On April 28^th, 2016, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Mechanical Engineering (Approval Notice).

General Field: Mechanical Engineering

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Associate

Country of Origin: Iran

Service Center: Nebraska Service Center (NSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Washington

Approval Notice Date: April 28^th, 2016

Processing Time: 14 months, 24 days

Case Summary:

With a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and many years of experience researching the specialized area of microfluidics, our client had gained sufficient recognition for his work to qualify for EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver). Once we were sure that we could put together a strong presentation for our client, we initiated the attorney-client relationship and got to work compiling all the relevant information pertaining to his case.

Research Summary:

An important aspect of the case was our client’s research projects. We needed to prove to the USCIS that he is working in an area that is important to the U.S. and that his findings are benefiting the nation. Thanks to the thorough research summary that our client provided us, we were able to determine his two research specializations: using lab-on-a-chip technology to improve point-of-care diagnostics and designing innovative methods of determining the toxicity of nanoparticles. Once we established that, we were able to pinpoint their numerous advantages. For instance, we proved that our client’s findings contribute to the United States’ effort to spread efficient healthcare around our country and the entire world, and reduce healthcare costs. His efforts also significantly improve the safety and reliability of the ever-growing nanotechnology industries.

Testimonials from Peers:

Although we managed to establish the value of our client’s work, we needed other experts in the field to concur. We did this by urging our client to obtain recommendation letters from his peers, and to our delight, he returned with five signed letters. According to one his recommenders: “The inventiveness of [Client’s] research is an indicator that these successes are the brainchild of a brilliant researcher who will continue to produce similar groundbreaking research throughout his career.”

Impressive Numbers:

At the time of filing, our client’s work had collected 82 citations—an impressive figure. Additionally, his many years in the field of mechanical engineering had led to the publication of 7 articles, all of which appeared in important scientific journals. Using these numbers, we convinced the USCIS that our client’s research is of the utmost importance to the research community and that his findings significantly evolve the work of other scientists both at home and abroad.

The Long Road to Petition Approval:

It took the USCIS 14 months and 24 days to process our client’s EB-2 NIW petition. It was undoubtedly a long and bumpy road to case approval and here are some of the things we encountered along the way: our client’s case was transferred twice, we raised a service request on his behalf when the case was considered outside the normal processing time, and our client approached his congressperson for an intervention. A little over 3 months after our client’s congressperson responded with an update (the case was undergoing checks), the USCIS ultimately approved our client’s EB-2 NIW petition. We congratulate our client for surpassing this milestone, and we thank him for working with North America Immigration Law Group (WeGreened.com).