over filing an NIW?
Applying through Special Handling or the Regular PERM process requires much less documentation to be provided by the applicant himself/herself. When applying for a NIW, the applicant must supply all publications, citations, abstracts, invitations to conferences, honors or awards, membership in professional associations, and letters of recommendation. Many times these items are difficult for an applicant to obtain, especially the strong letters of recommendation. Furthermore, if the applicant is a recent graduate and does not have many publications or invitations to conferences, it may be difficult to obtain the NIW. However, NIW has its unparalleled advantages in that that applicant is not as dependent on the employer to get the petition, as it is mainly an independent process. , The applicant does not require to a job offer at the moment and can petition for himself or herself. Also, the NIW avoids the labor certification process entirely.
