February 20, 2026 Green Card Approvals: 22 Employment-Based Successes

2026-02-23, BY wegreened

On February 20, 2026, we received 22 employment-based immigrant petition approvals across multiple preference categories. These results reflect careful case strategy, detailed evidentiary preparation, and effective use of premium processing where appropriate.

The approvals spanned a wide range of professional fields, including artificial intelligence, quantum engineering, infectious disease medicine, civil engineering, plant biology, neurology, aerospace engineering, and economics. The diversity of backgrounds and credential profiles illustrates that strong petitions are not defined by a single metric, but by the overall strength and positioning of each case.

Approval Summary

Total Approvals: 22

• 4 EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability)

• 3 EB-1B (Outstanding Professor/Researcher)

• 15 EB-2 National Interest Waivers (NIW)

Processing Type

• 20 premium processing (filed upfront or upgraded)

• 2 standard processing (616 days and 714 days)

Service Centers

• Texas Service Center (TSC): 11

• Nebraska Service Center (NSC): 10

• SCOPS Texas Facility: 1

All approval notices were received on February 20, 2026.

EB-1A Extraordinary Ability Approvals

Four professionals qualified under the extraordinary ability standard, demonstrating sustained national or international recognition in their respective fields, including mathematical optimization, statistics, chemistry, and infectious diseases. These cases featured strong publication records, high citation counts, and persuasive documentation of continued impact.

EB-1B Outstanding Researcher Approvals

Three employer-sponsored researchers secured approvals in computational biology, civil engineering, and quantum engineering. Both academic and industry-based research roles were represented, including one approval following 616 days of standard processing.

National Interest Waiver (NIW) Approvals

Fifteen NIW petitions were approved across STEM, medical, and social science disciplines. The cases included professionals transitioning into faculty roles, postdoctoral researchers advancing critical scientific initiatives, industry engineers contributing applied innovation, physicians supporting healthcare delivery, and an economist specializing in consumer behavior.

Observations

• Premium processing was used in 20 of 22 cases (91%).

• Recent publications strengthened many cases, though cumulative impact remained highly persuasive.

• Citation counts varied significantly depending on category.

• Industry professionals successfully qualified across multiple categories.

• Beneficiaries represented diverse countries of birth, including China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Italy, and South Korea.

Conclusion

Each of the 22 approval notices received on February 20, 2026 reflects careful preparation tailored to the petitioner’s background and future contributions. These outcomes demonstrate that well-structured employment-based petitions continue to succeed across service centers, professional fields, and credential profiles.

We remain committed to strategic case preparation, responsive communication, and comprehensive advocacy throughout the employment-based green card process.

The key to our success is the way in which we present supporting evidence and provide the highest quality petition letters. With over 64,000 I-140 EB-1 ( EB-1A Alien of Extraordinary Ability; EB-1B Outstanding Researcher or Professor), EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) and O-1 approvals, our firm has acquired substantial information about USCIS decisions, which gives us significant advantage over firms that only handle a small number of cases.

Based on our close track of USCIS internal memoranda, AAO decisions, and judicial review decisions, we have unique insight into the USCIS adjudication trends. Not only do we apply this insight into our approaches to our clients' cases, but we also carefully review all RFEs (Requests for Evidence), NOIDs (Notices of Intent to Deny), approvals, and denials issued on our cases so that we can further increase our understanding of USCIS strategies and decision-making processes. With the insight, we are able to advise our clients on the best ways to proceed with their petitions.

While other petitioners and attorneys may still use templates to draft recommendation letters or petition letters, our clients' recommendation letters and petition letters are tailored to their individual credentials to best persuade a USCIS officer that our clients meet the requirements of the category they are applying under and therefore their petitions deserve to be approved. To provide the best EB-1 and EB-2 NIW services, our law firm only selects attorneys who have received their professional Juris Doctor degrees from the top law schools in the U.S. and who have garnered rigorous analytical skills through years of experience.