Success Story: NIW Approved Without RFE! Our Firm Helped a Chinese Staff Engineer Secure Success

Case Summary:  

We are pleased to share another successful NIW outcome achieved through NAILG’s extensive experience and proven strategy. Our team recently secured an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) approval for a highly accomplished physical modeling researcher who holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and specializes in computational electromagnetics for advanced chip and energy-system design. NAILG prepared a carefully documented petition demonstrating that the client’s work is nationally important and that the client is strongly positioned to advance this endeavor in the United States, leading to I-140 NIW approval.

Research with Substantial Merit and National Importance

In preparing the case, NAILG highlighted that the client’s proposed endeavor focuses on utilizing state-of-the-art computational electromagnetics algorithms to develop physical modeling solvers and tools that enable the design of high-performance computer chips, advanced computing platforms, and high-efficiency energy systems. These tools support accurate modeling of electromagnetic behavior in complex devices, helping engineers optimize resistance and capacitance extraction, signal integrity, and other core performance drivers needed for next-generation semiconductors and computing systems.

The petition connected this work directly to urgent U.S. priorities. High-performance chips and computing platforms are essential to U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and quantum-enabled technologies, where computational demands continue to rise sharply. The client’s modeling frameworks increase design efficiency and reliability, enabling faster innovation while supporting energy-conscious computing. NAILG also emphasized that strengthening domestic chip design capacity is a national imperative tied to economic and security resilience, and the client’s work provides foundational tools that help advance this objective. For these reasons, USCIS agreed that the proposed endeavor has clear substantial merit and national importance.

Academic Excellence and Demonstrated Influence

To establish the client’s qualifications and influence, NAILG documented a strong and sustained record of scholarship, including:

• 13 peer-reviewed journal articles (2 first-authored)
• 7 peer-reviewed conference papers (5 first-authored)
• 4 conference abstracts
• 1 first-authored preprint
• 1 patent application
• 293 citations to the published body of work
• At least 15 completed peer reviews, confirming recognition as a trusted expert evaluator

Evidence of National-Level Validation

NAILG also presented strong third-party validation of the endeavor’s importance through competitive U.S. funding support. The client’s work has been backed by major national agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. These awards are reserved for research aligned with U.S. scientific leadership, energy resilience, and national security priorities, reinforcing both the value of the endeavor and the client’s recognized standing in the field.

Result and Outlook

USCIS approved the NIW petition after NAILG demonstrated that the client’s proposed endeavor is of national importance and that the client is exceptionally well-positioned to advance it. This approval reflects recognition that cutting-edge computational electromagnetics and physical modeling tools are essential to strengthening U.S. leadership in semiconductor innovation, high-performance computing, and energy-efficient systems.

NAILG is proud to have represented the client in this successful NIW case and looks forward to the client’s continued contributions to U.S. technological competitiveness and next-generation computing infrastructure.