Success Story: NIW Approved Without RFE! We Helped An Environmental Engineering Researcher Secure Success
Client’s Testimonial:
“Thank you so much for your time and help. I really appreciate it.”
On October 1st, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for an Interim Postdoctoral Scholar in the Field of Environmental Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Environmental Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Interim Postdoctoral Scholar
Country of Origin: Taiwan
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: October 1st, 2026
Processing Time: 28 months, 11 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
Protecting water quality and addressing emerging environmental health risks are essential to maintaining public safety in the United States. Through our representation, a researcher specializing in environmental engineering successfully secured an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) approval. With a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering, the client had established a research background focused on improving environmental monitoring and understanding potential health risks associated with harmful contaminants.
At the time of filing, the client was conducting research at a U.S. university, investigating challenges related to water quality and public health. The proposed endeavor involved developing faster and more effective methods for detecting environmental contaminants and improving approaches to assessing potential human exposure risks.
To establish that the client was well positioned to advance this endeavor, we presented evidence of the client's academic achievements and research contributions, including:
- 3 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 1 first-authored article
- 2 conference abstracts, both first-authored
- 58 citations to the client's published research
- Research supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Science Foundation
Beyond these credentials, our petition emphasized the measurable influence of the client's research within the scientific community. We demonstrated that independent researchers had drawn upon the client's findings to improve their understanding of environmental exposure risks and develop more effective approaches to contaminant detection. Importantly, 1 publication ranked among the top 1% and 2 others among the top 10% most-cited articles in their respective field and publication years. These comparative rankings provided context for the client's citation record, helping establish that the research had attracted meaningful attention relative to similar publications.
By presenting a comprehensive case connecting the client's specialized expertise with broader U.S. interests, we successfully helped secure I-140 NIW approval. The approval represents an important step in the client's continued research efforts to improve environmental monitoring, strengthen public health risk assessment, and contribute to safer water resources in the United States.