USCIS figure: its published I-140 data, FY2026 Q3. Tracked figures: crowdsourced cases tracked while pending, decision read from USCIS · as of September 2026.
The USCIS approval rate for EB2-NIW
USCIS reports how many National Interest Waiver petitions it received, approved and denied each quarter. The share below is approved ÷ (approved + denied) for the period, the usual way a rate is read from those counts. The latest published quarter is FY2026 Q3 (Apr – Jun 2026).
| Period | Approved | Denied | Approved share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 Q3 Apr – Jun 2026 | 3,835 | 3,103 | 55% |
| FY2026 Q2 Jan – Mar 2026 | 3,038 | 3,282 | 48% |
| FY2026 Q1 Oct – Dec 2025 | 2,365 | 3,200 | 42% |
| FY2025 Oct 2024 – Sep 2025 | 19,532 | 15,863 | 55% |
| FY2024 Oct 2023 – Sep 2024 | 27,526 | 11,256 | 71% |
The USCIS counts cover every NIW petition completed in the period. The tracked figures on this page cover crowdsourced cases decided between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026, with profile and endeavor field attached.
Recent EB2-NIW approvals and denials
The newest decisions NIWStats read from USCIS on tracked cases, newest first, as of September 2026. Each row is one case.
Decision week and filing month shown, not exact dates. Every decision, as it lands →
Research and industry cases end differently
Each case carries one of three profiles: research, industry, or a bit of both. The table counts how the tracked decisions in each profile ended, and whether the approval came before or after a Request for Evidence.
| Profile | Decided | Approved | Approved, no RFE | Approved after RFE | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research | 84 | 63 (75%) | 49 | 14 | 21 |
| Industry | 41 | 14 (34%) | 6 | 8 | 27 |
| Bit of both | 27 | 13 (48%) | 9 | 4 | 14 |
First action, same profiles. Counting every tracked case USCIS has acted on — an RFE or a decision, dated after the case joined — research cases were approved without an RFE 49 of 176 times (28%); industry cases 6 of 68 (9%). No case in either profile was denied without an RFE first.
Recent decisions read from USCIS suggest a research profile is the one most likely to be approved without a Request for Evidence. An industry profile should plan for the RFE: it was the first action on 62 of 68 industry cases, and among industry cases that answered one, 8 were approved and 27 denied. Cases with a bit of both have so far ended closer to industry than to research.
Owners who share a receipt are not a random sample of NIW filers, so these are the outcomes of these cases, not a national rate. Scope defined on the methodology page · 152 decisions · as of September 2026.
EB2-NIW approval after an RFE
Among tracked cases that received a Request for Evidence and were then decided (between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026), 26 were approved and 62 denied. By profile: research 14 approved and 21 denied; industry 8 and 27; a bit of both 4 and 14. RFE outcomes by profile →
Tracked decisions by field
Each case is filed under one endeavor field; the terms under each name are the kinds of work that field covers. Fields with enough tracked decisions show their split; teal marks the approved share. The rest are counted, not split.
The other 13 decisions sit in fields with fewer than 8 tracked decisions each — too few to split by outcome; the cases themselves are browsable in the app.
How the slice is built
A decision enters this page only if the case was shared while pending and NIWStats read the outcome from USCIS afterwards. Outcomes shared after the decision was already known are left out, because a known outcome can be chosen for how it turned out. Every figure carries its n; a group shows a split only with enough decisions behind it. The wider dataset — owner-reported outcomes and compiled public posts — is browsable case by case in the app and is not folded into any figure here. The same decisions by degree, publications and citations: EB2-NIW requirements. How we collect & count →
EB2-NIW approval rate FAQ
What is the EB2-NIW approval rate in 2026?
USCIS approved 3,835 NIW petitions and denied 3,103 in FY2026 Q3 (Apr – Jun 2026), 55% of those it completed, the latest quarter in its published I-140 data. Among EB2-NIW cases NIWStats tracked through USCIS while pending, 90 of 152 were approved (59%), on decisions dated between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026.
Does profile change EB2-NIW approval odds?
In the tracked decisions, research profiles were approved 63 of 84 times (75%) and industry profiles 14 of 41 (34%). Research cases were also approved without a Request for Evidence more often: 49 of 176 acted-on cases versus 6 of 68 for industry. As of September 2026.
Does endeavor field change EB2-NIW approval odds?
In the EB2-NIW cases NIWStats tracked through USCIS, decided between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026, CS / Software / Data (software, AI/ML, data, IT): 16 approved, 21 denied; Engineering (mechanical, electrical, telecom, manufacturing): 21 approved, 9 denied; Medicine / Health (clinical, public health, epidemiology): 22 approved, 5 denied; Life Sciences / Biotech (biology, pharma, food science, neuroscience): 12 approved, 4 denied; Business / Finance / Econ (finance, management, supply chain, economics): 4 approved, 7 denied; Earth / Env / Energy (climate, energy, agriculture, geoscience): 6 approved, 4 denied; Physical Sciences / Math (physics, chemistry, materials, math): 6 approved, 2 denied. Fields with fewer than 8 tracked decisions are counted but not split. As of September 2026.
What is the EB2-NIW approval rate after an RFE?
Among EB2-NIW cases NIWStats tracked through USCIS that received a Request for Evidence and were then decided between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026, 26 were approved and 62 denied. Research profiles: 14 approved, 21 denied; industry: 8 approved, 27 denied. As of September 2026.
Why does this differ from the USCIS approval rate?
USCIS counts every NIW petition it adjudicates and reports periodically. NIWStats counts crowdsourced cases whose owners shared a receipt while pending, decided between Jul 2026 and Sep 2026, split by profile and endeavor field. Different population, different period, counts shown with every figure.
152 tracked decisions, by field and profile
Filter the decided cases to your endeavor field and profile, with RFE history and timeline attached. 557 more are tracked and pending; the queue shows which are due next.
Explore the cases