What are its major advantages?
The National Interest Waiver has the obvious advantage that a U.S. sponsor is not required. The applicant sponsors herself/himself based upon his/her outstanding achievements and professional knowledge. Consequently, the applicant controls her/his own fate. Furthermore, by avoiding the labor certification process substantial time can be saved in the processing of the petition. Some of the advantages of this category include:
Does not require a labor certification.
Does not require a permanent job offer in the United States.
Faster than the labor certification process. You can take advantage of concurrent filing and obtain work authorization and an advance parole document (allowing you to travel internationally) much sooner than with labor certification. You may also obtain work and travel authorization for your spouse and children.
More flexible than the labor certification process. Compared to the labor certification process, you can change jobs much sooner and can change to a much broader range of job opportunities.
You can self-petition. That is, the petition does not require the signature of anyone at the university or company where you work. In fact, in some cases, you can even be self-employed.