What are the main challenges when responding to an RFE about Academic Evaluation in the EB-2 NIW?

Responding to a Request for Evidence (RFE) about the Academic Evaluation in an EB-2 NIW petition is often challenging because the officer’s concern centers on the validity and equivalency of your educational background. The goal of the response is to dispel that concern with clear, consistent, and well-contextualized documents.

The most common challenges at this stage tend to be:

• Equivalency of a foreign degree to U.S. educational standards, which is not always evident from the initial documents.
• Translations and certification: records in another language require accurate, certified translations with no inconsistencies that could raise new questions.
• Variation among evaluation agencies, which may interpret the same academic background in different ways.
• Consistency of the overall package, so that evaluation reports, expert letters, and transcripts all tell the same story.

A strong response addresses each point raised directly, references the attached documents, and reinforces equivalency with detailed evaluations or expert opinions when needed. Organization and clarity reduce scrutiny and convey credibility.

Because the criteria can be interpreted in different ways, it is worth reviewing the updated guidance from USCIS and considering the support of an experienced professional to structure the response with confidence.

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.