Case Summary:

When an Iranian structural designer with a Ph.D. in civil engineering came to our firm for his EB2-NIW (National Interest Waiver) case, we knew how to win his case for him. Our experts began by refining information from his documents and found the following:

• As an expert in the field of civil engineering, his proposed endeavor was to continue his research on designing, assessing, and retrofitting reinforced concrete and wood-frame buildings in order to improve the seismic performance and resilience of both newly designed and existing buildings.
• His work advancing his proposed endeavor is of great importance because it helps prevent the physical harm and economic losses resulting from earthquakes.
• His civil engineering research is necessary for minimizing damage, harm, and economic losses from earthquakes. He has developed a resilience-based retrofit method to improve the seismic performance of existing reinforced concrete shear wall buildings. He has also developed a novel analysis technique that completes an automated assessment of building damage to understand the extent and severity of building damage. Overall, his research has proven to be essential for developing infrastructure capable of withstanding the damage caused by earthquakes.
• This is why it was not difficult for him to get recommendation letters from 4 experts who recognized the value of his work and understood why it should continue in the U.S. One of them wrote:

“[The client] is a civil engineer who performs cutting-edge research into the use of computer vision to automate the assessment of structural cracks formed in reinforced concrete (RC) walls, and it is the purpose of this letter to recommend that he be allowed to continue this work – as it is of vital national importance.”

“The environmental benefits of using sustainably managed timber mean that wooden structures are an undeniable part of the future, and, as climate change forces the migration of populations into new areas, the value of work by civil engineers like [the client] continues to be seen in the adoption of strict building codes and standards. His work in this space is therefore of great merit to his field and the world at large.”

• His proposed endeavor also has broad implications for the United States as much of the country’s infrastructure is in need of retrofit and repair. At least 20% of U.S. roads and tens of thousands of bridges “are in poor condition”.
• Due to its clear national importance, his work has in fact been supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.
• Additionally, he has completed at least 2 reviews to date and his work has resulted in 1 peer-reviewed journal article (first-authored), 7 peer-reviewed conference papers (2 of them first-authored), and 1 accepted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report. Moreover, these publications have been cited a total of 39 times according to Google Scholar.
• We also found evidence of two major funding sources namely the NSF and the ATC.
• And finally, since he has pursued research directly related to his proposed endeavor for 5 years, we knew that his work had given him the necessary expertise to continue his work here in the U.S.

So, when his case underwent adjudication, we knew that it would get the approval without delay. And so it did. Within 30 days of application, his case approval had come in. Thanks to our teamwork and the premium processing upgrade that our client had opted for, we could get him the approval quickly. We are grateful to our client for choosing our firm to represent him and we wish him all the best.