Success Stories: An Iranian Engineering Expert Receives EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) Approval and Is Currently Undergoing Immigration Visa Processing
Client’s Testimonial:
“Thank you very much for all your support and consideration.”
On March 23rd, 2017, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for an Expert in the Field of Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Research Center Director
Country of Origin: Iran
Service Center: Nebraska Service Center (NSC)
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Outside the US
Approval Notice Date: March 23rd, 2017
Processing Time: 10 months, 25 days
Case Summary:
North America Immigration Law Group (NAILG) was approached by an Iran-based engineering expert to help him file an I-140 petition from outside the US. Our client had a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering and had strong credentials which positioned him as a sure candidate to receive EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval. Once we had affirmed his credentials and both parties had agreed to the terms of the legal contract, we went about building a strong case for him.
Our priority was to highlight his achievements to the adjudicating authorities and to prove that he deserved the national interest waiver. We did this by focusing on his research. Here are some of the details we included in his NIW petition packet:
– Our client’s work focused specifically on evaluating and improving precipitation estimates using radar and satellite networks. As an engineer, he has evaluated satellite rainfall retrievals, conducted uncertainty analyses on rainfall algorithms, tracked trends in precipitation magnitude and frequency, and estimated probabilistic precipitation rates using ground-based radar networks. His research facilitates the use of remote sensing methods and satellite algorithms to evaluate precipitation frequencies. Undeniably, his research on satellite rainfall estimation models contribute to the United States’ public health and agricultural industries.
– Our client’s publication record and citation count also deserved special mention: at the time of filing, his publications included 9 peer-reviewed scientific articles out of which 4 were first authored, and these had altogether secured 43 citations. Moreover, he had served as a peer reviewer for 4 highly acclaimed journals.
– It was essential that we included letters of recommendation into the presentation. Based on our advice, our client managed to secure 6 such recommendation letters from other highly renowned experts. The words contributed by a well-known assistant professor read:
“[Client’s] achievements and contributions are of a singular nature and vital to the national interests of the United States. His contributions aimed at increasing the accuracy of precipitation information that is highly significant to a multitude of areas such as natural disaster preparedness.”
Collectively, all 6 recommendation letters clearly expressed the benefits of allowing a scientist of our client’s caliber to work in the United States.
After collecting all the relevant documents, we filed the NIW petition on our client’s behalf. The timeline for adjudication went beyond what we had anticipated (4 to 9 months is the norm for I-140 petitions). We raised two service requests on our client’s behalf and finally received notification of case approval 10 months and 25 days after filing.
Since our client resides outside the US, he has to adjust his status for permanent residency through immigrant visa processing (IVP), which he is currently undergoing. To learn more about IVP, please head to http://www.wegreened.com/Immigrant-Visa-Processing. We thank our client for working with us and wish him the very best as he embarks on the final leg of the green card journey.