Success Stories: NIW Petition Approved Without RFE for Iranian Product Specialist in the Field of Civil Engineering
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thanks for your hard work in preparing my case material.”
On February 11th, 2020, we received another NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Product Specialist in the Field of Civil Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Civil Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Product Specialist
Country of Origin: Iran
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: February 11th, 2020
Processing Time: 6 months, 13 days
Case Summary:
Exactly 6 months and 13 days after we filed an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition on behalf of a product specialist from Iran, the USCIS approved his case. At first glance, our client was suitably qualified for the national interest waiver as amongst other things, he possessed a Ph.D. in civil engineering as well as many years of experience researching the same field.
Assembling a Strong NIW Petition:
Part of the process in getting our client closer to his green card involved presenting his various achievements to the USCIS. These were several of the points we focused on:
- We noted our client’s significant citation record: at the time of filing, he already had 45 citations to his published research. Moreover, he had 10 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers (8 of them first-authored), 4 technical reports he authored, and 1 technical report for which he served as project assistant, we highlighted all in the petition packet. Moreover, the fact that he had conducted 5 peer reviews further showcased his respected standing in the field
- Our client’s work is concentrated specifically on geospatial mapping, surveying, and analysis. His research in this area is of great importance because major earthquakes are among the world’s deadliest and most devastating natural disasters and he has developed highly-sensitive models and seismic simulations, as well as technology to assess the long-term integrity of infrastructure. He has also developed technology to safely assess earthquake damage using unmanned aerial vehicles. These contributions highlight the importance of our client’s work to the effort to improve earthquake safety.
- Of additional significance were the 6 recommendation letters that were signed by our client’s peers, all of which were included in our client’s well planned NIW dossier. One of these letters stated: “[Client] has addressed this issue by developing an online tool for organizing and managing data related to the state of bridges. The United States is certain to benefit greatly from this tool, considering that many of its bridges have been deemed structurally unsound and are thus in need of consistent monitoring. Clearly, [client] has aligned his research with the needs of the United States."