Case Summary:

A Research Associate approached North America Immigration Law Group to file his alien of extraordinary ability (EB1-A) petition. Hailing from China, he has completed his Ph.D. in microbiology and is also currently employed in the same field.

Since, a petition for the first preference category of individuals with extraordinary ability, (“EB1-A”), unlike the employment-based immigration visa under the second preference (“EB-2”) at least requires the following:

• Evidence of original contributions, usually through publication, of major significance in the foreign national’s field of science, scholastic, artistic, or athletic.
• No specific job offer/labor certification is required for a foreign person as long as he/she is entering the United States to continue work in the field in which he/she has an extraordinary ability, therefore self-petition is allowed.
• Performance in a significant role for organizations or establishments that have a distinguished reputation.
• Receipt of a higher salary or remuneration than is usual in the field.
• Other comparable evidence if the above types of evidence do not readily apply to the foreign national’s occupation.

Therefore, we included the following essentials from his academic and professional records in his petition packet to make a convincing case in his favor:

• His biomedical informatics research addresses some of our nation’s and the world’s most pressing issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, MERS, and atherosclerosis.
• His research has resulted in 14 peer-reviewed scientific articles, being cited 420 times in at least 42 countries.
• He has conducted at least 22 reviews to date.
• His study has been supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). This support of our client’s research therefore serves as evidence that his work is supporting public health against lethal diseases.

Our client’s work has thus been majorly significant, and his achievements are of the utmost importance due to their direct applicability in global efforts to address COVID-19, MERS, heart disease, and other deadly conditions.

Four fellow experts in the field further provided insight into the significance of his continuing research in the field, one of whom remarked:

“In addition to developing an effective new vaccine to fight against COVID-19 and MERS-CoV, [client] is well-known for his work in creating a vaccine for hand, foot, and mouth disease, a condition that is particularly common in young children. This development of newer and more effective vaccines to treat prevalent health conditions sets [client] apart within his field and in the overall scientific community. I would consider him an invaluable researcher, and his ongoing work should be seen as a valuable opportunity for the United States.”

Finally, he achieved his EB1-A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) approval in just 8 days (thanks to premium processing). He has even received NIW approval with the guidance of our firm two years back. We are glad to have been a part of his successful journey and wish him a flourishing life ahead.