A growing number of EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitioners are reporting that USCIS adjudications have become noticeably stricter in 2026, according to active discussion in the r/EB2_NIW community. Applicants point to a reported policy shift in late May 2026 that, in their experience, has raised the bar for demonstrating that a foreign national’s work is in the national interest under the Matter of Dhanasar framework.
Community members describe denial rates for premium-processing NIW cases running in the range of roughly 25–30% so far in 2026 — a level high enough that some petitioners say they are reconsidering whether to file at all, or weighing EB-1A and other categories instead. While these figures are crowd-sourced from applicants rather than published USCIS statistics, the consistency of the reports has made the trend a leading topic among prospective filers.
It is important to read these accounts with appropriate caution. The characterization of a specific May 2026 memo comes from applicant discussion, not from an official USCIS announcement, and individual outcomes always depend on the strength of the underlying evidence — the proposed endeavor’s national importance, the petitioner’s track record, and the well-documented case that they are well positioned to advance the work.
What the discussion does make clear is that a strong, well-evidenced petition matters more than ever. Petitioners are emphasizing concrete metrics of impact, independent citations and adoption of their work, letters from arms-length experts, and a tightly argued national-interest rationale. For anyone preparing to file in the second half of 2026, the practical takeaway is to build the record as if every prong of Dhanasar will be scrutinized closely.
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Source: Reddit r/EB2_NIW