Case Summary:

In August 2023, a Plant Scientist from India approached us about filing an NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition on her behalf. Because NIW applicants and beneficiaries must have an “advanced degree” or “exceptional ability” in the sciences, we were able to confirm that our client is an expert in the field of plant sciences because she has a Ph.D. in horticultural sciences and has convincingly demonstrated that she seeks employment in an area of significant intrinsic merit to the United States that will be national in scope.

We also discovered that she intends to pursue her research on elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying complex plant traits and applying integrated traditional and modern plant breeding techniques with high yield, disease resistance, and enhanced nutritional quality in order to address and remedy global food and feed needs. Thus, her research seemed relevant to the enhancement of superior crop yield and production whilst mitigating food insecurity and climate change.

After carefully reviewing our client’s qualifications, we decided to countersign the client-attorney agreement. We aimed at accentuating the great importance of her research which directly addresses the urgent global challenge of enhancing food security and nutritional quality. We incorporated the following details in our customized petition package:

• It was noteworthy for us to mention the significance of her research work, which has also been granted funding by the Indian Department of Science and Technology. This funding support evidently addresses contemporary challenges and advances the development of key solutions in science and technology, particularly for addressing food insecurity.
• Due to her great knowledge in the field of plant sciences, she has been regularly invited to conduct peer reviews for honored, and she has conducted at least 14 peer reviews to date.
• Besides, her research has resulted in 6 peer-reviewed journal articles (2 of them first-authored) and 1 book chapter, and these papers have been published in no fewer than 2 highly ranked peer-reviewed journals.
• She not only completed and published the results of her field research, but her findings also influenced her colleagues. Thus, her work has been cited 30 times, indicating that her discoveries were well received by the field, and her efforts have encouraged new research in numerous fields of plant sciences.

The submitted NIW petition package highlights the significance of our client’s work in crop variety enhancement for increased sustainability. Her research, which reduces the need for chemical inputs in agriculture through the introduction of robust crop types, benefits the health of these ecosystems while fulfilling rising food demand. Therefore, we are grateful to our client for choosing the North America Immigration Law Group to successfully represent her in her EB-2 NIW application before the USCIS, resulting in approval only 5 days after filing the case. We wish her success as she advances in her field of specialization.