Success Story: NIW Approval for an Environmental Engineering Researcher Addressing Air Pollution and Low-Carbon Treatment Systems
Client’s Testimonial:
"I had an outstanding experience working with the team at Chen Immigration (Wegreened) for my EB2-NIW application. Coming from a slightly non-traditional background with a career change and a relatively low citation count (~40), I was anticipating an RFE. However, the team’s exceptional expertise leads to a direct approval!
They were incredibly helpful in meticulously drafting a strong, cohesive proposed endeavor that highlighted the true impact of my work. The online interface was also highly intuitive and streamlined the document-sharing process. I am incredibly grateful for their professional service and highly recommend them to anyone navigating the immigration process.”
On May 25th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Student in the Field of Environmental Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Environmental Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Student
Country of Origin: China
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: May 25th, 2026
Processing Time: 10 months, 29 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
When a Ph.D. student from China sought assistance from North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates), the case presented an important question: how could a developing research record in environmental engineering be connected to urgent U.S. needs in public health, pollution reduction, and climate resilience?
The client held an M.S. in energy science, technology, and policy and had built research experience across atmospheric chemical transport modeling, carbon footprint analysis, catalyst development, and electrified water treatment systems. His proposed endeavor focused on developing and applying computational atmospheric chemical transport models to identify more effective pathways for reducing air pollutant concentrations and mitigating pollution-related health and environmental harms.
Our legal team emphasized that accurate pollution modeling can help policymakers and scientists determine which emission sources should be targeted, how pollutant concentrations change, and which intervention strategies may produce the greatest public health benefit. This framing successfully connected the client’s work to national priorities involving air quality, climate adaptation, public health protection, and infrastructure resilience.
The client’s credentials supported this strategy. His research record included 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 1 first-authored paper. His work had received nearly 60 citations, reflecting reliance by other researchers in environmental engineering, water treatment, catalytic chemistry, and low-carbon technology development.
The case also drew strength from 2 recommendation letters. One expert noted:
“In conclusion, [Client] is a talented environmental engineer who has demonstrated his expertise in studying water treatment systems and pollutant-reductive technologies. His contributions to research on the carbon footprint of electrified water treatment systems are important to our field.”
We further highlighted that the client’s work had received support from the National Science Foundation and the National Alliance for Water Innovation. This funding helped show that his research aligned with broader interests in scientific progress, water sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmental protection.
We are proud to have assisted this client in securing this NIW approval and supporting his continued contributions to environmental engineering research addressing air pollution, climate resilience, and sustainable environmental systems in the United States.