On June 28^th, 2016, we received another EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) approval for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Bioenergy Development (Approval Notice).

General Field: Bioenergy Development

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Researcher

Country of Origin: China

Service Center: Nebraska Service Center (NSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Michigan

Approval Notice Date: June 28^th, 2016

Processing Time: 5 Days (Premium Processing Requested)

Case Summary:

With years of experience conducting research in the field of bioenergy development, a doctoral degree, and various professional accomplishments to his name, our client was a suitable candidate for both EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) and EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver). He hired North America Immigration Law Group (NAILG) to file I-140 petitions under the aforementioned visa categories and thanks to Premium Processing (PP), received news that his EB-1A petition had been approved merely 5 days after filing. He is still waiting for the USCIS to take action on his EB-2 NIW petition (one cannot file an EB-2 NIW petition under PP and must wait 4-9 months for action to be taken) but as he has an approved EB-1A petition, he can adjust his status for permanent residence by filing an I-485 application without needing to wait several years for his priority date to become current. We are especially pleased that the USCIS did not issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) while processing our client’s EB-1A petition and also that his case was approved so quickly, trimming down the overall timeline in the lengthy green card process.

To make sure that our client qualified for EB-1A, we first had to see if he met at least three out of the 10 requirements set by the USCIS. After carefully evaluating his credentials, we determined that he met the following:

1. Citation Count: We used Google Scholar to determine our client’s citation count at the time of filing: 111 citations. This impressive number is a testament to the importance of his findings in helping other researchers in the field of bioenergy development progress their research.
2. Publication Record: When we filed the case, our client had 7 articles to his name, all of which were published in well-known scientific journals.
3. Peer Review Experience: We also listed the 17 times our client judged the work of his peers for a handful of scientific journals. We determined that his experience conducting peer reviews speaks volumes of his high standing in the field.

To bolster our client’s petition, we urged him to obtain recommendation letters from several of his peers. Our client returned with six signed recommendation letters, one of which contained a statement the confirmed the value of his work to the United States: “Through [Client’s] work, many industrial companies are adopting cleaner bioenergy sources and striving to reduce their carbon footprints. Beyond its value to the environment, switching to biofuels allows companies to produce more products without risk of exceeding emission cap limits. In return, enhanced sustainable industrialization leads to economic revitalization and a reduction in the United States’ deficit. Moreover, in order to expand production outputs, US companies must hire more workers and employees. As such, [Client’s] work not only preserves the environment, but catalyzes job growth and boosts the American economy.”

Overall, we are pleased that our client trusted us to represent his EB-1A case. It was a pleasure guiding him this far in the green card journey and we wish him the best as he continues to review and streamline environmentally-friendly fuel creation through the utilization of life cycle assessments for the betterment of the United States and its citizens.