WeGreened Approval Statistics: Week of January 5, 2026

During the week of January 5 to January 11, 2026, WeGreened received 93 approval notices from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Of the 93 approvals, 59 were for NIW (National Interest Waiver), 25 for EB1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), 7 for EB1B (Outstanding Professors or Researchers), and 2 for O1A (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement).

NIW again represented the majority of approvals, while EB1A remained strong among petitioners whose records could be presented as sustained, field-recognized excellence under a totality-of-the-evidence review.

EB1A and NIW Credential Analysis

EB1A petitioners this week showed concentrated impact metrics. Publications ranged from 7 to 94 (Q1: 15, median: 19, Q3: 30), and citations ranged from 171 to 10,096 (Q1: 505, median: 922, Q3: 1,713). Even with variation at the high end, approvals clustered around profiles that could be argued as sustained influence and recognition under final merits review.

NIW petitioners reflected a broader spectrum of credential profiles. Publications ranged from 2 to 78 (Q1: 5, median: 8, Q3: 13.5), and citations ranged from 3 to 1,303 (Q1: 49, median: 111, Q3: 188). Compared with EB1A, NIW shows a wider spread across both publications and citations, reinforcing that approvals can include both earlier-stage records and more established profiles when the petition clearly frames national importance, credible forward momentum, and future U.S. benefit.

Insights on Petitioner Backgrounds and Fields

EB1A approvals were split primarily across biomedical and health-related work and computer or data-facing specialties, with additional approvals in physical sciences, materials, and engineering.

NIW approvals spanned a wider distribution across biomedical and health sciences, AI and data-driven areas, and multiple engineering tracks, with many petitioners in research-intensive pathways such as postdoctoral or research roles and a meaningful subset in industry.

Highlighted NIW Case: NIW Approved With 3 Citations for an Industry Applied Scientist

One notable NIW approval this week involved a PhD-trained human–AI interaction researcher working as an applied scientist in industry. The petitioner’s work focuses on building human-centered AI frameworks that integrate behavioral science into AI and large language model design, helping improve how AI systems perform and how they are used in real-world settings. The record included 2 publications and 3 citations. The case was filed with premium processing on December 9, 2025, and approved on January 5, 2026, after 27 days of processing.

From a strategy perspective, we built the petition to keep the officer’s review evidence-driven and easy to follow under the Dhanasar framework, even with a low citation total. We anchored the proposed endeavor in the practical need for trustworthy, human-centered AI systems, then highlighted field-appropriate indicators of influence beyond citations, including how the work is positioned for real-world adoption and measurable improvements in AI performance and reliability. To strengthen third-party validation, the case was supported by two expert recommendation letters, including one dependent recommender and one independent recommender, along with three testimonial letters that reinforced real-world relevance and corroborated the petitioner’s role and contributions in an applied setting. To strengthen the “well-positioned” showing, we organized the record around execution ability, implementation context, and a demonstrated capacity to advance the work in an industry environment. For the final prong, we explained why a waiver supports broader U.S. benefit by enabling flexibility and scale, allowing the petitioner to extend impact through collaboration and wider deployment rather than being limited to a single employer pathway.

This case reinforces that NIW outcomes are rarely decided by a single number. When the endeavor is defined precisely, the evidence is presented clearly under Dhanasar, and the record includes credible third-party validation, USCIS can approve even low-citation industry profiles.

Adjudication Trends and Policy Observations

EB1A approvals this week again reflected the familiar structure of adjudication. Meeting at least three criteria is necessary, but the decisive work happens in final merits, where the record must add up to sustained acclaim and field-recognized excellence under the totality of the evidence. This week’s EB1A outcomes also continued to include industry-facing roles, reinforcing that officers focus less on where the work occurs and more on whether the evidence demonstrates durable, external recognition.

NIW approvals again covered a wide range of disciplines and career stages. In this batch, premium processing appeared more often as an upgrade after filing than as an upfront request, but the consistent throughline remained the same: approvals tracked best to petitions that clearly defined a nationally important endeavor, demonstrated the petitioner was well positioned with concrete, organized evidence, and explained how a waiver would expand U.S. benefit through flexibility, collaboration, and scale.

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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%