Organize Your Evidence

These documents back the three NIW prongs in your petition: your qualifications, the merit and national importance of your work, and that you are well-positioned to advance it.

Guidelines: One PDF per section, except Publications and Recommendation Letters (one PDF per paper or per recommender, plus an "Additional" slot for extras) and the Prior NIW Petition Letter (PDF, Word, or ZIP). Use A4 page size for best Overleaf compatibility.

Translation requirement: Non-English documents need a certified English translation. The translator must sign a statement that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate. Upload the original and the translation together in the same PDF. See USCIS tips and 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).

Upload trouble? If a file won't upload, email contact@turboniw.com — we'll share a Google Drive folder. Please use the same section and slot names as on this page (e.g., "Paper 1 — First Two Pages") so we can match them up.

1. Academic Research

A PDF screenshot of your Google Scholar profile page. A4 page size works best.

One PDF combining all thank-you letters/emails from journal/conference reviews and judging invitations. For each venue, write out: name, impact factor (with year), number of reviews, and years. Match the second survey's Review Experience field.

Upload the first two pages (title page, abstract, intro, etc.) of each publication, one paper per slot. We've reserved five slots — if you have more, combine the extras into one PDF in the "Additional Papers" slot at the bottom. Each page should be A4 size for best compatibility with Overleaf.

If you have more than 5 publications, combine the first two pages of all the extras into one PDF and upload here.

One PDF with information pages for all your publication venues. For each: what the journal/conference is about, plus impact metrics (impact factor, h5-index, acceptance rate, CORE/CCF ranking, etc.). Match the second survey. A4 page size.

Select several important papers that cite your work. For each paper, include the title page and the page(s) showing the citation. Combine all into one PDF. Better to highlight the parts citing your work using highlights or markers for the convenience of USCIS officer review.

Upload evidence of ongoing research or submitted papers. This can include ArXiv submissions, submission portal screenshots, or submission confirmation emails. Convert all to PDF format (A4 size) and combine into one document.

2. Academic Documents

Documents proving your degrees and academic credentials. A few specifics to include when you assemble each PDF in this section:

  • Foreign degree: If your highest degree was earned outside the U.S., include a certified credential evaluation report (e.g., from WES or another NACES-listed evaluator) confirming U.S. equivalency. Combine it into the same PDF as your degree certificate and/or transcripts.
  • Translation: Non-English certificates and transcripts need a certified English translation. See the translation note at the top of this page for the certification requirement.
  • Combine each category: Multiple certificates (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD) go in one PDF; multiple transcripts go in another. Same idea for the optional dissertation.

Combine all degree certificates (Bachelor's, Master's, PhD, etc.) into one PDF.

Combine all academic transcripts into one PDF.

Upload the title page and first page of your dissertation in PDF format.

3. Awards, Memberships & Media Coverage

Awards, memberships, and media items work best when an outside reader can see why each one is prestigious without prior context. For each item, articulate:

  • Selection criteria: What it takes to win, join, or be featured — acceptance rate, competitive pool, eligibility rules.
  • Scope & stature: National, international, or field-specific — and the awarding organization's standing in your field.
  • Per-category PDF: Combine all evidence per category into one PDF — one for awards, one for memberships, one for media.
  • Align with the second survey: You should already have articulated these points in the second survey. If not, please revisit those fields so the evidence and the petition letter line up.

One PDF combining all award certificates and supporting documents.

One PDF combining all membership certificates (professional societies, organizations, etc.).

One PDF combining all media articles, news mentions, or press releases.

4. Recommendation Letters

For each potential recommender, prepare one PDF draft. Rough or informal drafts are welcome — we refine them later.

  • Recommender snapshot: Paste or summarize their background, role, and field; include Google Scholar metrics (e.g., citation count) copied from their Scholar page or lab site if helpful.
  • Relationship first: At the top, state how you know each other—or explicitly that you have not met or never worked together. Say whether they would be an independent contact (arm’s-length: not your advisor, not a close collaborator) or dependent (e.g., co-author, supervisor, same close team).
  • Evidence of connection: List co-authored papers, if any. Note citations: which of their papers cite yours, and what they cite you for; same for other people’s papers that link your work to theirs, if relevant.
  • Text only — no images or screenshots: Keep each draft as plain text (Scholar metrics typed out, paper titles written out, citation counts as numbers). If you need to reference a source, paste the URL — we'll follow it.
  • Upload: Upload each recommender's draft as a separate PDF in the slots below — one slot per recommender. If you have more than 5 recommenders, combine the extras into one PDF in the "Additional Recommenders" slot at the bottom.

If you have more than 5 recommenders, combine the extra drafts into one PDF and upload here.

5. Identity Documents Optional

This section is optional. You can add these sensitive documents directly to Overleaf later if you prefer.

Combine I-20, I-94, visa page, and passport main page into one PDF. This section is optional - you can add these documents to Overleaf directly if preferred.

6. Additional Evidence

If you have other evidence documents that don't fit into the categories above, you can upload them here. Combine multiple documents into one PDF file.

Upload any other supporting documents that demonstrate your qualifications for NIW. Combine all additional evidence into one PDF file.

7. Prior NIW Petition Letter RFE response cases

If you previously filed an NIW petition (with or without our help) and recently received an RFE, please upload the prior petition letter here so we can review it as part of preparing your RFE response. Skip this section if it does not apply to you.

Accepted formats: PDF, Word document (.doc / .docx), or ZIP. Max 100 MB (prior filings with exhibits can be large).