Case Summary:

The I-140 NIW is an EB2 category visa for individuals of foreign origin who want to work in the U.S. and prove their work is nationally significant. So when an expert in the field of molecular biology from China came to us, we made sure to help her obtain the National Interest Waiver (NIW) approval as quickly as possible. In our years of experience, we have seen that the NIW approval period can be as short as several weeks to multiple years. While the exact reason for this is not known, we are certain that the adjudication process can be helped immensely if the case preparation and presentation are strong. This is where we come in.

Based on the above calculation, we began working on our client’s application. We collected data from all of her academic and professional records. We checked every document and turned every page to find the following:

• Her proposed endeavor is to continue her research on the study of the mechanisms of proteins and viruses and the development of state-of-the-art extracellular vesicle engineering, visualization, and purification approaches in order to improve therapeutics for a variety of human diseases.
• Her research has great substantial merit and national importance since among other applications, it is essential to improving drug performance, reducing drug development costs, and developing inhibitors against ricin and treatments for common foodborne illnesses.
• As her research promotes the development of more affordable and more successful novel drug platforms for treating diseases, it was evidently of significance for the country and the globe.
• Her research directly addresses the global need for novel drug platforms that demonstrate superior performance and effectiveness, simplifying the decision-making process among pharmaceutical companies for identifying drug candidates and reducing the overall costs associated with developing new drugs. This is why one of her recommenders also said:

“Although drug development is essential to public health, it is extremely costly for global economies. As such, pharmaceutical companies are in great need of novel drug platforms, to which [the client] has dedicated her molecular biology career. [The client] has closed gaps in the literature through her outstanding research and, in doing so, has asserted her position as an authority in molecular biology.”

• In addition to addressing important national security concerns, Dr. Zhou’s work addresses salient national healthcare concerns, due to which her research has been supported with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
• Her research has resulted in 6 peer-reviewed journal articles (4 of them first-authored) and these publications have been cited a total of 71 times according to Google Scholar.
• She has been pursuing research directly related to her proposed endeavor of improving therapeutics for a variety of human diseases for 8 years now making her immensely knowledgeable.
• She has received 4 letters of recommendation from other experts who knew her work. One of these said:

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized ricin as a Category B bioterrorism agent and Schedule number 1 chemical warfare agent. No antidote currently exists for ricin, making it essential to avoid exposure in the first place or to reduce its human health impact. [The client’s] work is integral in this regard, as it has provided the U.S. with novel insights that help to inform the development of effective ricin inhibitors. Her work holds translational value as well, considering the fact that ricin is very structurally similar to Shiga toxins, which are one of the most common toxins involved in food poisoning. Millions of Americans fall ill to food poisoning every year, indicating that [the client’s] contributions are relevant to both national security and everyday health concerns in the U.S.”

It is apparent that she has come to be an inseparable part of research in this field now and her work is indeed of much significance to the United States. This is exactly what won her the approval only 4 months and 27 days later. We are proud of having had the opportunity to help her and we wish her all the best in future endeavors.