On June 5^th, 2017, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Transportation Engineering (Approval Notice).

General Field: Transportation Engineering

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Associate

Country of Origin: Iran

Service Center: Texas Service Center (TSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Florida

Approval Notice Date: June 5^th, 2017

Processing Time: 11 months, 17 days

Case Summary:

Just one day after our client, an Iranian postdoctoral research associate, received the national interest waiver, his application to secure a green card (the I-485 application) was approved. The reason why it was approved so quickly is because he chose to file his I-485 application while his I-140 petition was pending approval. Essentially, it gave the USCIS a head start in processing his case, which resulted in a significantly shortened timeline.

In this case, our client’s I-140 petition was filed under EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver). When adjudicating his petition, the USCIS were on the lookout for 3 things: (1) substantial merit and national importance, (2) his ability to advance his field of transportation engineering, and (3) the balance test to show national interest.

The wealth of information that we presented to the USCIS enabled them to understand just how important it is to allow our client to remain in the US to conduct his research. For instance, we detailed the 7 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 articles in conference proceedings to his name, the 60 times his work was cited, and the 20 times he assessed the work of his peers. We also discussed his work on the theoretical and practical problems inhibiting transportation and supply chain efficiency. In a nutshell, we demonstrated that our client’s findings are contributing to the United States’ economy, as his work provides the information necessary to design more economically efficient transportation and supply chain networks for American businesses.

To further fortify our client’s NIW petition, we encouraged him to contact several of his peers for recommendation letters. Not long after we helped him narrow down a list of suitable recommenders, he sent us 6 signed letters, one of which contained these words of support: “… [Client’s] continued work is of great importance to the United States, as it has and will continue to further the research community’s knowledge in the area of supply chain efficiency. [Client’s] work directly facilitates the development of more efficient business supply chains, and he thus benefits the economy of the United States in a way that sets him apart from his colleagues in the field.”

We congratulate our client for obtaining US permanent residency, and we thank him for trusting us to help him accomplish this important life goal. We wish him the best as he continues to conduct his important research here in the United States.