Success Story: Cognitive Science NIW Approved After Successfully Responding to an RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you for helping me with the petition."
On July 8th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Candidate in the Field of Cognitive Science (Approval Notice).
General Field: Cognitive Science
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Candidate
Country of Origin: Iran
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Massachusetts
Approval Notice Date: July 8th, 2026
Processing Time: 29 months, 21 days
Case Summary:
Receiving a Request for Evidence (RFE) often means USCIS requires additional proof that an applicant is well positioned to advance a proposed endeavor, even when the endeavor itself is recognized as nationally important. Successfully responding requires more than supplying additional documents; it requires a carefully structured legal and evidentiary strategy that directly addresses each issue raised during adjudication.
In this case, the client's proposed endeavor focused on investigating human inferential systems by studying human behavior and brain activity to advance human-machine interaction and machine learning models. While USCIS acknowledged that the proposed endeavor possessed both substantial merit and national importance, the RFE questioned whether the evidence sufficiently demonstrated that the client was well positioned to continue advancing this research.
To address these concerns, North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) prepared a comprehensive response that strengthened the evidentiary record from multiple perspectives. Rather than relying solely on publication and citation metrics, the response explained the significance of the client's role in collaborative research, contextualized the scholarly impact of the client's publications using field-normalized citation analyses, documented the growing influence of the client's work through independent citations and implementation by other researchers, reinforced the client's future research plans, and addressed the adjudication under the proper "preponderance of the evidence" standard. Together, these materials demonstrated that the client possessed both a documented record of achievement and a clear trajectory for continuing to advance this nationally important endeavor.
The response further highlighted objective evidence supporting the client's qualifications, including:
- 3 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 cited conference abstracts
- Multiple publications ranking among the top 10% most cited Computer Science papers for their publication years;
- 41 citations increased to 82 citations
- Peer review service for recognized scientific venues
- 2 recommendation letters supporting the client's scientific contributions.
We are delighted that this carefully developed strategy resulted in a favorable outcome and wish the client continued success in pursuing research that strengthens the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence while contributing to future technological and healthcare innovation in the United States.