Success Stories: NIW Petition Approved for Postdoctoral Research Associate in Nebraska in the Field of Plant Pathology
On January 20, 2015, We Received EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) Approval (Approval Notice) for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Plant Pathology
General Field: Plant Pathology
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Country of Origin: Sri Lanka
Service Center: Nebraska Service Center (NSC)
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Nebraska
Approval Notice Date: January 20th, 2015
Processing Time: 5 Months, 12 Days
Case Summary:
In this case, North America Immigration Law Group was given the opportunity to work with a plant pathologist from Sri Lanka whose research was particularly focused on finding new and improved methods of turfgrass disease identification and classification, and on controlling nematode parasites of small ruminants by improving grazing management. We showed that his continued employment in his field would benefit both his field in particular and the populace of the United States as a whole. His work had been published in 8 peer-reviewed journal articles as well as being presented at numerous conferences. At the time we filed his case, these publications had received at least 10 citations from independent researchers around the world. Furthermore, his work had been supported by a major trade organization and highlighted by a major trade publication for a prominent American industry. This evidence is a strong testament to the wide reliance upon this research in the field as well as the broad recognition it has received. An independent recommender emphasized the importance of our client’s work: “Buffalograss is the most widely used native turfgrass species in the United States and, as turfgrass contributes to over 15% of home property values, it is vital that we are able to develop methods to make the grass as beautiful as possible. [Client’s] findings have significantly advanced the field’s ability to do just that by providing a significant foundation that had been lacking.” Through extensive documentation, we were able to successfully argue that our client would serve the national interest to a significantly greater degree than others with similar education and experience. His NIW petition was approved in 5 months and 12 days.