Do indirect costs and their accounting matter for the EB-2 NIW?

The EB-2 NIW is not an investment visa and does not require you to account for costs, direct or indirect. Unlike the EB-5, it does not evaluate financial spreadsheets or cost-allocation methods: what matters is the merit of your work and its national importance.

There is therefore no accounting criterion to meet, nor a correct way to allocate expenses for visa purposes. If you choose to present financial information, it serves only as context, to provide transparency about a project, and never as a requirement.

• Focus your efforts on demonstrating the value and reach of your work.
• Use financial documents only when they help explain the scale of the project.
• Keep any submitted material clear, consistent, and verifiable.

In short, rather than worrying about cost accounting, direct your energy toward evidencing the substance and national benefit of your work. Since each case is evaluated individually, it is worth verifying the current criteria (USCIS) and aligning your strategy with a specialist.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.