Success Story: From Global Economics Research to U.S. Immigration Success: A Professor's NIW Journey without RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
“My experience has been excellent; the responses to my queries were prompt and useful. All through this first stage, there was no delay or exceeding of the agreed time frame, which makes the process very smooth and worthwhile.”
On October 9th, 2025, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) Approval for a Professor in The Field of Economics (Approval Notice).
General Field: Economics
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Professor
Country of Birth: Nigeria
Country of Residence at the Time of Filing: Nigeria
Approval Notice Date: October 9th, 2025
Processing Time: 20 months, 21 days
Case Summary:
We are pleased to share the success story of an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval granted to a professor of economics from Nigeria with a Ph.D. in economics. The petition was approved in 20 months and 21 days, without RFE. At the time of filing, the client served as a professor at a university.
The petition presented 2 expert recommendation letters, including 1 independent advisory opinion from a distinguished scholar who has never worked directly with the client but recognizes the transformative impact of this research. One recommender noted:
“[The Client] is conducting essential research on the impacts of foreign trade and investment openness on the domestic economy. [The Client]’s findings inform government policy decisions and greatly benefit the United States, positioning [The Client] as a leader in the field of economics.”
To strengthen the case, we highlighted the client’s exceptional credentials:
The client has authored an impressive portfolio of 61 peer-reviewed journal articles (38 first-authored), 2 preprints (1 first-authored), 11 book chapters (4 first-authored), and 2 technical reports. This extensive body of work has appeared in authoritative venues.
The research has accumulated 931 citations according to Google Scholar, placing the client’s citation record within the top 1% of the field. More remarkably, the client has authored 4 papers ranking among the top 10% and 2 papers ranking among the top 20% most-cited articles.
After a thorough evaluation, USCIS approved the petition, affirming that the client’s record satisfies all NIW criteria, including substantial merit, national importance, and demonstrated capacity to advance the proposed endeavor.
This approval demonstrates NAILG’s dedication to supporting world-class scholars whose research directly advances U.S. policy, innovation, and development objectives. The client’s ongoing work aims to deepen the understanding of international economic systems, promoting the development of fair and sustainable global markets.