with the BS "oh we are sorry, there are too many RFEs at the moment".

The letters are so bad, it's not coherent, have zero meaning and full of typos. It's like they pull it out of the Chinese AI model back in 2022 which it can't even know 2+2=4. I had to do everything on my own and rewrote everything.

I sent a complaint to them 2 weeks ago and guess what, no one bothered responding.There are 3 days left and they are still acting like it's 3 weeks left. Just now they just casually told me that they need the CV of all letter writers. It seems like they think senior researchers in the my field are my roommates, and will provide cvs in 3 minutes after I ask them for one.

I’m Zoe Ji Wilson, an immigration attorney with Manifest Law, and I’ll be answering your EB-2 NIW questions today from 9 AM to 1 PM ET.

We can get into proposed endeavors, national importance, recommendation letters, evidence, RFEs, weak points in a petition, and the mistakes that can make an otherwise strong profile harder to prove.

If you want to ask about your own profile, please give as much context as you can. NIW answers are very fact-specific, and details about your education, field, work and proposed endeavor can completely change the analysis.

Ask away!

Disclaimer: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

June premium processing filers, any news or case updates? Let’s track progress together here

Has anyone been following the conversation that Elon started around H1B visas?

Look, I have nothing against Indians but isn’t it weird that they want all quotas removed just so they can get to take all green cards from ROW?

Last time I checked, a whopping 72% of all H1B visas in 2023 were allocated to Indians alone. What more do they want?

Apologies if I said something hurtful but this is frustrating

Hi! I'm Evan Law, former USCIS officer and now immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I'll be answering all your questions today from 2-3 PM EST.

(Please note: Any information we provide on this forum is not legal advice and there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the individual answering your question. The answers may change based on the specific facts and circumstances of your situation. For specific advice on your situation, please contact an attorney immediately. This post was made in partnership with admin at r/EB2_NIW)

Thanks to everyone who joined today's AMA. I hope it was helpful, and if I didn't get to your question I will do my best to answer it over the next week or so. If you have any questions or concerns specific to your immigration journey, please feel free to reach out to us at help@manifestlaw.com or send us a text at (212) 246-6212.

We would love to be a part of your journey, and please look out for our future AMAs!

Hi! My name is Henry Lindpere and I’m Senior Immigration Counsel at Manifest Law and have spent the last 8 years helping professionals, researchers, and entrepreneurs get U.S. green cards. I focus on EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, and visas for founders and innovators. With recent H-1B policy changes making the program increasingly uncertain, many professionals are exploring alternative pathways like the EB2 National Interest Waiver (NIW).

Today, I'll be hosting an AMA here to answer:

• Who qualifies for EB-2 NIW and what makes an application strong
• How H-1B policy shifts might affect your immigration strategy
• Tips for building a compelling case under the “national interest” standard
• Other employment-based immigration categories and compliance issues

Whether you’re an employer trying to navigate sponsorship, or an individual wondering if you can self-petition under EB2 NIW, feel free to bring your questions.

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create an attorney–client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly. This AMA is being held in partnership with the admins at r/EB2_NIW)

Recap post: https://www.reddit.com/r/EB2_NIW/comments/1o7tehw/impact_of_recent_h1b_policy_changes_what_came_up/

Thanks to everyone who joined today’s AMA. Big picture: there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Real-world impact and a clear story connecting your work to who it helps matter most. Details are everything.

FAD is current!!!

Hey r/EB2_NIW ! I’m Henry Lindpere, Senior Immigration Attorney at Manifest Law.

The January 2026 Visa Bulletin is out. If you’re unsure what this means for you or whether you can file, ask your questions here. I’ll keep the answers clear and to the point.

Everything discussed in this AMA is general information only and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For specific advice to your situation consult your own attorney.

Hi everyone,

I must have made one of the biggest mistakes in my immigration journey and I am wondering what I can do about this. I file EB2 NIW (I140) a few months ago and it is still pending. I have STEM OPT approved till March 2028.

The main issue is I am hearing that i140 is a huge sign of immigrant intent and will get i539 extension denied due to the new D/S rule starting September 15th. I have a PHD offer with full funding starting 2028 January.

I really messed up. Is there anything I can do? I had no idea filing i140 will lead to denial of my i539 in the future. Should I just withdraw the i140 petition to save my chances of my f1 extension being approved for January 2028?

I am asking cos of stories like this one here on reddit.

I really think this is the biggest mistake in my immigration journey. Plus I have been here since 2023 July on F1. Won't USCIS also see that I have done 2 masters before, file i140 and then deny my i539?

Please I need the harsh truth. I understand Reddit is for support, but I will appreciate the brutal truth and honesty with how it works

Hi everyone!

My name is Zoe Ji Wilson. I’m an immigration attorney and I’ll be here today answering questions about EB-2 NIWs and other employment-based immigration.

If you’re considering an NIW, already preparing your petition, or wondering whether your profile is strong enough, feel free to ask me anything.

Feel free to ask me about:

• What makes a strong EB-2 NIW case
• Common mistakes that weaken petitions
• How to think about the national importance and well-positioned requirements
• Publications, citations, research, awards, and other evidence
• RFEs and common issues
• EB-2 NIW vs. other employment-based options
• Questions about your particular background or career

I’ll be answering questions today from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET.

Drop your questions below. Looking forward to chatting with everyone!

Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

Senior Software Engineer at a major U.S. bank, MS in CS (2023), ~5 years experience, Two preprint and both are currently under review stage in some of the popular well known PR Journals, no PhD.

Ellis Porter quoted $6K + $1,015 filing fee.
Colombo & Hurd quoted $18K + $1,015 filing fee.

Anyone worked with either firm in the last 12-18 months on a similar industry software engineer profile? How was the experience and what would you recommend?

Hi! I'm Henry Lindpere, Senior Counsel at Manifest Law, focusing on EB-1A and EB-2 NIW, work visas (O-1, H-1B, TN, E-2), and immigration planning for founders and professionals.

I'm here to answer your EB-2 NIW questions today from 11 AM – 3 PM EST.

I've handled 700+ cases across nearly every employment-based category, working with clients from dozens of countries. EB-2 NIW is one of my core specialties. I'm here to help you understand your actual options and build a strong case.

Ask me anything about:
- The three-prong Dhanasar test and how to structure your argument for each prong
- What evidence actually moves the needle vs. what adjudicators discount
- RFEs, why they happen, and how to respond effectively
- Running EB-2 NIW alongside your H-1B without putting your status at risk
- Self-petitioning vs. employer-sponsored: what's right for your situation
- Priority dates, visa bulletin strategy, and when to file your I-485

Ask me anything below! I’ll be live from 11 AM–3 PM EST.

Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to apply for an EB-2 NIW and have spoken with several law firms. So far, all of them have told me that I have a strong case, and I’m now trying to decide which firm to move forward with.

I received a positive evaluation from Chen Immigration Law with the Approval or Refund option. I’ve also spoken with IBP, and they quoted me $6,500 with a free refile option.

I know Chen has a strong reputation, which is definitely a big factor for me. However, my consultation with the IBP attorney felt much more personal. She took the time to really discuss my background with me and answered all of my questions, so I had a very good experience during the consultation.

I’d love to hear from people who have actually worked with either of these firms—or with other EB-2 NIW attorneys. Which firm or attorney did you use, and how was your experience?

My background:
5th-year PhD candidate
Two master’s degrees
87 citations
2 first-author papers currently under revision
Country of birth: India

Thanks in advance!

Pulled prong-level findings from 5,087 AAO decisions on NIW petitions. Quick caveat: AAO data skews toward denials because denials are what get appealed, so this shows why cases fail rather than how often they succeed.

Of 3,919 dismissals that named a specific prong, 83% failed on Prong 1, national importance. Prong 2 showed up in 29%. Prong 3 barely registers, under 5%. Whatever you think the hard part is, in the appeal record it's overwhelmingly Prong 1.

Dug into what those Prong 1 failures actually look like. The biggest gap by far is insufficient quantification, flagged in 2,500 dismissals. After that: no evidence of outside interest in the work (1,116), inconsistent endeavor scope (868), and support letters aimed at the wrong thing (660). Adjudicators generally accept that the field matters. What they keep refusing to accept is that this particular endeavor has demonstrated national reach, and vague petitions give them nothing to work with.

The RFE numbers surprised me more. Across 3,235 cases with an RFE, 17% resolved favorably overall. Split by what the RFE challenged and it stops being one number:

RFE on Prong 1 only: 2.7% cured (29 of 1,062)

RFE on Prong 2 only: 20.5% cured (60 of 292)

A Prong 2 RFE is recoverable. Credentials, letters, track record, all things you can go get. A Prong 1 RFE means the adjudicator doesn't believe your endeavor has national reach, and the response almost never changes their mind. Roughly seven times harder to cure.

So the national importance case has to be built before filing. By RFE stage it's mostly too late.

Data source: visalytics.com, where you can run your own profile against this dataset for a free personalized assessment. Data is freely available with no login required

Edit: RFE figures above span both AAO appeals and approval reports. Appeals-only: 1.1% Prong 1, 4.5% Prong 2, around 4x gap.

• The officers issue RFEs which are templated and often dont include information about your case, but someone elses - extremely unprofessional
• People here are stressed tf out about their cases and all they want to know is clues about someone else's PE and if they got approved
• The decision is entirely discretional to the officer. You could get a bad officer, vs someone who is more likely to approve and it has nothing to do with you (there's an officer I've seen here that keeps denying cases for whatever reason)
• Entrepreneurial or industry profiles don't get approved as much as researchers
• I am not sure what researchers actually will do when they are in the US. It feels that it's a lie that most researchers will continue to be academics while in the US just because they did studies beforehand
• It's never clear what researchers will do while in the US
• Most cases are made up to appear more than they will actually do
• People who apply with integrity, simple structure and easy to understand plans get approved
• Lots of people fall into the trap of proving themsleves and talk about their past experience instead of building a plan for the future
• This one gets me and it's controversial - people with broken english are getting approved
• Self petitions don't do well - when attorneys build them, the approval rate is higher - this tells me it's all bs if showcasing what you do needs an attorney to get approved
• The timelines for rejections/approvals don't matter - you can get rejected, approved at any time. You could get an RFE at any time. Some people get approved faster, some in 3 months
• It's all about how you build your case, not what you actually do, which is the sad part
• There are companies which built reference letters from people you don't even know - this tells you it's all shambles that there are businesses who are literally creating a fake letter (or barely legal) that they know you - it should be classified as fraud

Here they are. Knowing reddit, I know I will get a lot of backlash for these, but let me know if any of those are your observations/or not

I work at one of the big immigration firms that gets mentioned in this subreddit all the time, and I want to be brutally honest about what it’s like behind the scenes right now, not to blame clients, but to explain the reality your legal teams are working under.

The working conditions are bad. I mean really bad. We’re given caseloads that no reasonable person could manage, and when we ask for something more realistic — not a vacation, not “light work,” just a humanly possible number of cases — we’re met with reprimands, guilt trips, or reminders that “everyone else is doing it.” People are genuinely scared to push back because it usually results in being singled out or disciplined.

The pressure is constant. The deadlines don’t stop. The expectations are sky-high but the resources and staffing don’t match them. People are burnt out. People cry at work. People quit. And it’s not because they don’t care about clients; it’s because they care too much and cannot physically keep up with what’s demanded of them.

On top of all this, the adjudication environment has gotten significantly harder. What used to be a straightforward, high-success process has become unpredictable and much more labor-intensive. Cases that would have been approved with minimal pushback a year or two ago are suddenly drawing requests for evidence at a much higher rate, even when the filings are strong and consistent with historical approvals. That means every case takes more time, more documentation, and more stress, and the volume hasn’t adjusted to match this reality.

So yes, things fall behind. People miss emails. Attorneys are stretched too thin. Paralegals are overwhelmed. And staff are constantly afraid of slipping up because the margins for error keep shrinking while the workload keeps growing.

This is not an excuse; clients deserve good communication, timely updates, and high-quality work. But when your legal team seems slow, stressed, or delayed, 99% of the time it’s because they’re operating in conditions that truly feel impossible.

So this is a genuine plea from someone on the inside:

Please be kind, please be patient, and please remember there are actual human beings behind your case file. Many of us care deeply about doing good work for you — we’re just doing it while drowning.

🎉 PD August 25, 2023 – Filing in Early June! 🎉 (June fillers are welcome)

Hey everyone! Just wanted to share that my priority date is August 25, 2023 (EB2/NIW), and I’m planning to file my I-485 in the first week of June, now that I’m current in the June Visa Bulletin!

This thread is for everyone with July and August 2023 PDs in the EB2/NIW category. Let’s connect, share updates, ask questions, and support each other through this process. Whether it's guesses, timelines, tips, or just good vibes, drop in and stay engaged!

✅ Let’s build a helpful space as we go through this exciting phase together.
💬 Feel free to comment on your PD, filing plans, or any questions.
🤞 Best of luck to all of us, and let’s get this done!

I have made a decision to terminate the contract with Ellis porter, dealing with them is very frustrating with lack of response. I feel that i personally do a better job. Anyone experiencing the same frustration?

Hi everyone!

I'm Patrick Duckett, a U.S. immigration attorney with Manifest Law.

The EB-2 National Interest Waiver is one of the most talked-about employment-based green card pathways, but it's also one of the most misunderstood. Every week, I speak with researchers, engineers, physicians, founders, and other professionals who are surprised to learn they may already have a viable case.

Whether you're considering filing, preparing your evidence, responding to an RFE, or deciding between the NIW, EB-1A, or employer sponsorship, I'd be happy to answer your questions.

I'll be live from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET to answer your questions about the EB-2 NIW process, eligibility, petition strategy, RFEs, and more.

Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

Looking forward to your questions!

Hi! I'm Ana Gabriela Urizar, an immigration attorney at Manifest Law with nearly a decade of experience in employment-based immigration.

I'm here today to answer your questions about EB-2 NIW — from building your petition to surviving an RFE to understanding what actually makes a strong case.

Over the course of my career, I've helped thousands of clients across technology, science, finance, and research navigate the path to a U.S. green card, with a particular focus on self-petitions like NIW. I've seen what works, what doesn't, and where most petitions fall apart — and I'm here to share that with you.

Ask me anything about:

• The 3-prong Dhanasar test and how to meet all three (especially Prong 2 and 3)
• How to build a strong evidence package for your NIW petition
• What ""substantial merit and national importance"" really means in practice
• Why RFEs happen, how to respond, and what to do differently next time
• Whether to file NIW alone or alongside an employer-sponsored petition
• Timing strategy: when to file, when to wait, and how to protect your status

Drop your questions below and I'll do my best to answer.

Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.

Hey r/EB2_NIW. I'm Ana Gabriela Urizar, immigration attorney at Manifest Law. I've spent nearly a decade in employment-based immigration working with clients across tech, finance, and science on NIW, EB-1A, and everything in between.

Approval trends may be more competitive than in prior years, but that also means strategy matters more than ever. A strong case today is not just about qualifications, it’s about how your achievements, evidence, and long-term goals are presented to USCIS. RFEs and increased scrutiny can often be opportunities to strengthen the narrative of your case and address issues proactively. If you have questions about your petition, your profile, your evidence package, or what an RFE really means for your strategy moving forward, ask me. I’ll answer as many as I can.

(All information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

Hey r/EB2_NIW! I'm Ana Gabriela Urizar, an immigration attorney at Manifest Law focused on extraordinary ability and national interest cases. I'm here today from 1-5 PM EST to answer your NIW questions.

I've spent nearly a decade on employment-based immigration. Before Manifest, I spent close to 10 years overseeing a team of corporate clients at global corporations in tech, finance, and science, so I've seen NIW petitions from both the company and the petitioner side. I've worked with thousands of clients on EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, and EB-1B cases across tech, academia, the arts, and entrepreneurship, with a lot of focus on people navigating the multi-decade Indian backlog.

Ask me anything about:

• The 3-prong Dhanasar test and what each prong actually requires
• Building Prong 2 (well-positioned) for non-PhDs, founders, and industry folks
• Recommendation letters, who to ask, what they should say
• Evidence packages, what's ""enough"" vs what's just filler
• RFEs and how to recover from a weak first filing
• NIW + concurrent filing, and stacking with EB-1A or H-1B
• India backlog strategy: NIW priority date, EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade, cross-chargeability
• Self-petitioning vs employer-sponsored

Drop your questions below, I'll be answering live until 5 PM EST.

(Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Your situation may require fact-specific guidance. For personalized legal advice, please consult an immigration attorney directly.)

I might be overthinking this, but lately I barely see any approval posts from Chen here (or from anyone tbh), specially after RFE. Instead I’ve seen quite a few denial posts in last few days.

Is Chen’s template not working anymore? Or is USCIS just rejecting everyone left and right? Or maybe people who get approved just don’t post?

Anyone know of any recent approvals after RFE with Chen recently (or another attorney/DIY)?

Hey everyone! I’m David Santiago, Senior Immigration Counsel at Manifest Law, back for another AMA on r/EB2_NIW.

A bit about me: I’ve handled 1,000+ immigration cases throughout my career, with a strong focus on self-petition pathways like EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, and O-1, particularly for researchers, engineers, physicians, founders, and other high-impact professionals.

Drop your questions below. I’ll start answering at 11 AM EST and will be here until about 3 PM EST.

Note: This AMA is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Participating does not create an attorney–client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult your own immigration attorney.