Case Summary:

“In addition to its importance to the scientific community, [client’s] work is nationally significant. Many people in the U.S. assume that safe, clean water accessibility is a problem limited to the developing world. However, many Americans are living with limited access to safe water. Unsafe water represents one of the most pressing public health issues in the U.S. at present. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that at the beginning of 2019, over 30 million Americans lived in communities where water systems were in violation of safety rules and standards. All of this demonstrates that safe, clean water accessibility is one of the most urgent issues facing the U.S. today. As such, it is critical to invest in research that addresses this issue, which exemplifies the necessity of [client’s] continued work.”

The aforementioned statement has been provided by one of the four recommenders of our client, who were willing to sign the recommendation letters in favor of our client’s proposed research work.

Our client, an R&D scientist in the field of chemical engineering, hired North America Immigration Law Group to help him in filing an I-140 NIW petition. The National Interest Waiver petition is for those individuals who can demonstrate that their work is of interest to the United States. After going through his credentials, we discovered that his research focuses on the development of reactive electrochemical membranes capable of removing toxic contaminants from water to improve reliability and sustainability in water treatment and filtration. Thus, his research advancing his proposed endeavor is of great importance as it provides a novel, reliable, and safe means of treating contaminated water sources, helping to provide better access to fresh water and to reduce the burden of water-related diseases in the United States.

We also noted that throughout his time working in the field, he has built an impressive record of success. Working in the area for 4 years, he has published 5 peer-reviewed journal articles (2 of them first-authored) in no fewer than 4 highly ranked peer-reviewed journals, which have been cited a total of 95 times according to Google Scholar. He has authored 3 papers that rank among the top 10% and 2 papers that rank among the top 20% most-cited articles across the entire field of engineering for their respective years of publication. Since citations in scientific literature denote the use of a researcher’s work in pursuit of other investigations, it follows that a higher rate of citation indicates a greater success of our client’s endeavor.

Besides, his study has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency National Center for Innovation in Small Drinking Water Systems, the Global Climate and Energy Project, and the Welch Foundation. This funding support, therefore, serves as evidence that his work in the field has major implications for public health related to access to clean drinking water.

Moreover, due to his knowledge and expertise in water treatment, electrochemistry, and membrane separation, he has been regularly invited to conduct peer reviews for authoritative journals in the field, where he has completed at least 12 reviews to date. Evidently, he is recognized as an expert in his chosen field.

Gladly, we were able to justify to USCIS how our client’s research provides critical insight into the field and promotes the development of new water treatment methods, affecting the lives of countless people across the globe. Therefore, USCIS approved his NIW case, which allows him to continue his research in the United States uninterrupted. We are delighted to have his I-140 approval, and we thank our team and our client for working closely on this case with gradual diligence. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.