A strong EB2 NIW petition does not begin with a job title. It begins with a
clear proposed endeavor.
For tech professionals, USCIS is not only reviewing your resume. It is evaluating the future work you
plan to advance in the United States, why that work matters nationally, and whether your background
makes you well positioned to carry it forward. Applicants often compare EB2 NIW with EB1A, EB1 India
timelines, the EB1 priority date, or the I140 processing timeline, but the core requirement remains the
same: your petition needs a focused future-impact story, not just a list of achievements.
You might have strong experience, great projects, and a solid career path, but if your petition does
not clearly explain what you plan to do in the United States and why it matters, USCIS will struggle to
approve your case.
That is because the proposed endeavor is not a formality. It is the core story of your EB2
NIW case. It
tells USCIS what your future contribution will look like and why the United States benefits from letting
you pursue it without the traditional labor certification route.
If you are a tech professional, you are in a strong position to build a compelling endeavor. The U.S.
economy depends on digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud modernization, AI adoption, data
systems, and scalable product innovation. But to win EB2 NIW, you must translate your work into a
mission with measurable outcomes, not a job description.
This blog explains what a proposed endeavor means, how it connects to the Dhanasar framework, what
mistakes to avoid, and how tech professionals can write an endeavor statement that feels specific,
credible, and USCIS-ready.
2. What “Proposed Endeavor” Actually Means in EB2 NIW
A proposed endeavor is the future work you will lead in the United States, why it matters, and how you
are positioned to carry it forward. It is not a rephrased version of your resume. It is not your job
title. It is not “I plan to work for a company in the U.S.”
Think of your endeavor as a high-impact professional mission. It answers questions USCIS cares about:
What problem will you solve? Who benefits from it? How does it scale? Why should the U.S. care? And why
are you the right person to do it?
A strong proposed endeavor also shows independence. That does not mean you must start a company or work
alone. It simply means your work should not be framed as dependent on one employer or one specific job
offer.
For tech professionals, a strong endeavor usually connects specialized work to a larger U.S. need. For
example, building secure cloud systems is not enough by itself. The stronger framing is how that work
improves reliability, protects sensitive data, reduces operational risk, or helps critical industries
adopt better digital infrastructure.
The easiest way to remember it is this: your proposed endeavor is your future impact story, written in a
way USCIS can evaluate. When your endeavor statement is clear, your EB2 NIW petition proposed endeavor
becomes structured and persuasive.
3. The Biggest Mistakes Tech Professionals Make
1. Treating it like a job plan
Many applicants write something like: “I will work as a software engineer and contribute to innovation
in the U.S.”
This feels safe, but it is too generic. USCIS cannot approve a vague career intention. They need a
specific endeavor that can be evaluated against the NIW criteria. A personal statement can talk about
your journey, but the proposed endeavor must be written like a mission that can be proven.
2. Making it employer-dependent
Another common mistake is writing: “I will work at Company X to build Product Y.” That can weaken the
case because it narrows your endeavor to one role, one company, or one product.
A better approach is to describe the broader technical work you will advance across a field, sector, or
type of system. That way, your endeavor remains credible even if your employer or role changes.
3. Leaving out measurable outcomes
Terms like “innovative,” “cutting-edge,” or “transformative” do not automatically
create credibility.
Weak statement: “I will work as a software engineer.”
Strong statement: “I will improve healthcare data interoperability using secure
cloud-based pipelines to reduce delays in patient care.”
A strong endeavor focuses on outcomes. A weak one focuses on your title.
If your endeavor cannot show a practical result, such as improved uptime, faster processing, lower
security exposure, stronger compliance readiness, or better access to critical systems, it may sound too
abstract for USCIS to evaluate.
To write a powerful National Interest Waiver proposed endeavor, you need to understand how USCIS
evaluates NIW. Under the Dhanasar framework, USCIS examines three prongs: substantial merit and national
importance, whether the applicant is well positioned, and whether waiving the job offer and labor
certification requirement would benefit the United States.
Prong 1: Substantial Merit and National Importance
This is where USCIS looks at whether your work matters and whether it matters at scale.
In tech, this can include cybersecurity resilience, AI safety, healthcare modernization, infrastructure
efficiency, automation, or large-scale risk reduction.
The key is to avoid arguing that your entire field is important. USCIS is more interested in your
specific proposed endeavor and whether that work has broader value beyond your immediate employer.
Prong 2: Well Positioned to Advance the Endeavor
This is where your background supports your future plan. USCIS looks for evidence that you have already
done work aligned with the endeavor and that you have the capability to execute it in the U.S.
If your endeavor focuses on cybersecurity automation, your evidence should show threat detection,
incident response, compliance work, or measurable risk reduction. If your endeavor focuses on AI
systems, your evidence should show model development, deployment, governance, monitoring, or measurable
public or business value.
Prong 3: Benefit of Waiving Labor Certification
This is where the endeavor’s independence and urgency become important.
Many applicants focus on EB2 visa processing time or the I140 processing timeline, but USCIS is looking
for something deeper: why the applicant’s work should move forward without a specific job offer or labor
certification. A strong proposed endeavor should show that the work has enough importance, flexibility,
and public value to justify that waiver.
5. A Simple Endeavor Formula You Can Follow
Most people struggle with the proposed endeavor because they try to write it like a personal statement.
The better approach is to write it like a structured mission explanation. At EB1A Experts, we recommend
a six-part framework that keeps your endeavor clear, evidence-backed, and NIW-ready.
Start by describing the problem. This should be a real-world issue, not a vague theme. In tech, strong
problems include system downtime, data fragmentation, cyber breaches, compliance failures, unreliable
deployment pipelines, or inefficient access control systems.
Next, explain the U.S. need and why it matters. This is where you connect the problem to national
importance. If your work supports healthcare outcomes, infrastructure reliability, business continuity,
operational efficiency, or risk reduction across high-impact sectors, that can help establish meaningful
national relevance.
Then outline your proposed solution. Avoid saying you will “support” or “assist” teams. Use leadership
and execution language like “design,” “develop,” “architect,” “implement,” “optimize,” or “deploy.”
After that, specify the target sector and scope. You might focus on healthcare systems, fintech
platforms, cloud-native enterprise environments, large-scale data infrastructures, or security-sensitive
industries. The goal is to show specificity without locking yourself into one employer.
Then include measurable outcomes. Outcomes can include reduced processing time, improved system uptime,
decreased breach exposure, increased detection accuracy, improved audit readiness, or stronger workflow
automation.
Finally, include the “why you” credibility proof. Briefly connect your past experience to the endeavor
so USCIS sees it as a natural continuation of what you have already demonstrated.
A simple template is: “My proposed endeavor is to solve X problem in Y sector by doing Z, with the goal
of achieving measurable outcomes such as A, B, and C.”
A strong data engineer endeavor might focus on healthcare interoperability. For example, a proposed
endeavor could be to develop scalable and secure cloud-based data pipelines that enable accurate
exchange of clinical and operational data across healthcare systems. The national value would be tied to
reducing delays, improving operational efficiency, and supporting more reliable healthcare analytics.
Case Study 2: Cybersecurity Engineer
A cybersecurity engineer endeavor might focus on threat prevention and infrastructure resilience. A
proposed endeavor could be to design and deploy threat detection automation, identity risk controls, and
incident response workflows that reduce breach exposure and improve enterprise security outcomes. The
national importance would connect to business continuity and protection of sensitive systems.
Case Study 3: AI and ML Engineer
An AI and ML engineer endeavor might focus on safe deployment. A proposed endeavor could be to develop
reliable ML systems with monitoring, bias mitigation, and transparency controls that support responsible
AI adoption in real-world environments. The national value could relate to reducing operational risk,
strengthening trust in AI systems, and improving efficiency through scalable automation.
These examples work because they do not stop at “I work in data,” “I work in cybersecurity,” or “I work
in AI.” They explain a problem, a technical direction, a target impact, and measurable outcomes.
7. How to Strengthen Your Endeavor With the Right Evidence
Your proposed endeavor statement is only the start. USCIS will also evaluate whether your supporting
evidence proves the endeavor is real and that you are positioned to advance it. If your endeavor is
centered on cloud modernization, your documentation should include cloud projects, measurable
performance gains, infrastructure improvements, and leadership in architectural decisions.
Recommendation letters are especially valuable when they support the endeavor directly and align with
your EB2 NIW USCIS arguments. Other strong evidence can include quantified project outcomes, awards,
patents, publications, and proof that your work influenced broader systems beyond your immediate team.
This is where applicants often confuse EB2
NIW evidence with EB1A requirements. EB1A focuses heavily on
proving recognition through specific eligibility criteria. EB2 NIW is different. It must show that your
proposed endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, that you are well positioned to advance
it, and that waiving the job offer requirement would benefit the United States.
The goal is not to overwhelm USCIS with documents. The goal is to make every document support the same
clear mission.
8. A Final Checklist Before You Submit Your Endeavor
Before finalizing your proposed endeavor statement, ask yourself a few simple questions. Is it
specific, or generic? Does it describe future work you will lead, or does it only summarize your past?
Does it show impact beyond one employer? Does it connect to the U.S. at scale?
Also, check whether your endeavor makes the NIW prongs easy to prove. If your endeavor is unclear, you
will struggle to establish national importance. If it lacks credibility, you will struggle to show you
are well positioned. If it is employer-dependent, you will struggle to justify the waiver argument.
Before filing, separate your timeline questions from your eligibility argument. The I140 processing
timeline, Form I-140 approval time, EB1 priority date movement, or EB1 India current priority date may
affect planning, but they do not make a weak endeavor stronger.
If your endeavor reads like a job description, rewrite it as a mission. If it lacks outcomes, add
measurable success indicators. If it does not show national relevance, connect it to a broader U.S. need
such as efficiency, infrastructure resilience, compliance, or security.
9. Closing Thoughts and What to Do Next
Your EB2 NIW proposed endeavor is not just a paragraph. It is the foundation of the entire petition. It
is the reason USCIS says “yes” or “no” beyond your credentials. A strong proposed endeavor makes your
case coherent, makes the Dhanasar prongs easier to satisfy, and positions you as someone with a valuable
mission, not just a job plan.
If you are deciding between EB2 NIW and EB1A, do not rely only on EB1 India predictions 2025, an EB1
prediction for India, or just general timeline discussions. Those can help you understand movement, but
category selection should begin with the strength of your evidence and the legal standard you can meet.
If you want, EB1A Experts can review your proposed endeavor and tell you if it is NIW-strong or needs
rewriting before you submit your EB2 NIW petition.
10. FAQs
Q. Can my proposed endeavor be related to my job?
Yes. Your endeavor can connect to your professional work, but it should not sound dependent on one
employer or one job title. USCIS should see your value beyond a single role.
Q. Do I need to start a company for EB2 NIW?
No. Many NIW applicants pursue their endeavors through employment, consulting, research, or independent
initiatives. What matters is national importance and your ability to execute.
Q. How specific should my proposed endeavor be?
It should be specific enough to show clarity and outcomes, but broad enough to apply across employers.
Include the problem, your solution, target sector, and measurable impact.
Q. Can I change my proposed endeavor later?
Small changes are normal, but major changes can weaken consistency. It is better to file with an
endeavor that reflects your long-term professional direction.
Q. What if my work is confidential?
You can describe the problem, approach, impact, and general metrics without revealing proprietary
details. USCIS needs clarity and credibility, not confidential information.
Q. Should Indian tech professionals compare EB2 NIW with EB1A?
Yes, but only for strategy. EB1 India movement, the EB1 priority date, EB1 India current priority date,
and visa availability can affect planning. But EB1A and EB2 NIW have different standards. EB1A depends
on meeting EB1A requirements, while EB2 NIW depends on the proposed endeavor, national importance, and
waiver argument.
Not sure if your proposed endeavor is strong enough for EB2 NIW?
EB1A Experts can review your profile and help you frame a clearer, evidence-backed strategy before you
file.