NIW Proposed Endeavor: How to Define & Strengthen Your Case
Your "proposed endeavor" is the cornerstone of your NIW petition — it defines what you plan to do in the United States and sets the stage for the entire three-prong Dhanasar analysis. Getting this right is critical. This guide explains what qualifies as a proposed endeavor, how to articulate it effectively, and provides field-specific examples.
What is a "Proposed Endeavor" in NIW Context?
In the context of a National Interest Waiver petition, your "proposed endeavor" is a description of the work you intend to continue or undertake in the United States. It's not simply your job title or a generic field description — it's a specific statement of what you plan to accomplish and why it matters.
The Matter of Dhanasar decision established that the first prong of the NIW analysis evaluates whether "the foreign national's proposed endeavor has both substantial merit and national importance." This means your proposed endeavor is the foundation upon which your entire NIW case is built.
The proposed endeavor should encompass your professional activities and goals at a level that is:
- Specific enough that USCIS can evaluate its merit and importance
- Broad enough that it doesn't lock you into a single position or employer
- Forward-looking — it describes what you will do, building on what you've done
- Connected to national interest — it addresses a need beyond local scope
What Qualifies as "Work of National Importance"?
The Dhanasar decision clarified that "national importance" does not require that every person in the United States benefit from your work. Instead, it means the impact of your proposed endeavor extends beyond a particular locality. The AAO (Administrative Appeals Office) has been relatively flexible in interpreting national importance.
USCIS has recognized the following types of work as having national importance:
Research that advances scientific knowledge
Research in areas like AI, cancer treatment, climate science, materials engineering, or cybersecurity inherently has national importance because findings are published and applied broadly.
Healthcare delivery in critical areas
Physicians and healthcare professionals serving underserved communities or working on public health challenges have strong national importance arguments. USCIS has long recognized the physician NIW pathway.
Technology development with broad applications
Developing technologies that can be adopted across industries — AI systems, software platforms, clean energy technology, semiconductor advances — demonstrates impact beyond a single company or location.
Economic development and job creation
Entrepreneurs creating companies, particularly in technology or underserved sectors, can argue that their endeavor creates jobs and economic activity that benefit the national economy.
Education and workforce development
Developing innovative educational programs, especially in STEM fields or underserved communities, has national importance because it addresses workforce skill gaps affecting the entire economy.
Environmental and energy challenges
Work addressing climate change, clean energy, pollution, water quality, or natural resource management aligns with federal policy priorities and has inherent national importance.
Tip: Link to Federal Priorities
Citing specific federal initiatives, executive orders, or government reports that identify your area as a national priority significantly strengthens the national importance argument. For example, if you work in AI, reference the National AI Initiative Act. If in clean energy, reference the Inflation Reduction Act or DOE priorities.
How to Articulate Your Proposed Endeavor
Crafting a well-articulated proposed endeavor requires balancing specificity with flexibility. Follow this framework:
Identify Your Core Area of Expertise
Start with your specific subfield or area of specialization. Not "computer science" but "natural language processing for healthcare applications." Not "business" but "supply chain optimization for pharmaceutical distribution."
Define the Problem You're Addressing
Clearly state the challenge or need your work addresses. This provides the "substantial merit" component. Why does this problem matter? How many people does it affect? What are the consequences of not solving it?
Describe Your Approach and Unique Contribution
Explain how your specific expertise, methods, or innovations advance the field. What makes your approach different from others? What have you already achieved and what do you plan to accomplish next?
Connect to National Interest
Explain why this work matters at the national level. Reference government priorities, industry statistics, and expert opinions. Show that the impact extends beyond your immediate workplace or locality.
Draft a Clear Summary Statement
Combine the above elements into a 2-3 sentence summary. For example: "My proposed endeavor is to advance the development and deployment of machine learning algorithms for early cancer detection in medical imaging. This work addresses a critical healthcare challenge — cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and early detection significantly improves survival rates. My research has already produced novel methods that outperform existing diagnostic tools and are being adopted by healthcare systems nationwide."
Proposed Endeavor Examples by Field
Here are illustrative examples of well-crafted proposed endeavors across different fields. These demonstrate the appropriate level of specificity and national importance:
"To advance the development of robust and interpretable machine learning models for autonomous vehicle safety systems, addressing the critical challenge of reducing the approximately 42,000 annual traffic fatalities in the United States through safer AI-powered transportation technology."
Why it works: Specific subfield (interpretable ML for autonomous vehicles), clear national problem (42,000 deaths), forward-looking approach, and impact beyond any single employer.
"To advance clinical research and treatment protocols for drug-resistant bacterial infections, a growing public health crisis that causes over 35,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and threatens to undermine decades of medical progress if not addressed with novel therapeutic approaches."
Why it works: Specific medical challenge (drug-resistant bacteria), quantified national impact (35,000 deaths), urgency framing, and clear connection to national public health priorities.
"To develop and scale an AI-powered platform that reduces food waste in the U.S. commercial food supply chain, addressing the $408 billion annual economic loss and the environmental impact of the estimated 30-40% of food that is wasted before reaching consumers."
Why it works: Specific business venture (AI food waste platform), quantified economic impact ($408B), environmental dimension, and scalable national impact beyond a single business location.
"To advance the practice and education of contemporary classical music composition in the United States through new orchestral works, university-level pedagogy, and community engagement programs that expand public access to and appreciation for American contemporary music."
Why it works: Specific art form (contemporary classical composition), multiple avenues of impact (creation, education, outreach), national scope (university-level, public access), and cultural enrichment argument.
"To advance K-12 STEM education through the development and implementation of adaptive learning technologies that personalize mathematics instruction, addressing the persistent achievement gap that sees only 26% of U.S. 12th graders performing at or above proficiency in math."
Why it works: Specific educational challenge (math proficiency gap), innovative approach (adaptive learning technology), quantified problem (26% proficiency rate), and national scope (K-12 nationwide).
"To advance the efficiency and scalability of perovskite solar cell technology, a next-generation photovoltaic approach that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy and accelerate the transition to the United States' goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035."
Why it works: Specific technology (perovskite solar cells), clear national energy policy connection (clean electricity goal), practical impact (cost reduction), and alignment with federal priorities.
Common Mistakes in Defining Proposed Endeavor
These are the most frequent errors applicants make when defining their proposed endeavor:
Too vague or broad
"To advance science and technology in the United States" is far too broad. USCIS cannot evaluate whether this has substantial merit or national importance because it could mean anything. Your endeavor needs to be specific enough that an officer can understand what you actually do.
Good: "To advance natural language processing systems for medical records analysis"
Too narrow or employer-specific
"To develop the XYZ product for ABC Corporation" ties your endeavor to a specific employer, which undermines the entire purpose of the waiver. USCIS is waiving the employer requirement — your endeavor should transcend any single employer.
Good: "To advance recommendation system technology for e-commerce, improving consumer experience and economic efficiency"
Purely local impact
"To provide accounting services to small businesses in Houston" lacks national importance because the impact is limited to one geographic area. Even if your work is physically located in one city, you need to articulate why the impact extends nationally.
No connection to your actual background
If your proposed endeavor doesn't match your education, experience, and track record, USCIS will question your ability to advance it (Prong 2). Your endeavor should be a natural extension of your existing expertise and achievements, not a completely new direction you have no background in.
Describing a job, not an endeavor
"To work as a software engineer at a technology company" describes a job, not an endeavor. Your proposed endeavor should describe the impact of your work, not just the role you'll occupy. Think about what you're trying to achieve, not what you'll be doing day-to-day.
How Specific vs Broad Should Your Endeavor Be?
Finding the right level of specificity is one of the biggest challenges in defining your proposed endeavor. Here's a framework for getting it right:
| Level | Example | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Too Broad | "Advance computer science" | Cannot evaluate merit or importance — too vague |
| Still Too Broad | "Advance AI research" | Slightly better but still lacks specificity |
| Right Level | "Advance ML-based early disease detection in medical imaging" | Specific subfield, clear problem, evaluable merit |
| Getting Narrow | "Develop CNN models for lung nodule detection in CT scans" | Acceptable but limits flexibility |
| Too Narrow | "Build a specific model for Hospital X's radiology department" | Tied to single employer — undermines waiver purpose |
The Golden Rule
Your proposed endeavor should be specific enough that a USCIS officer can understand your field and evaluate its importance, but broad enough that you could pursue it at multiple employers, in multiple settings, or even as a self-employed professional. If changing employers would invalidate your proposed endeavor, it's too narrow.
Connecting Your Proposed Endeavor to the Three-Prong Test
Your proposed endeavor is not just a description — it's the thread that connects all three prongs of the Dhanasar test. Here's how:
The proposed endeavor directly answers Prong 1. When you say "I will advance ML-based early cancer detection," you're simultaneously establishing substantial merit (improving cancer diagnostics) and national importance (cancer is a leading cause of death nationwide). Your endeavor should be crafted so that its merit and importance are self-evident.
Connection strategy: Define your endeavor so that its impact clearly extends beyond local scope. Include the problem statement (what national challenge you're addressing) within the endeavor description itself.
Prong 2 asks whether you are well-positioned to advance the proposed endeavor. This means your background, achievements, and skills must align with your proposed endeavor. If you define your endeavor as advancing medical AI, your publications, projects, and expertise should be in medical AI — not unrelated fields.
Connection strategy: Your proposed endeavor should be a natural extension of your existing work. Your evidence of past success (publications, patents, projects) should directly support your ability to continue advancing this specific endeavor.
Prong 3 asks why the national interest is better served by waiving the job offer and PERM requirements for your proposed endeavor. This is where the nature of your endeavor matters: if it's inherently self-directed (research), employer-independent (entrepreneurship), or urgently needed (public health), the waiver argument is stronger.
Connection strategy: Frame your endeavor so that the benefit of flexibility (no employer restriction) is obvious. The argument should be clear: your proposed endeavor benefits the nation regardless of which specific employer you work for, and restricting you to one employer would limit your impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my proposed endeavor change after NIW approval?
The NIW approves your I-140 petition based on the proposed endeavor you described. After approval, you have flexibility to evolve your work within the same general field. You don't need to do exactly what you described, but you should continue working in the same area of expertise. Major career changes to unrelated fields could potentially cause issues during the I-485 stage.
Does my proposed endeavor need to be different from my current job?
No. Your proposed endeavor can and often should be a continuation of what you're already doing. The key is to frame it at the right level of abstraction — not as a specific job at a specific employer, but as a body of work you intend to advance in the United States. Most NIW applicants propose to continue and expand upon their existing work.
Can entrepreneurs define their startup as their proposed endeavor?
Yes, but frame it carefully. Instead of "to run my startup Company X," frame it as the broader impact: "to advance [technology/approach] that addresses [national challenge], initially through my venture Company X and its expansion into [broader market]." This makes the endeavor bigger than one company while still being specific.
Do I need a business plan for my proposed endeavor?
A business plan is not required for most NIW petitions, but it can strengthen your case, especially for entrepreneurs. For researchers, a research plan or project description serves a similar purpose. The key is providing enough detail that USCIS can evaluate your proposed endeavor's merit, importance, and your ability to advance it.
Can I have multiple proposed endeavors?
It's best to present one unified proposed endeavor, even if your work spans multiple related areas. Having multiple unrelated endeavors weakens your case because it's harder to build a coherent argument across all three prongs. If you work across areas, find the common thread that connects them and define your endeavor at that level.
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