According to USCIS' NIW Three-Prong Test, an alien applicant seeking a National Interest Waiver should meet the following criteria: 1) candidate's work is in an area of substantial intrinsic merit; 2) candidate's proposed work will benefit the nation as a whole: 3) the significant benefit derived from the alien's participation in the national interest field should considerably outweigh the National Interest in using the Labor Certification process.

Many publications and citations are not required by NIW regulation, but USCIS adjudicators will make sure that an alien beneficiary's work has significantly impacted his field of endeavor, and the alien applicant should establish that the beneficiary will "serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications." Therefore, an applicant should prove that he or she can serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than other individuals having similar credentials in the field.