Success Stories: NIW Petition Approved in About 6 Months for Iranian Postdoctoral Scholar in the Field of Petroleum Engineering
Client’s Testimonial:
“Thank you again for your help.”
On February 26th, 2020, we received another NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Field of Petroleum Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Petroleum Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Scholar
Country of Origin: Iran
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: February 26th, 2020
Processing Time: 6 months, 4 days
Case Summary:
With a PhD in Petroleum Engineering and many years of experience researching the specialized area of petroleum engineering, our client had gained sufficient recognition for her 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 her case.
Research Summary:
An important aspect of the case was our client’s research projects. We needed to prove to the USCIS that she is working in an area that is important to the U.S. and that her findings are benefiting the nation. Thanks to the thorough research summary that our client provided us, we were able to determine her research focuses on automated algorithms to optimize field development and production and minimize environmental damage. 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 and her research in the area is of great importance because it improves the amount of oil that is able to be extracted from a single well.
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 her peers, and to our delight, she returned with 5 signed letters. According to one of her recommenders: “As such, the United States is approaching its long-term objective of energy independence. This is due to the work of researchers in the field of petroleum engineering. [Client] belongs to the select group whose efforts to characterize hydraulic fracturing of reservoirs has contributed to the ability of the United States to achieve total energy independence.”
Impressive Numbers:
At the time of filing, our client’s work had collected 47 citations. Additionally, her many years in the field of petroleum engineering had led to the publication of 2 peer-reviewed journal articles and 4 conference papers (all of them first-authored), all of which appeared in important scientific journals. We also noted the 5 times our client judged the work of her peers. Using these numbers, we convinced the USCIS that our client’s research is of the utmost importance to the research community.
Petition Approval:
Overall, it took the USCIS 6 months and 4 days to approve our client’s case. We congratulate our client on this milestone and wish her well as she continues to advance the field of petroleum engineering. We thank our client for trusting our services to represent her NIW and I-485 cases.