What Recent USCIS Data Means For EB-2 NIW, EB-1A Petitioners

The EB-2 National Interest Waiver and EB-1A Extraordinary Ability categories remain two well-established paths to a green card. They allow professionals to bypass the labor certification process and, in the case of EB-1A, to self-petition without a job offer. That has not changed.

What has changed is the level of preparation these cases now require. USCIS Form I-140 adjudication data through the fourth quarter of FY2025 indicates that adjudicators are scrutinizing these petitions more closely than in prior years. For petitioners, the data is clarifying rather than discouraging: strong, well-documented cases continue to be approved at high rates. The data confirms that how a case is framed and documented has a meaningful effect on outcomes.