Success Stories: EB-1A and EB-2 NIW Petitions Approved for Postdoctoral Researcher in India in the Field of Cell Biology

 

Client’s Testimonial:

“Thank you for the notice! I really appreciate your help in [the] process.”

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On April 4^th, 2016, and May 23^rd, 2016, we received EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) and EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approvals for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Cell Biology (Approval Notice).

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General Field: Cell Biology

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Researcher

Country of Origin: India

Service Center: Texas Service Center (TSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Texas

Approval Notice Date: April 4^th, 2016 (EB-1A) and May 23^rd, 2016 (EB-2 NIW)

Processing Time: 14 Days (EB-1A, Premium Processing Requested), 2 months (EB-2 NIW)

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Case Summary:

A talented postdoctoral researcher from India working in the field of cell biology hired North America Immigration Law Group (WeGreened.com) to help him file two I-140 petitions: an EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) and an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver). It is not uncommon for petitioners to file two I-140 petitions as it increases their chances of receiving a petition approval— if one petition is denied, there is a chance that the other may be approved. In our client’s case, he was fortunate enough to receive two petition approvals. Even so, we are particularly pleased that the USCIS approved his EB-1A petition as it enables him to file an I-485 application (last step in the green card process) without having to worry about his priority date.

Filing two I-140 petitions:

There is no denying that EB-2 NIW and EB-1A are different visa categories with different criteria. Even so, some of the petitions’ contents overlapped with one another. Here are several similarities:

1. Professional Accomplishments: Both petition packets contained details on our client’s various achievements, particularly data on his Ph.D. in Cell Biology, his 10 published papers, the 20 times he conducted peer reviews, and the 137 citations collected from his work.
2. Recommendation Letters: We used the same six recommendations in both our client’s EB-1A and EB-2 NIW petition packets. These letters were obtained from other leaders in the field and they highlighted our client’s expertise as a cell biologist. One of these experts had this to say about our client: “[Client] has achieved great advancements in the understanding of eyes and glaucoma, as well as cell signaling, and has earned a stature among elite scientists in the field.”
3. Research Summaries: Both petition packets contained information on our client’s research projects focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind glaucoma and non-small cell lung cancer. We demonstrated that his research efforts are contributing to the United States healthcare industry since the improved treatment of such prevalent diseases is directly related to a reduction in costs related to those diseases. By proving to the USCIS that our client’s work benefits the nation, we established the importance of allowing him to continue his work unhindered in the United States.

The USCIS spent 14 days adjudicating our client’s EB-1A petition and 2 months on his EB-2 NIW petition. We congratulate our client for receiving two petition approvals and wish him well as he and his dependent(s) embark on the final leg of the green card journey: filing the I-485 application. Once their applications are approved, they will become official American permanent residents.

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