Currently, I am filing for OR category in VSC. I already had two independent big shots letters. I also asked two of my previous colleagues who are not from my home country and one is a professor in a top ranked international university and the other is working in a Big British company. I also consider these two as indepdent letters. All together I had 13 letters, other 9 are all from my previous boss, current boss and previous known professors. Do I need more independent letters?
How many independent recommendation letters needed for OR?
- Thread starter chiron
- Start date
NIW-Nov 04
Registered Users (C)
I think for EB1-OR more than recommendation letters you need "permanent job" or "tenure track" letter from appropriate authority hiring you. Get that along with these letters and your achievements (publications etc) should suffice.
I do have secure job at the very top company in my field. The company lawyer is handling my case. He did not ask me to provide him the company authority letter. Do you think he will get it directly from the company? And it looks like now NIW is much faster than OR. Is it true?
My lawyer wanted just 4-5 letters but words on street were more
like 8-10 letters. She did not particularly want independent letters
from someone I do not know. But I added one anyway.
People said I'd better add 2-3 letters from someone I do not know personally.
But I have good citations(40-50) in international journals/conferences..
I have my collegues in my comany who got their EB-1 approved
with just 4-6 letters and just a few citations/no award....
But you never know and better be on the safer side.
like 8-10 letters. She did not particularly want independent letters
from someone I do not know. But I added one anyway.
People said I'd better add 2-3 letters from someone I do not know personally.
But I have good citations(40-50) in international journals/conferences..
I have my collegues in my comany who got their EB-1 approved
with just 4-6 letters and just a few citations/no award....
But you never know and better be on the safer side.
chiron said:
Your both colleagues doesn't count as independent since you overlapped with them timewise during your work in a laboratory. I know that USCIS is looking into CVs to see if you were at the same institute at the same time as the scientists who write you reference letters to make sure that they are "really" independent. (I know of cases where people got reference letters from professors who were at the same university but not the same institute and they had nothing to do ever with each other which was also written in the letter but the USCIS didn't recognize it as independent) Betters find some scientists who are absolutely independent so that USCIS has no chance to deny your petitions based on this.
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I agree with Honkman's comments on this thread. I would not consider your colleague's letters to be independent either, and you should ask yourself as to whether they can claim to be "experts in the field" since they belong to the same generation of scientists as you.
The number of letters you need id a fine balance between the quality of your own publications (i.e. were you first author on a dozen Science papers?) and how much they have been cited (do you have five papers cited 100 times each? Are there review articles based on your paper(s)? ), in which case, you probably don't need independent letters. However, few of the OR applicants have that luxury.
The other keyword with OR is "international recognition". You should get independent letters from outside the US. Former advisors of your colleagues or your own advisors older students (who were there long before you) would be good places to start.
Good luck!
The number of letters you need id a fine balance between the quality of your own publications (i.e. were you first author on a dozen Science papers?) and how much they have been cited (do you have five papers cited 100 times each? Are there review articles based on your paper(s)? ), in which case, you probably don't need independent letters. However, few of the OR applicants have that luxury.
The other keyword with OR is "international recognition". You should get independent letters from outside the US. Former advisors of your colleagues or your own advisors older students (who were there long before you) would be good places to start.
Good luck!
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nikkasingh
Registered Users (C)
Chiron
Dont be embarrased in asking those that you dont even personally know but are big shots in your or related fields. Ask 10-15. What is the absolute worse that can happen- they will not reply to you or their secretary will send a terse reply saying no. whats to worry. even if some of them write the letter you want, you' ll be fine. Its not like this is the first time these big shots have been approached for these letters. I wrote one such letter to the Dean of a top 2 university school who worked in my area (and had probably reviewed some of my papers) though we had never met. His secretary replied the next day asking which category did I want the letter for (EA or OR). when I offered a model letter along with my cv she declined the model letter saying the dean knew what to write. a week letter i had the letter.
Dont be embarrased in asking those that you dont even personally know but are big shots in your or related fields. Ask 10-15. What is the absolute worse that can happen- they will not reply to you or their secretary will send a terse reply saying no. whats to worry. even if some of them write the letter you want, you' ll be fine. Its not like this is the first time these big shots have been approached for these letters. I wrote one such letter to the Dean of a top 2 university school who worked in my area (and had probably reviewed some of my papers) though we had never met. His secretary replied the next day asking which category did I want the letter for (EA or OR). when I offered a model letter along with my cv she declined the model letter saying the dean knew what to write. a week letter i had the letter.
Thank you for your kind suggestion, nikkasingh! I alreday sent out all my letters to my lawyer. Lawyer did not respond to me yet. I am little hesitate to ask her if the letters are enough since I know if it is not enough, it will take me another one or two months to get the letters. Time is very crucial to me.
Well, IMHO your lawyer can't tell you if the number recommendation letters is "enough". Only the immigration officer can tell you that. 
Therefore, I suggest that you get as many as possible. In my case, I had 13 letters, 5 from independent people (whom I've not even meet). I believe 2 of the five actually pushed me over. They were from big shots at national labs.
Therefore, I suggest that you get as many as possible. In my case, I had 13 letters, 5 from independent people (whom I've not even meet). I believe 2 of the five actually pushed me over. They were from big shots at national labs.