EB2 NIW: Question about Independent Recommendation Letters

[Maj_Gen_Ifeanyi 0]

I'm employed in the non-academic sector, specifically in Project Implementation and Change Management within the banking industry. Obtaining a genuinely 'independent' recommendation from someone who has personal knowledge of my work and contributions poses a challenge. Additionally, I am apprehensive that such individuals might be reluctant or uncomfortable to assert in their letters that they are familiar with my work or contributions. Therefore, my question is: Is it possible for an independent recommender to specifically discuss my planned endeavour, skills, and resume, and how, in their professional and experiential judgment, these elements combined will be advantageous to the U.S., without necessarily mentioning any direct knowledge of my work or contributions?"

[Boiler 45,519]

Have you discussed this with your Lawyer? Is this something they have asked you to do?

[Maj_Gen_Ifeanyi 0]

Yes . My consultant suggested independent recommendations would greatly support my petition . 
 

I’ve also seen on other forums that petitioners are submitting these inde letters as well .

 

Do you have any thoughts , please ?

[Crazy Cat 41,865]

***Duplicate thread removed.  Please post only once***

[appleblossom 2,522]

3 hours ago, Maj_Gen_Ifeanyi said:

Yes . My consultant suggested independent recommendations would greatly support my petition . 
 

I’ve also seen on other forums that petitioners are submitting these inde letters as well .

 

Do you have any thoughts , please ?

Consultant or lawyer? I very much hope the latter, a ‘visa consultant’ for an EB2 isn’t a good idea! You need a really good lawyer with lots of experience of EB cases to put the best possible case forward. And yes, you do need letters of recommendation and they need to be from people who are very senior/well respected in your industry. You can’t get somebody at the same level as you (or lower) to write them. 
 

I applied EB1 (also business rather than academic). My lawyer said 3 letters, and crucially that at least 2 should be from people in the US, as the whole point of the application is to show that the US needs your skills. I put forward about 10 names of people in each country I’d be happy to ask to do the letters and gave their backgrounds, then the lawyers picked who they should be from. They knew who would be best received in the US. For example, for the UK I had several that are very well regarded in my field but maybe their reputation and qualifications wouldn’t be well known in the US - so they picked the guy that worked in the government, as they knew that a letter on headed paper from there would carry much more weight!
 

So I had 2 letters from people who knew me in the US and 1 from the UK. Each letter was 6 or 7 pages long and very detailed. 
 

HTH.

[Maj_Gen_Ifeanyi 0]

Great stuff . Thanks 

 

How did you go about soliciting for independent recommendations in the US ? At present, I am UK based , work in London and don’t have any U.S contacts .

[appleblossom 2,522]

6 hours ago, Maj_Gen_Ifeanyi said:

Great stuff . Thanks 

 

How did you go about soliciting for independent recommendations in the US ? At present, I am UK based , work in London and don’t have any U.S contacts .

 

Sorry, can't help with that, they were existing contacts. If you're arguing that you being given an immigration visa is in the interests of the US, that your endeavour is of national importance, and that your knowledge/skills will 'substantially benefit' the US economy etc, I wonder how you'll do that if you don't already have relationships there? Maybe contact people who've asked you to speak at conferences there, or who've headhunted you for jobs? That kind of thing.

 

I'd ask your lawyer what to do, if they've done lots of EB2's before then they'll know what to suggest and it's a question for them really if you can't think of anybody off the top of your head.

 

Good luck.  

Edited January 31 by appleblossom

[Boiler 45,519]

I do not recollect US recommendations being required, obviously they have to be of substance but I can think of a few cases where I seriously doubt that the person has US based referees.