Applications for Permanent Residency under the category of EB-1/NIW require substantial documentation to prove up the criteria established by the USCIS for EB-1/NIW cases. Some of the most critical documents submitted as part of the EB-1/NIW application are the letters of recommendation (RL). Thus, a brief description of the contents of an effective letter of recommendation is of tremendous importance to the prospective EB-1/NIW candidate. Although there are other supporting documents that serve as evidence for EB-1/NIW applications, the RL are very important to the success of the case. In addition, the credentials of the persons signing such letters are important. These persons may be employed by internationally renowned universities or they may come from industry. The importance of these individuals position and the institution or organization from which they come is extremely significant. For example, if the applicant is able to obtain a RL from a Nobel Prize Recipient, it will substantially increase the importance of the RL itself. Likewise, an applicant might be able to secure a RL from a U.S. Senator or other high ranking government official from the state in which they are employed, which, again, would be extremely valuable to the EB-1/NIW application. Letters of recommendation for EB-1/NIW cases must be accurate, persuasive, and must include the following: 1. Recommender Credentials: A summary of the recommender’s background and credentials; 2. Familiarity with Petitioner: A statement explaining how the recommender knows the petitioner and his or her work or, alternatively, if the recommender does not know the petitioner personally, how the recommender became aware of the petitioner and his or her work (e.g., presentation at a conference or through one or more of the petitioner’s publications); 3. Importance of Research: A description of the field of research the petitioner is involved in and why it is of national importance. In a nutshell, the recommender will attest to the impact the petitioner’s work has had on the field; 4. Breakthroughs: A detailed description of those research projects and breakthroughs made by the petitioner that the recommender is familiar with; 5. More Qualified: A statement confirming that the petitioner is more accomplished or more qualified than the average person working in that same field of national interest; 6. Employment Position is National in Scope: A statement confirming that the employment position is national in scope and not just regional; 7. Future Prospects: A statement confirming that, in the opinion of the recommender, the petitioner is likely to continue making contributions in the field for the foreseeable future; and 8. Accomplishments: A brief but thorough description of the accomplishments achieved by the petitioner that the recommender is familiar with. Ideally the petitioner will want to have between 5 and 8 letters of recommendation with at least 2 or 3 coming from recommenders that do not know the petitioner personally (i.e., independent advisory opinions). Of course, it will be easy for the applicant to secure letters of recommendation from his or her academic or postdoctoral supervisors. The more difficult task is securing recommendation letters from the so called independent recommenders. Such independent recommenders might include individuals the applicant met at international scientific conferences or the professional acquaintances and friends of the applicant’s supervisors. So long as their opinions are subjective, and they won’t favor the applicant because of some close relationship with the applicant, these individuals could be deemed independent recommenders for purposes of the EB-1/NIW application. The letters from different recommenders need to be different in style and format, including differences in the opening salutation, font, letter size, and paragraph spacing, all of which are dependent on the personal style of the recommender. The final letter will need to be printed out on the letterhead of the office and institution where the recommender is employed. Different recommenders might emphasize different parts of the applicant’s achievements of the applicant, because each recommender is familiar with certain aspects of the applicant’s work. However, the recommender can also comment on the other qualifications of the applicant, because they are the experts in the field and once the applicant shows his/her CV, publication, etc. to the recommender, such a person could evaluate or comment on the achievements and relevant information, such as the journal’s ranking of the published paper, etc. The key points of such letters are accuracy, persuasiveness, and authoritativeness.