A new USCIS policy (Nov 27, 2025) allows an applicant’s nationality to be treated as a “significant negative factor” in immigration decisions.
This rule directly harms thousands of highly skilled Iranian immigrants already living, studying, and working in the United States — especially those applying under the EB-1 and EB-2 categories including National Interest Waiver (NIW) categories.

These are not ordinary green card pathways.
EB-1 and EB-2 applicants are required to provide extensive evidence of extraordinary ability, national-level achievements, or significant contributions to U.S. national interests. Their applications undergo some of the most rigorous scrutiny in the entire immigration system. Penalizing such individuals solely due to birthplace contradicts the entire premise of these merit-based programs.

Why this matters to everyone:

• Iranian EB-1 and EB-2 applicants include scientists, physicians, engineers, medical innovators, and university researchers contributing to American progress every day.
• These individuals undergo multiple layers of vetting and security checks, often spanning years.
• Using nationality as a negative factor is discriminatory, unjust, and unsupported by any evidence regarding this community.
• Such policies risk driving the world’s top talent to countries like Canada, the UK, and EU nations, who actively welcome innovators.
• Removing highly skilled researchers from U.S. labs, tech companies, hospitals, and universities weakens American competitiveness, disrupts ongoing research, and harms U.S. economic and scientific leadership.

Our values and position:

• Fairness, equal treatment, and non-discrimination must remain fundamental principles of the U.S. immigration system.
• Immigration decisions should be based on individual merit, evidence, and conduct — not nationality.
• EB-1 and EB-2 applicants have already demonstrated extraordinary achievement, national importance, and a commitment to advancing the United States. They should not be disadvantaged by policies that ignore their contributions.
• Americans benefit directly from the work of Iranian-born researchers in medicine, engineering, environmental science, AI, and biotechnology. These contributions should be recognized, not obstructed.

Our message is simple and universal:

Judge people by their merit, character, and contributions — not by their birthplace.
Iranian EB-1 and EB-2 applicants strengthen America. Nationality-based barriers weaken it.