NIW Questionnaire / Proposed Endeavor

Explain your proposed endeavor and why it is in the national interest.

Video Guidance

Presented by Nicole Gunara, Principal Immigration Attorney at Manifest Law

Task Guidance

For a National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition, USCIS needs to understand your proposed endeavor—meaning the specific work you plan to do in the United States and why it is in the national interest.

This is one of the most critical parts of your NIW case.

  • Clients often describe their industry broadly (e.g., "Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare") instead of explaining what they personally plan to do.
  • USCIS expects a focused explanation of YOUR specific plans, projects, and goals—not a general overview of your field.

  • What is the specific work or research you plan to pursue in the U.S.?
  • Why is this work important? What problem does it solve or what need does it address?
  • How does your past experience uniquely qualify YOU to do this work?
  • Who benefits from this work, and how? (Think broadly: the economy, public health, national security, technology advancement, etc.)

Strong Examples
  • "I plan to continue developing my AI-driven diagnostic tool for early cancer detection, which has already been piloted at two major hospitals and reduced misdiagnosis rates by 25%. My next phase involves expanding clinical trials across five U.S. medical centers."
Weak Examples
  • "I work in artificial intelligence and healthcare is an important field." (This is too general and does not describe a personal endeavor.)

It is critical to complete your questionnaire and/or endeavor statement as completely as possible so that your attorney knows which areas to research and how to best position your case and what documents to submit to USCIS.