Leon Law firm has a 100% approval rate in applying for National Interest Waivers (NIW) for experienced pilots seeking positions as commercial airline pilots in the United States.
Our immigration attorney team has the background to properly articulate to USCIS why you should be granted this visa. In addition to having a Harvard-educated attorney on our team, unlike the other law firms processing these visas, our immigration law firm is led by an attorney who speaks aviation. With almost two decades of flying experience, including as a legacy airline pilot, we have developed the checklist to ensure your success.
In order to apply for an NIW, you must be a professional of exceptional ability, defined as a person with “a degree of expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered” in their particular profession or field of expertise. In order to establish that you possess exceptional abilities, there are six categories. Applicants for an NIW must meet at least 3 of the criteria, but the more that apply, the better.
Pilot NIW Requirements
- 10 years of experience as a professional pilot.
- Pilot Certificates
- Proof that you earned a high salary compared to your other pilots in your country
- Membership in pilot professional associations
- Recognition in your field by your employer, a governmental organization, a corporation or some other entity for excellence in your field or for making a contribution to the industry.
- A degree, diploma, certificate, or similar award from a college, university, school, or other institution of learning relating to aviation or a related field.
While an NIW application requires only three of the six categories above, the more categories we can satisfy and the more evidence our legal team has in each category, the more likely your application is to be successful.
Benefits of the EB2-NIW
Does not require a sponsor
The NIW does not require that a U.S. employer sponsor your petition and therefore bypass the labor certification process.
Speed
An employer-sponsored green card can take a very long time to process. We have had Pilot EB-2 NIW applications approved in less than 30 days without paying the fee to expedite.
