WeGreened Approval Statistics: Week of December 29, 2025

During the week of December 29, 2025 to January 4, 2026, WeGreened received 38 approval notices from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Of the 38 approvals, 30 were for NIW (National Interest Waiver), 4 were for EB1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), 2 were for EB1B (Outstanding Professors or Researchers), and 2 were for O1A (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement). NIW again represented the majority of approvals, while EB1A remained steady among petitioners whose records supported sustained acclaim under a totality-of-the-evidence review.

EB1A and NIW Credential Analysis

EB1A petitioners this week showed concentrated impact metrics. Publications ranged from 3 to 46 (Q1: 12.8, median: 22.5, Q3: 33.3), and citations ranged from 444 to 819 (Q1: 537.8, median: 582, Q3: 651). With a smaller EB1A sample in this batch, the data still reflect a familiar pattern: approvals tend to cluster around profiles that can be framed as sustained, field-recognized influence under final merits review.

NIW petitioners reflected a broader spectrum of credential profiles. Publications ranged from 3 to 88 (Q1: 6, median: 10, Q3: 17.8), and citations ranged from 20 to 2,788 (Q1: 133.5, median: 204, Q3: 360.3). Compared with EB1A, NIW shows a wider spread on both publications and citations, indicating that approvals can include both earlier-stage records and more established scholarly profiles, depending on how the petition frames national importance, forward momentum, and future U.S. benefit.

Insights on Petitioner Backgrounds and Fields

EB1A approvals this week leaned heavily toward biomedical and health-related fields, with one approval in a computer/data-facing area. NIW approvals spanned a wider distribution across biomedical and health sciences, AI/software and data-driven fields, physical sciences, and multiple engineering areas. Most NIW petitioners were in research-intensive pathways such as PhD student, postdoctoral, or research roles, with a meaningful subset in industry, including software/data positions and other quantitatively oriented professional tracks.

Highlighted NIW Case: NIW Approved for a PhD Student Without an Advanced Degree

This week’s highlighted NIW approval features a PhD student conducting research in health informatics, public health informatics, and mental health informatics. The petitioner focuses on applying natural language processing (NLP) to improve how health related information is analyzed, with the goal of supporting stronger public health and patient care outcomes.

The case was approved without an advanced degree by establishing EB-2 eligibility through the exceptional ability pathway. The record included 7 publications and 178 citations, reflecting strong early career momentum. After filing, the case was upgraded to premium processing and approved on January 2, 2026.

Strategically, our firm built the filing in a way that made the officer’s review clear and sequential. We first addressed the threshold issue of qualifying for EB-2 without an advanced degree by organizing objective evidence to meet multiple exceptional ability criteria. We then presented the NIW argument under the Dhanasar framework. We defined a focused, nationally relevant research direction, showed the petitioner was well-positioned through a track record aligned with the same technical area, and explained why a waiver would support broader collaboration and continued progress without being tied to a single job offer or the labor certification process. To strengthen third-party validation, our firm drafted two recommendation letters. One was from a dependent recommender with direct knowledge of the work, and the other was from an independent recommender who provided external and objective context.

This result highlights that even without an advanced degree, a well-structured petition can succeed when it cleanly establishes eligibility and presents a persuasive Dhanasar narrative, supported by evidence that translates technical impact into officer-friendly terms.

Adjudication Trends and Policy Observations

EB1A continues to turn on sustained acclaim and final merits review, where meeting at least three criteria is necessary but not sufficient. This week’s EB1A approvals clustered at higher citation levels than the prior week, consistent with how officers weigh field-wide influence under the totality of the record. EB1A outcomes also included an industry-facing role, reinforcing that final merits depend less on where the work occurs and more on whether the evidence demonstrates sustained, field-recognized excellence.

NIW approvals again spanned a wide range of disciplines and career stages when the petition clearly defines a nationally important endeavor, shows the petitioner is well positioned, and explains how a waiver amplifies U.S. benefit through flexibility and scale. Compared with last week, this week’s NIW approvals were less driven by extreme high-citation outliers and instead clustered more in a mid-range band, while still reflecting strong advanced-degree representation. Across the batch, the consistent throughline remained the quality of the evidentiary record and the clarity of the Dhanasar framing rather than any single metric or procedural choice.

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North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) is a U.S. immigration law firm dedicated to representing corporations, research institutions, and individuals from all 50 U.S. states regarding I-140 immigration petitions. We specialize in employment-based immigration petition and have a proven record of high success rate for the categories of: EB2-NIW (National Interest Waiver), EB1-A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), EB1-B (Outstanding Researcher/Professor) and O-1 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability).

Our Ten Thousand I-140 Approvals Provide Unprecedented Insight into the USCIS Adjudication Trend

With nearly 64,000 EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 NIW and O-1 cases approved, we have first hand information on the manner in which the USCIS adjudicate I-140 cases. As the USCIS has constantly changed its adjudication standards for the EB-1A, EB-1B and EB-2 NIW categories, our firm's huge database of successful cases gives you unprecedented insight to USCIS adjudication trends. We carefully analyze the data for all of our cases and apply the results of our analyses toward giving our clients up-to-date advice and adapting our strategies such that we remain on par with the ever-shifting landscape of immigration law in the U.S. With us, you will always have access to important updates, strategies, and information so that you can make the most informed decisions about your case.

We Have Helped Tens of Thousands of Clients with Credentials and Backgrounds Similar to Yours

With our exceedingly large number of successful petitions, no matter what credentials you have, no matter your background and field of expertise, no matter your visa status or nationality, chances are we have helped hundreds or even thousands of clients just like you. Our clients are usually impressed with how well we understand their research and work. Our insight and understanding stems from the fact that we have handled many cases with elements similar to yours already, and this helps us devise the best strategies for each individual petition.

Vast Majority of Clients Came to Us Because of Referrals

For years, our firm has attracted new clients based solely on word of mouth, recommendations, and the positive collaboration experiences shared with them by their friends and family. We take pride in our reputation and work hard to ensure that we provide a green card application experience that our clients are happy to share with their friends and colleagues. That is how our cumulative total of approved cases grew from 600 in 2013 to nearly 64,000 in 2025.

Track Record of Success EB-1 and NIW Approvals

(2020.01 - 2024.12)

Category	Approval or Refund^®		Approval or Refiling^TM
Category	Approved Sum	Success Rate	Approved Sum	Success Rate
NIW	28,946	99.52%	3,030	98.31%
EB1A	4,322	91.76%	2,870	88.91%
EB1B	793	98.51%	236	90.77%
Total	34,061	98.44%	6,136	93.39%