The proposed endeavor statement is the single most consequential document in an EB-2 NIW petition. It defines the specific work the applicant proposes to pursue in the United States, establishes the national importance argument, and provides the evidentiary foundation against which USCIS evaluates all three Dhanasar prongs. A vague or poorly structured statement undermines an otherwise qualifying petition regardless of how strong the applicant's credentials are. Beyond Border is an immigration firm specializing in EB-2 NIW petitions and structures each proposed endeavor to address the Dhanasar framework directly before the petition is filed.
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The proposed endeavor is a formal description of the specific professional activities, research, business initiatives, or technical work the petitioner plans to pursue in the United States that will benefit the national interest. It is not a job description, a biography, or a general statement of career goals.
The distinction matters because USCIS uses the proposed endeavor as the lens through which every other element of the petition is evaluated. Expert letters must endorse the national importance of the proposed endeavor. The applicant's past achievements must demonstrate positioning to advance the proposed endeavor. The waiver argument must explain why this specific endeavor, pursued by this specific applicant, benefits the United States more than requiring standard labor market testing would.
If the proposed endeavor is vague, generic, or indistinguishable from any other professional in the field, the petition fails at the first Dhanasar prong before the strength of the credentials is even considered. For the full framework governing EB-2 NIW petitions and how the proposed endeavor fits within it, see the EB-2 NIW requirements guide.
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USCIS requires two separate showings under the first prong: that the proposed endeavor has substantial merit, meaning genuine value beyond ordinary professional work, and that it has national importance, meaning its scope and impact extend to the national level rather than benefiting a single employer, institution, or locality.
For substantial merit: Explain precisely what problem the endeavor addresses, what gap it fills, or what opportunity it pursues. Use data to establish the significance of the problem at a level a non-specialist adjudicator can assess. Avoid claiming that a field is generally important; describe why the specific proposed work within that field matters.
For national importance: Demonstrate how the work affects populations, industries, or knowledge domains at national scale. Explicitly connect the proposed endeavor to recognized U.S. strategic priorities: economic competitiveness, public health, climate resilience, national security, technological leadership, or education. Government reports, federal legislation, and agency strategic plans are useful anchoring references.
A medical researcher might write: "This endeavor addresses early detection of pancreatic cancer, which currently carries an 11% five-year survival rate due to late diagnosis. Developing AI-powered diagnostic tools deployable across U.S. healthcare systems would enable detection 12 to 18 months earlier, with projected impact on 25,000 or more American lives annually and estimated savings of over two billion dollars in treatment costs through earlier, less intensive interventions."
The statement above names the specific problem, quantifies its national scale using verifiable statistics, connects the solution to existing healthcare infrastructure, and projects a concrete outcome. Compare this to: "My research in AI and healthcare will benefit the United States." The second version fails prong one. The first satisfies it.
The second prong requires demonstrating that the applicant has the education, skills, track record, and resources to actually execute the proposed work. The proposed endeavor statement should reference specific past achievements that establish this positioning, but the bulk of the statement must describe what the applicant will do, not what they have done.
Within the proposed endeavor, cite relevant credentials by name: publications in specific journals, patents with adoption evidence, institutional affiliations, funded grants, partnerships secured, or preliminary results from ongoing work. These references should be brief within the statement itself; the full evidentiary record supporting them appears elsewhere in the petition.
The methodology and approach section of the statement carries most of the weight for this prong. A detailed, realistic execution plan demonstrates that the applicant understands the field well enough to advance the endeavor. Vague statements about "conducting research using innovative methods" do not satisfy prong two. A specific description of the methodology, timeline, validation plan, and institutional partnerships does.
For research-based endeavors: include preliminary results where available, name specific institutional partners and the resources they contribute, reference any funding secured, and provide a realistic timeline with defined milestones.
For business or entrepreneurial endeavors: include a description of the business model, the market gap being addressed, the specific U.S. populations or industries that will benefit, and any early traction such as customers, revenue, or partnerships.
The third prong is the most frequently neglected in unsuccessful petitions. It requires an affirmative, applicant-specific argument for why the national interest is better served by waiving the standard PERM requirement for this petitioner and this endeavor, rather than by treating it as self-evident.
Three categories of argument work best for this prong. First, urgency: where the proposed work is time-sensitive because delay allows competing international teams to advance faster, or because the work addresses an acute national need, the cost of a 15 to 20-month PERM process is concrete and documentable. Second, structural impracticality: entrepreneurial work, independent research, or consulting-based endeavors cannot be tied to a specific employer and position description in the way PERM requires. Third, scarcity: where the applicant's specific combination of expertise is demonstrably rare in the U.S. labor market, requiring labor market testing is impractical because no qualified U.S. worker pool exists for the specific role.
Any one of these arguments, well supported with specific evidence, satisfies the third prong. Relying on the general importance of the field without making the applicant-specific case does not.
A well-structured proposed endeavor statement covers the following elements in order.
Title and opening summary. A specific, descriptive title that conveys the subject matter immediately, followed by two to four sentences capturing the problem addressed, the proposed solution, and the expected national impact. Avoid titles like "Research in Machine Learning" in favor of "Development of AI-Powered Early Detection Tools for Pancreatic Cancer Across U.S. Healthcare Systems."
Background and context. Two to three paragraphs establishing the current state of the problem, the gap the proposed work addresses, and why existing approaches are insufficient. Use statistics from credible sources such as CDC, NIH, CBO, or peer-reviewed literature to establish the national scale of the problem.
Specific goals and objectives. Three to five concrete, measurable goals with approximate timelines. Each goal should use active verbs and quantifiable outcomes. For example: "Develop and validate a machine learning diagnostic algorithm achieving 85% or greater sensitivity across five U.S. medical centers with a cohort of 5,000 or more patients within 36 months of commencement."
Methodology and approach. Two to four paragraphs explaining the specific methods, techniques, and strategies the applicant will use. Include enough technical detail to demonstrate a well-developed plan, but balance specificity with accessibility for a non-specialist adjudicator. Highlight what is novel about the approach relative to existing methods.
Expected impact and outcomes. Two to three paragraphs quantifying the projected national benefit with specific metrics and a realistic timeline for impact. Address multiple dimensions where applicable: scientific or technical advancement, economic value, public health outcomes, and policy implications.
Collaborations and resources. One to two paragraphs describing institutional partnerships, funding secured, data or facility access, and other resources that support execution. Specific named partnerships carry more weight than general statements about planned collaborations.
Scalability and sustainability. One to two paragraphs explaining how the endeavor will continue and expand after initial completion. For research, this includes dissemination strategy and pathway to policy or clinical application. For business, this includes the revenue model and market expansion plan.
Vague or generic description. Statements like "I propose to conduct research in artificial intelligence to benefit the United States" fail immediately. Every detail must be specific: name the exact research questions, the population affected, the methodology, the projected outcome, and the timeline.
Past-focused rather than future-focused. The proposed endeavor describes what the applicant will do, not what they have done. Past achievements belong in the supporting evidence and expert letters. Within the statement, past achievements appear only as brief anchors establishing positioning; the majority of the content must be forward-looking.
No quantification of impact. "Will significantly benefit society" is not evidence. Every significant claim about impact must be tied to a specific number derived from a credible source. Projections that use published statistics as a basis are more persuasive than unevidenced assertions.
Omitting prong three. Many applicants focus the statement on prongs one and two and treat the third prong as implied. It is not. The statement or accompanying cover letter must address why waiving labor certification for this specific applicant and endeavor serves the national interest. Omitting it is the most common structural error in EB-2 NIW petitions that otherwise qualify.
Overly technical without context. A statement that only specialists in the applicant's field can understand does not serve the adjudicator. Technical accuracy must be paired with plain-language explanations of why the work matters at the national scale.
Lack of specificity on methodology. Claims of innovation without explaining what is novel about the approach, or execution plans without sufficient detail to appear credible and realistic, undermine prong two regardless of how impressive the applicant's credentials are.
For field-specific guidance on how to frame the proposed endeavor for civil engineering petitions, see the EB-2 NIW for civil engineers guide. For a full overview of the three-prong test, see the EB-2 NIW requirements guide.
The optimal length is three to five single-spaced pages, or approximately 1,500 to 2,500 words. This range is long enough to address all required components with sufficient specificity and short enough to maintain the adjudicator's engagement throughout.
Statements under two pages consistently lack the detail USCIS expects across all three prongs. Statements over six or seven pages dilute the core argument and risk burying the most persuasive elements in excess text.
Format the statement professionally: clear section headings, 11 to 12 point font, consistent margins, page numbers, and the applicant's name on each page. The statement should stand on its own as a coherent document while integrating with the broader I-140 petition. Expert letters in the petition should reference and endorse the specific proposed endeavor by name, confirming its national importance and the applicant's positioning to advance it.
Beyond Border is an immigration firm focused exclusively on employment-based high-skilled green card pathways. For EB-2 NIW petitions, the firm works with each applicant to identify the strongest framing for the proposed endeavor, maps the Dhanasar prongs to the applicant's specific professional context, and structures the statement to address prong three explicitly rather than leaving it implicit.
Each petition is submitted within one month of receiving all supporting documents. A money-back guarantee applies if the petition is unsuccessful.
To discuss how to structure your proposed endeavor statement for your specific field and profile in 2026, book a free consultation with Beyond Border.
The proposed endeavor is a detailed description of the specific professional work the petitioner plans to pursue in the United States that will benefit the national interest. It forms the foundation of the EB-2 NIW petition and is the primary document against which USCIS evaluates all three Dhanasar prongs.
Three to five single-spaced pages, or approximately 1,500 to 2,500 words. Statements under two pages lack sufficient detail; statements over seven pages risk diluting the core argument.
Yes. All three prongs must be addressed either within the proposed endeavor statement or in the accompanying cover letter and supporting documents. USCIS does not infer prong satisfaction from a compelling narrative; each prong must be explicitly addressed with specific evidence.
The most common failures are: a vague or generic description that applies equally to any professional in the field; omitting prong three entirely; and failing to quantify projected national impact with specific, source-supported metrics.
No. The proposed endeavor describes what the applicant will do in the United States, not what they have already done. Past achievements are referenced briefly within the statement to establish positioning, but the core content must describe future work. Past work belongs in the supporting evidence and expert letters.
