Recommendation Letters
The process of writing letters of recommendation (also known as “reference letters” or “support letters”) is one of the most important aspects of preparing an EB-1A or NIW case. It is also very time consuming. Immigration lawyers approach the task of writing recommendation letters in different ways.
First, I’m going to explain what, in our opinion, are the wrong ways to write letters of recommendation, and then I will explain the right way.
The Wrong Way
Lawyers who unreasonably expect the references to write the letters without any guidance from the lawyer
Some lawyers will tell you that your references should write the letters by themselves without any guidance from the lawyer. You would expect the references, who are experts in the field, to be able to produce letters that would satisfy USCIS’ legal standards and support the approval of the case. However, there are multiple problems with expecting the experts to complete the letters themselves.
Firstly, the letters have to address the legal standard and your references are not immigration lawyers who understand the legal standard and how to communicate it effectively to the immigration officer who will decide your case. Minor differences in wording can have a significant impact on the meaning of a sentence, and USCIS often denies cases on very minor points such as a misstatement of the legal standard or a failure to address the points required to prove that a researcher actually meets the legal standard.
Secondly, reference letters written without input from you or your lawyer may not explain your research in sufficient detail for the immigration officer to understand the significance of your research accomplishments. Also, without proper guidance from your lawyer, the letters may be extremely difficult for the immigration officer to understand.
Also, as your references are extremely busy with their own jobs, they are often unable to set aside sufficient time to complete your letter of recommendation in a timely manner. This can result in lengthy delays in filing.
The Right Way : The Getson Way
We write your Recommendation Letters together with you and any input from your references
In our experience, you and your references always have valuable input that helps us to maximize your chances of approval and for that reason we collaborate with our clients in reviewing all of our drafts, listening to their comments, and discussing their thoughts.
You do not want to write the letters by yourself because the process of writing full letters is extremely time consuming and because you know that you will not be able to maximize your chances of approval without an experienced EB-1/NIW lawyer.
Most lawyers are simply not flexible to the demands and needs of their clients. We realize that our clients are some of the most brilliant people in their fields, that they are extremely busy, and also that no one understands their science better than they do. In our view, our clients are paying us to assist them in the best possible way to suit their specific needs.
