Success Story: Strategic RFE Response Secures EB-1A Approval for Computational Psychology Researcher Advancing AI-Based Behavioral Research
Client’s Testimonial:
“Thank you so much.”
On September 10th, 2026, we received another EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) approval for a Graduate Researcher in the Field of Computational Psychology (Approval Notice).
General Field: Computational Psychology
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Graduate Researcher
Country of Origin: Germany
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: New York
Approval Notice Date: September 10th, 2026
Processing Time: 3 months, 20 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
After 3 months and 20 days of processing, this EB-1A case reached a critical stage when USCIS issued a Request for Evidence (RFE). The RFE placed the client’s extraordinary ability record under additional scrutiny, making it important to show that the case was not based merely on publication and citation numbers, but on sustained recognition, independent reliance, and major significance in the field. The client, a computational psychology researcher with an M.S. in psychology, focuses on using advanced computational approaches to better understand behavioral and psychological patterns.
North America Immigration Law Group (NAILG) therefore structured the RFE response around the EB-1A framework and final merits determination. We emphasized that the client had satisfied multiple regulatory criteria, including participation as a judge of others’ work through peer review, original contributions of major significance, and authorship of scholarly articles in the field. We also explained how the client’s current research at a U.S.-based academic research laboratory and continuing work in computational psychology supported the client’s intent to remain active in the same area of expertise in the United States.
The response also reinforced the client’s significance by showing how independent researchers had relied on the client’s work in later studies involving artificial intelligence (AI), language-based analysis, psychological measurement, behavioral prediction, and social science research methods. Rather than describing the client’s research in overly technical terms, we focused on its broader contribution to improving the reliability, transparency, and usefulness of AI-assisted research tools for understanding human behavior.
The response was supported by an already substantial record of accomplishment presented with the original petition:
● 6 peer-reviewed journal articles (4 first-authored), 2 peer-reviewed conference articles (1 first-authored accepted), and 3 preprints (1 first-authored).
● At least 14 completed peer reviews
● Funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and the John Templeton Foundation
● 4 recommendation letters, including 3 independent advisory opinions. One expert noted:
"...it is clear that his work holds substantial value to the field and that he remains an essential contributor to ongoing advancements in computational psychology."
The RFE response further placed the citation record in context. Several of the client’s publications ranked among highly cited Psychiatry/Psychology articles for their respective publication years, including articles ranked within the top 0.01%, top 1%, and top 10%. This comparative evidence helped demonstrate that the client’s work had received attention well beyond ordinary publication patterns. We also highlighted the international reach of the client’s research, documented use of the client’s work by other scholars, major research support, and expert letters confirming the importance of the client’s contributions.
The RFE response ultimately focused the case back on the question USCIS needed to evaluate: whether the total record showed extraordinary ability and sustained recognition in the field. By organizing the evidence around peer-review service, scholarly authorship, citation impact, independent reliance, expert support, and continued work in the area of expertise, we demonstrated that the client’s achievements met the EB-1A standard. USCIS approved the petition on September 10th, 2026, after 3 months and 20 days of processing, bringing the EB-1A case and its RFE stage to a successful conclusion.