On May 2^nd, 2016, we received another EB-1B (Outstanding Professors and Researchers) approval for a Research Scientist in the Field of Molecular Biology (Approval Notice).

General Field: Molecular Biology

Position at the Time of Case Filing: Research Scientist

Country of Origin: India

Service Center: Texas Service Center (TSC)

State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Texas

Approval Notice Date: May 2^nd, 2016

Processing Time: 11 months, 19 days

Case Summary:

Nearly a year after we filed an EB-1B (Outstanding Professors and Researchers) petition on behalf of a research scientist from Texas, the USCIS ultimately granted their approval. Our client’s journey to petition approval was marred by multiple speed bumps which took the form of delayed processing and service requests. Overall, three service requests and one follow up email was sent regarding our client’s I-140 petition alone. As the attorney-on-record, North America Immigration Law Group (WeGreened.com) was responsible for all the paperwork involved, leaving our client precious time to focus on his molecular biology research.

Presenting a strong case:

Because EB-1B is an employer-petitioned visa category, our client had to garner the full support of his employer before hiring our law firm. Once our client’s employer (a university) had provided us with the relevant documents needed to file the petition, we proceeded to build a strong EB-1B case for our client which included a myriad of information pertaining to his academic and professional performance. For instance, we noted his doctoral degree that was obtained from a top university in his birth country of India and his research projects in the field of molecular biology. Thanks to the comprehensive research summary that our client provided us, we managed to narrow down several of his research focal points: vaccine design and development; clarifying signal transduction mechanisms in neurotoxicity; and deepening the understanding of oxidative stress in viral infections. We established that his findings impact the health and well-being of Americans, particularly when it comes to neurotoxicity and viral infections. To further bolster our client’s EB-1B petition, we thoroughly listed the results of his professional efforts: the 62 times his work had been cited, the 9 publications to his name, and the 14 times he conducted peer reviews for a handful of scientific journals.

Adjusting one’s status for permanent residence while the I-140 petition is pending approval:

In the words of one of our client’s supporters who advocated for the approval of his EB-1B petition by signing a recommendation letter: “[Client] is conducting incredibly important research that offers multiple levels of value: his work provides others in the field with methodologies and findings for the expansion of their own studies; his findings provide the medical Sector with new treatment modalities for managing viral infections; his research is contributing to reducing the incidence of infections that take an enormous toll in lives, lost productivity, and health care dollars spent; and, of course, his work is helping to relieve the suffering of adults and children who are stricken by respiratory viral infections.” This letter and the five others that we included in our client’s EB-1B petition lent a hand in persuading the USCIS to grant their approval.

Now that our client has overcome the first hurdle in the green card process, the only thing standing in his way is the I-485 application. Our client and his two dependents chose to adjust their status for permanent residence while the EB-1B petition was pending approval. We wish them the best with this and thank them for working with our law firm.