List of 10 Experts for Recommendation Letters

Identify experts who can write strong recommendation letters supporting your petition.

Video Guidance

Presented by Nicole Gunara, Principal Immigration Attorney at Manifest Law

Task Guidance

We need you to identify 5-7 people who can write strong recommendation letters supporting your petition in the attached chart. These letters are one of the most important parts of your case, so choosing the right recommenders matters.

  • The best recommenders are independent experts—people who know your work and its impact but have no direct personal or professional relationship with you (e.g., they are NOT your current manager, coworker, or close collaborator).
  • USCIS gives more weight to letters from people who can objectively evaluate your contributions from an outside perspective.
  • Strong recommenders include: professors or researchers in your field who are familiar with your work, industry leaders who have used or been impacted by your contributions, editors or reviewers of journals/conferences where you have published, or recognized experts who can speak to the significance of your achievements.
  • A few recommenders who have worked with you directly (e.g., a supervisor or collaborator) are also acceptable.

  • Full name and title (e.g., Dr. Jane Smith, Professor of Computer Science)
  • Current employer/organization
  • LinkedIn profile URL
  • Their relationship to you (e.g., "independent: cited my research," "former supervisor," "conference co-panelist")
  • What specific contribution or achievement of yours they can speak to
  • If it's someone you work(ed) with, why you have played a critical role at the company. Give specific examples.

Strong Examples
  • A professor at another university who has cited your published research in their own work and can explain why your methodology was groundbreaking.
  • A senior industry executive whose company adopted a product, framework, or process you developed and can describe the measurable impact it had.
Weak Examples
  • A personal friend or family member, even if they work in a related field.

Strong letters are used as supporting evidence to demonstrate either your contributions to your field and/or your critical roles at the companies where you have previously worked.