Can you qualify for a National Interest Waiver with no Google Scholar and no Citations?

You certainly can!  Clients sometimes come to us and relay advice they heard from other attorneys that having a Google Scholar profile and a citation count is “mandatory” to qualify for a National Interest Waiver.  This is a common misconception. Although a Google Scholar profile and citation record for one’s research publication can certainly be helpful, there are many examples of successful cases that do not rely on such metrics.

An approved NIW case for a philanthropy consultant who focused on improving services to wounded veterans is a great example of how an applicant could show a broad impact without having authored research papers or having a Google Scholar profile.

In this case, the applicant proposed to form a small consulting firm which would work with government agencies and major philanthropic organizations to coordinate projects aimed at improving veterans’ services and wounded warrior care. The applicant submitted a business plan supported by letters from prospective clients in the US, many of whom were government-affiliated, high-profile entities and affirmed the need and importance of Petitioner’s work.

The potential broad impact of the applicant’s work was also supported, in part, by the scale of the past projects the applicant had led in his home country. He submitted letters of support from senior officials in his home country’s relevant agency which confirmed that the petitioner played a critical role in productively connecting charitable organizations and service organizations, mobilizing millions of dollars in charitable funding to the appropriate initiatives.

We have seen success where applicants submitted evidence of significant industry or public attention on their work, through evidence of incubator or accelerator admission or media coverage specifically related to their project.

The NIW could be a great solution for a variety of projects that have a potential to offer industry-wide advances and innovations, and case strategy is very fact-specific. Do not hesitate to seek the opinion and evaluation of experienced counsel to see if the NIW could be an option for you, even if you do not have a Google Scholar and a high citation count.