Evidence-assembly information — not legal advice
The NIW "Substantial merit and national importance" prong: what it asks and what evidence looks like
The proposed endeavor has both substantial merit and national importance.
This prong comes from Matter of Dhanasar, first prong. In dossier assembly, the evidence patterns that typically appear are:
• A concrete description of the proposed endeavor and its field-level significance
• Evidence of broader implications: adoption, citations, funding, deployment
• Government, industry, or research-community recognition of the problem area
A dossier that maps your record to this prong should name specific documents, dates, venues, and metrics from YOUR record — never generic claims. Where your record is thin, the honest output is a gap note naming the kind of evidence that would close it, not an inflated claim.
Source
- Substantial merit and national importance — Matter of Dhanasar, first prong
Taxonomy last reviewed 2026-07-29.
See your own record mapped to this
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This guide is general evidence-assembly information, not legal advice. visaforge is not a law firm and does not recommend visa routes or predict USCIS outcomes. Criteria text derives from 8 CFR 214.2(o)(3)(iii) and Matter of Dhanasar; consult a licensed immigration attorney about your case.