Success Stories: USCIS Grants EB-1A Petition Approval to Postdoctoral Scholar in Oregon in the Field of Applied Physics
Client’s Testimonial:
“This is really a great news. Thanks a lot for your help and support. I will definitely recommend you to my friends and family…”
On March 24th, 2016, we received another EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) approval for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Field of Applied Physics (Approval Notice).
General Field: Applied Physics
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Scholar
Country of Origin: India
Service Center: Nebraska Service Center (NSC)
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Oregon
Approval Notice Date: March 24th, 2016
Processing Time: 3 months, 1 day (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
Approximately two and a half months after we submitted an EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) petition on our client’s behalf, he opted to upgrade his case to Premium Processing. 16 days after the upgrade, our client (a prominent postdoctoral scholar from India) received notification of case approval.
What is Premium Processing (PP)?
PP is an option offered by the USCIS to certain EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 visa categories (EB-1A is one of the approved categories). By paying an additional $1,225 to the USCIS, qualified petitioners get to enjoy the luxury of having their petitions adjudicated within 15 days. This is a great option for petitioners who are reluctant to wait 4-9 months for the USCIS to make a decision on their case.
The Journey to EB-1A Petition Approval:
As EB-1A has a very high standard of law, our job was to convince the USCIS that our client’s research on understanding the charge transport of materials in order to develop new technologies is valuable to the United States. We spent several months compiling as much information as we could and by the time we were ready to file the case, we had accumulated a wealth of information on our client's copious achievements. We documented his citation and publication record, which at the time of filing, stood at 570 citations and 27 peer-reviewed scientific articles and conference papers. We also noted the two dozen times our client presented his work at national and international conferences as well as the 6 times he offered his insights to other researchers via peer reviews.
To further strengthen our EB-1A case, we incorporated recommendation letters volunteered by other experts in the field of applied physics. They offered strong third-party opinions that served as evidence that our client’s investigations advance the important research of other physicists. One of our client’s recommenders described him as“…a vitally valuable individual in materials engineering research.” Another recommender noted: “I do not believe that the research community of the United States could have advanced as far as it has in our understanding of organic thin films without [Client’s] diligent work, and we continue to rely upon his inventive methods and fresh ideas today.”
North America Immigration Law Group is very pleased that the USCIS ultimately approved our client’s EB-1A petition. He recently retained our legal services to help him and his dependent file I-485 applications. As the final step in the green card process, they will receive their green cards once their applications are approved. We look forward to helping them attain permanent residency and thank them for selecting our firm to help them.