Success Stories: Approved NIW Petition for South Korean Bioengineering Expert with 22 Citations Allows Him to Start IVP
Client’s Testimonial:
“Thank you so much for all your help and really appreciated. I was a bit concerned because of the election. Thank you again for everything.”
On March 13th, 2017, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Petitioner in the Field of Bioengineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Bioengineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Associate Researcher
Country of Origin: South Korea
Service Center: Texas Service Center (TSC)
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: N/A
Approval Notice Date: March 13th, 2017
Processing Time: 3 months, 13 days
Case Summary:
Just 3 months and 13 days after North America Immigration Law Group (WeGreened.com) filed an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition for a South Korean postdoctoral associate researcher based in Singapore, the USCIS approved his petition. We are especially pleased at the rapid processing time (it usually takes the USCIS between 4-9 months to adjudicate I-140 cases) and we are certain that our thorough demonstration of our client’s accomplishments lent a hand such rapid petition approval.
Building a strong NIW case:
Proving that our client deserved the national interest waiver took months of hard work. We started off by advising our client to contact his peers for recommendation letters. We made sure that the shortlisted candidates were familiar with our client’s 4 publications and/or had worked with him. The six recommendation letters that our client obtained were then incorporated into his NIW petition and they served as evidence that his research is of great importance to the United States. According to one of his recommenders: “[Client’s] present work is establishing new routes for early cancer detection and anticancer drug screening, making it essential that he be permitted to pursue his studies in the United States. I feel the field would be greatly disadvantaged if [Client] were unable to conduct his research in this country, where his efforts are of the utmost importance for cancer patients and the broader healthcare system.”
We also used Google Scholar to determine our client’s citation count at the time of filing—22 citations. We used this number to prove to the USCIS that our client’s findings benefit other researchers who are also working to progress the field of bioengineering.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of our client’s NIW petition had to do with his research on applying concepts from mechanical engineering and nanotechnology to gain new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying biological behaviors. After carefully reviewing his research, we were able to demonstrate to the USCIS that his work directly contributes to public health, diagnostics and drug screening, and advanced adhesive technologies. Additionally, his remarkable research efforts are contributing to the United States’ medical research community as well as industrial and manufacturing technologies.
Undergoing Immigrant Visa Processing (IVP):
As our client does not reside in the US, he cannot file an I-485 application (the final step in the green card process). Instead, he will undergo IVP in his current country of residence—Singapore. Our client recently retained our IVP services, and we look forward to helping him obtain his green card. In the meantime, we wish him the best as he continues to conduct impactful research in the field of bioengineering.