Case Summary:

The O-1 nonimmigrant visa is for those individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or those who have a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and have been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements. So, when a scientist in electrical engineering from Pakistan came to us for his O1-A application, we made certain that his case has substantial merit before filing. This became evident since his contributions to the field of electrical engineering were very well received both by his peers and other experts who sought to say so in their letters of support issued for him.

Specifically, his specialized research has focused on semiconductor growth and optical and electrical applications. It was evident early on that his research addresses some of our nation’s most pressing issues in understanding the optimal design of materials for technologies ranging from optical devices to water splitting. His strong background in physics has allowed his research to be particularly original, with applications such as solar energy conversion and nanoscale semiconductor devices.

Our client had an extensively documented record of authorship in his field of endeavor. As evidence of this research success, we showed that his work has resulted in 43 peer-reviewed scientific articles and these articles had been cited 668 times in other peer-reviewed journal articles according to Google Scholar. He has also been called upon to employ his expertise to conduct peer reviews for well-known scientific journals at least 7 times in the past. Since only top-level experts in their field are invited to perform this important review work, this review activity further demonstrates his important standing in the field.

We, therefore, showed that his expertise can be objectively corroborated by showing that he has made significant original contributions documented by his publications, as his achievements have been widely recognized and relied upon in the field of electrical engineering. On the other hand, all of this evidence is fully supported and corroborated by 5 letters from internationally recognized experts in the field who have used his work in their own research endeavors and attested to its influence and major significance. One of these had the following to say:

“[The client] is one of the brightest researchers in the field of electrical engineering…. it is clear that [the client’s] work has resulted in groundbreaking developments for the scientific community. Not only is his work immediately beneficial to solving the global semiconductor shortage, but his work has been widely applied to that of hundreds of his fellow scientists.”

Hence, his impressive background, strong record of past achievements, recognition of expertise by journals seeking his services to review manuscripts, and unique knowledge relevant to his current and future work helped indicate that he qualifies as an alien of extraordinary ability. So, when we received information of his case approval just 1 month and 14 days after filing, thanks to the premium processing upgrade, we were overjoyed. We could not thank him enough for his trust in our firm and for retaining us to file O3 applications for his spouse and children.