Success Story: Responding to a Request for Evidence (RFE) Leads to NIW Approval for Cancer Research
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you so much for all your help throughout this process. I truly appreciate it."
On July 13th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Research Associate in the Field of Biology (Approval Notice).
General Field: Biology
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Research Associate
Country of Origin: Iran
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Maryland
Approval Notice Date: July 13th, 2026
Processing Time: 24 months, 8 days
Case Summary:
An RFE often marks the point where a petition requires more than additional documents; it calls for a clearer demonstration of how the evidence satisfies the NIW framework. After USCIS issued an RFE in this case, North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) prepared a comprehensive response addressing the concerns raised while reinforcing the client's qualifications and the broader significance of the proposed research. The petition was ultimately approved on July 13th, 2026, after 24 months and 8 days of processing.
The client, who was working as a research associate at the time of filing, conducted research in biology and immunology aimed at improving future approaches to cancer treatment. Rather than focusing on a single disease or technology, the petition demonstrated that the client's work contributed to the broader effort to develop safer, more effective therapies while supporting continued innovation in biomedical science. We further explained that advances in this area had implications for improving patient outcomes, expanding access to emerging treatments, and strengthening the nation's biomedical research capabilities.
Our RFE response focused on demonstrating that the client was well positioned to continue advancing this important work. We supplemented the record with updated evidence of the client's scientific impact, additional expert opinion letters, expanded analysis placing the client's publication and citation record in the context of the field, documentation describing contributions to federally supported research, and a more detailed explanation of future research plans. The response also clarified how the proposed endeavor aligned with national priorities related to improving cancer care, promoting biomedical innovation, and supporting the development of next-generation therapies.
The strengthened record demonstrated that the client's research had already earned meaningful recognition within the scientific community. By the time of the RFE response, the client had authored 16 peer-reviewed journal articles and accumulated 290 citations. Multiple publications ranked among the top 10% most-cited Molecular Biology & Genetics papers for their publication years, while independent analyses showed that the client's scholarly impact and research productivity compared favorably with peers in the field. We also highlighted how other researchers had built upon the client's findings in subsequent studies, illustrating that the work was already contributing to ongoing progress in cancer and immunology research.
USCIS approved the petition after reviewing the expanded evidentiary record. We were proud to help present a thorough response demonstrating both the national importance of the client's proposed endeavor and the client's ability to continue advancing meaningful biomedical research in the United States.