Success Story: Process Systems Engineering Ph.D. Candidate Secures NIW Approval After Challenging RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you again for all your support throughout the process!”
On September 28th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Candidate in the Field of Process Systems Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Process Systems Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Candidate
Country of Origin: Taiwan
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Colorado
Approval Notice Date: September 28th, 2026
Processing Time: 11 months, 12 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
The client filed the NIW petition while pursuing doctoral studies in process systems engineering, with a proposed endeavor centered on designing and optimizing sustainable process systems and advanced supply chains for large-scale manufacturing. This work aimed to significantly reduce environmental impact, improve overall resource efficiency, and accelerate the transition toward lower-carbon industrial processes. The petition successfully demonstrated how this research directly supported broader U.S. priorities, including advancing sustainable production methods, industrial decarbonization, and the development of highly resilient domestic manufacturing frameworks.
USCIS issued an RFE on May 6th, 2026, raising significant questions about both the national importance of the proposed endeavor and whether the client was well positioned to advance it. Among other concerns, USCIS appeared to treat the client’s proposed employment and research as essentially the same and questioned whether the research methods were sufficiently innovative or capable of producing broader influence. The RFE also questioned the significance of research completed during doctoral studies, suggesting that such work did not sufficiently demonstrate research capabilities apart from senior academic mentorship.
North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) responded by placing the client’s record in a broader and more concrete context. The response documented a growing body of work that had already gained recognition from other researchers. By the time of the RFE response, the client had authored 8 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles and accumulated 114 citations, up from 71 citations at the time of filing. Data further placed the client among the top 4.94% of researchers for citation impact and top 0.36% for research productivity, while the record identified 70 independent citations as of May 30, 2026.
The RFE response also showed what those numbers represented in practice. Independent researchers had relied on the client’s work in areas ranging from non-destructive defect detection to sustainable bio-based manufacturing and biomass supply-chain planning. The client’s research had helped inform subsequent studies involving improved material inspection, renewable chemical production, and integrated approaches to process optimization and sustainability assessment. The research was also supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). As one supporting expert observed, the client’s research had resulted in a “new health monitoring technique for preserving cultural artifacts and preventing infrastructural failures.”
The response ultimately connected this established record with a concrete path forward. After premium processing was requested on March 6th, 2026, and the subsequent RFE was addressed, USCIS approved the NIW petition on September 28th, 2026. The approval concluded an 11-month, 12-day process and allowed the client to continue pursuing work directed toward cleaner, more efficient, and more resilient industrial systems in the United States.