Success Story: NIW Approval for a PhD student/Research Assistant from Iran After Successfully Overcoming NOIR
Client’s Testimonial:
“The North American Immigration Law Group was very thorough and careful in handling my petition. They clearly addressed my questions throughout the process and consistently met their promised timelines. When my case was challenged with a NOIR, they acted immediately, providing clear, tailored guidance on preparing supporting materials and explanations. The legal arguments in the NOIR response were well-structured and compelling, and they remained proactive in closely monitoring the case and taking appropriate follow-up actions such as submitting service requests when needed.”
In December 2025, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Student/Research Assistant in the Field of Artificial Intelligence (Approval Notice).
General Field: Artificial Intelligence
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Student/Research Assistant
Country of Origin: Iran
Approval Notice Date: December 2025
Processing Time: 10 months, 24 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
It was a privilege for our team to assist a Ph.D. student/research assistant from Iran, who holds an M.S. in Computer Science, with the EB-2 NIW petition. In line with our commitment to I-140 clients, we adopted a strategic, case-by-case approach, carefully analyzing the client’s qualifications to craft a compelling and well-supported petition.
As an expert in the field of artificial intelligence, the client’s proposed endeavor is to advance the development and application of artificial intelligence across security, healthcare, and education domains with an emphasis on compiler and performance optimizations to reduce costs and enable novel AI capabilities.
The Proposed Endeavor
The client’s research focuses on developing novel artificial intelligence models and optimization techniques for large language models, natural language processing, and computer vision, with an emphasis on reducing computational costs and environmental impact.
Petition Development
Our legal team constructed a comprehensive petition highlighting the client’s substantial qualifications:
- 5 peer-reviewed conference articles (3 of them first-authored and 1 of them co-first-authored) and 1 preprint
- 48 citations documenting widespread influence,
- 17 peer reviews conducted for prestigious conferences, demonstrating recognition as an expert evaluator
- Competitive federal funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy
The petition emphasized the research’s applications across high-performance computing, cybersecurity, multilingual communication, and educational analytics, establishing clear connections to national interests in security, economic competitiveness, and technological advancement.
We secured 2 expert recommendation letters. One expert has stated that:
“Ensuring the continuation of [Client]’s work is thus deeply important to both artificial intelligence research and the nation.”
Outcome
Despite receiving a NOIR, the petition was approved after 10 months under premium processing with our assistance. This outcome validates both the exceptional nature of the client’s contributions and the effectiveness of strategic legal representation throughout the adjudication process.
We are pleased to have successfully advocated for this accomplished researcher and anticipate continued contributions to U.S. technological leadership.