WeGreened Approval Statistics: Week of March 16, 2026

Posted by wegreened on March 31, 2026 in USCIS Approval Analysis

During the week of March 16 to March 22, 2026, WeGreened received 136 approval notices from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Of the 136 approvals, 103 were for NIW (National Interest Waiver), 31 were for EB1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), 1 was for EB1B (Outstanding Professors or Researchers), and 1 was for O1A (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement).

NIW again represented the majority of approvals, while EB1A accounted for a meaningfully larger share of the week’s results than in several recent batches, in a week that included both conventionally strong academic profiles and one especially instructive low-citation NIW approval.

EB1A and NIW Credential Analysis

EB1A petitioners this week showed strong and somewhat top-heavy impact metrics. Publications ranged from 3 to 72 (Q1: 11, median: 16, Q3: 23), and citations ranged from 154 to 12,802 (Q1: 359.5, median: 659, Q3: 1,288.5). EB1A remained overwhelmingly STEM-oriented (28 of 31), and the degree mix was still Ph.D.-heavy, with 26 Ph.D. holders, 3 master’s-level petitioners, and 2 professional doctorates.

NIW petitioners reflected a broader range of profiles. Publications ranged from 3 to 60 (Q1: 6, median: 11, Q3: 16.5), and citations ranged from 2 to 2,585 (Q1: 75.5, median: 179, Q3: 359.5). NIW also remained heavily STEM-weighted (91 STEM and 12 non-STEM approvals), with a broader degree mix including 67 Ph.D. holders, 21 master’s-level petitioners, 12 professional doctorates, and 3 cases without an advanced degree. Compared with EB1A, NIW again showed a wider spread across both publications and citations.

Insights on Petitioner Backgrounds and Fields

EB1A approvals this week clustered in biomedical and health-related areas, AI/CS/data-facing work, and engineering and physical-science specialties, with a smaller non-STEM presence. Employment backgrounds included industry professionals, research staff, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty, reinforcing that EB1A is not limited to a conventional academic path.

NIW approvals were again research-track-heavy and included postdoctoral researchers, Ph.D. students and candidates, industry professionals, research staff, faculty, and a smaller clinician group. Fields spanned engineering, AI/data-driven work, biomedical and health-related areas, physical sciences, and several clinically oriented specialties. This week’s mix again shows that NIW remains adaptable across fields and career stages when the petition presents a focused endeavor and clear U.S. benefit.

Highlighted NIW Case: Approved in 53 Days with 2 Citations for a Pediatric Radiology Researcher

One of the most instructive approvals this week was an NIW case for a pediatric radiology researcher whose record did not follow the usual high-citation pattern. At filing, the case included 8 publications and 2 citations, and it was approved in 53 days. Even so, the petition succeeded, showing how NIW can work when the case is built around the national importance of the endeavor and the petitioner’s ability to advance it, rather than citation volume alone.

What made the case work was not volume-based academic evidence, but a clear and disciplined Dhanasar presentation. The filing focused on a proposed endeavor tied to improving specialized healthcare access, education, workforce capacity, and service delivery in underserved settings, while addressing the low-citation issue through the petitioner’s training, research activity, publications, conference presentations, and other evidence of concrete progress.

In a case with only 2 citations, the petition could not rely on metrics alone, so the filing used qualitative evidence and a tightly structured legal narrative to show both national importance and future value. This approval is a useful reminder that not every approvable NIW case looks numerically strong on paper.

Adjudication Trends and Policy Observations

One notable feature of this week’s approvals is the wide dispersion of approved profiles, particularly within the NIW category. While EB1A approvals remained concentrated among comparatively stronger and more conventionally credentialed profiles, NIW approvals ranged from traditionally strong, high-citation cases to petitions with relatively modest metrics, again underscoring that NIW adjudications are not confined to a narrow credential band.

The highlighted approval further reinforces this pattern, showing that even where citation metrics are modest, a petition can still succeed when it is anchored by a coherent endeavor and a well-substantiated narrative of impact and U.S. relevance.

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North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) is a U.S. immigration law firm dedicated to representing corporations, research institutions, and individuals from all 50 U.S. states regarding I-140 immigration petitions. We specialize in employment-based immigration petition and have a proven record of high success rate for the categories of: EB2-NIW (National Interest Waiver), EB1-A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), EB1-B (Outstanding Researcher/Professor) and O-1 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability).

Our Sixty-four Thousand I-140 Approvals Provide Unprecedented Insight into the USCIS Adjudication Trend

With nearly 64,000 EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 NIW and O-1 cases approved, we have first hand information on the manner in which the USCIS adjudicate I-140 cases. As the USCIS has constantly changed its adjudication standards for the EB-1A, EB-1B and EB-2 NIW categories, our firm's huge database of successful cases gives you unprecedented insight to USCIS adjudication trends. We carefully analyze the data for all of our cases and apply the results of our analyses toward giving our clients up-to-date advice and adapting our strategies such that we remain on par with the ever-shifting landscape of immigration law in the U.S. With us, you will always have access to important updates, strategies, and information so that you can make the most informed decisions about your case.

We Have Helped Tens of Thousands of Clients with Credentials and Backgrounds Similar to Yours

With our exceedingly large number of successful petitions, no matter what credentials you have, no matter your background and field of expertise, no matter your visa status or nationality, chances are we have helped hundreds or even thousands of clients just like you. Our clients are usually impressed with how well we understand their research and work. Our insight and understanding stems from the fact that we have handled many cases with elements similar to yours already, and this helps us devise the best strategies for each individual petition.

Vast Majority of Clients Came to Us Because of Referrals

For years, our firm has attracted new clients based solely on word of mouth, recommendations, and the positive collaboration experiences shared with them by their friends and family. We take pride in our reputation and work hard to ensure that we provide a green card application experience that our clients are happy to share with their friends and colleagues. That is how our cumulative total of approved cases grew from 600 in 2013 to nearly 64,000 in 2025.

Track Record of Success EB-1 and NIW Approvals

(2012.01 - 2025.12)

Category	Approval or Refund^®		Approval or Refiling^TM
	Approval or Refund^®
Category	Approved Sum	Success Rate	Approved Sum	Success Rate
NIW	42,047	99%	5,258	97%
EB1A	9,218	91%	4,534	86%
EB1B	1,488	98%	448	93%
Total	52,753	98%	10,240	92%