On May 2^nd, 2016, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Candidate in the Field of Biochemistry (Approval Notice).

General Field: Biochemistry

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Candidate

Country of Origin: Iran

Service Center: Texas Service Center (TSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Georgia

Approval Notice Date: May 2^nd, 2016

Processing Time: 7 months, 10 days

Case Summary:

A Ph.D. candidate from Iran approached North America Immigration Law Group (WeGreened.com) to help him obtain a green card. He chose us because he knew of our excellent approval rates and topnotch service. True to form, we did not let him down and helped him attain both an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval and a green card.

What did we do to get the job done?

First of all, we had to be sure that we understood our client’s research focus. We needed to prove to the USCIS that his work is of great importance to the nation and the only way to do so would be to account for his research projects. Thanks to the detailed research summary that our client presented to us, we were able to establish the significance of his work on highly advanced methods for detecting both toxic and valuable heavy metals, herbicides, and pharmaceutical drugs at very low amounts, as well as developing novel protein-based MRI contrast agents for early-stage detection of primary and metastatic cancer tumors. Not only do his findings impact the American healthcare system, it helps the country’s agricultural industry and environmental agencies detect and remove heavy metal and herbicide in a bid to solve expensive contamination issues.

According to a leader in the field of biochemistry who contributed a recommendation letter in support of our client’s EB-2 NIW petition: “… [Client’s] work is of substantial importance. Heavy metals and unnatural chemicals such as herbicides, when in contact with humans, often lead to serious health issues such as cancer, nervous system damage, and even death. They also frequently contaminate the environment and adversely affect certain industries, which results in unfortunate economic impacts. These substances are regularly found in trace amounts in water, food and nature.” This statement reinforces the argument that our client’s research must continue in the United States as millions of American lives as well as the economy depend on his work.

Besides highlighting the present and future benefits of our client’s fieldwork, we also noted how it has impacted others working in the field. We noted the 361 citations gathered from his 21 published papers and demonstrated that other researchers rely on his findings to progress their own research.

Concurrent Filing:

The USCIS spent 7 months and 10 days processing our client’s EB-2 NIW petition before granting their approval. We raised a service request on his behalf when the case was considered outside the normal processing time and subsequently received notification of case approval. Just 15 days after that, our client received news that his I-485 application (adjustment of status for permanent residence) was also approved. The reason why he received his green card approval so soon after his EB-2 NIW approval was because he chose to concurrently file his I-140 petition and his I-485 application. As seen by the short time he had to wait between approvals, he saved a significant amount of time in the overall green card process. We congratulate our client for obtaining green card success and wish him well as he continues to progress the field of biochemistry.