Success Story: Space Science Researcher from Thailand Secures I-140 NIW Approval Without RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
“I'll be honest — pulling together all the evidence for the I-140 on top of my research was a lot. But the attorney and the team walked me through exactly what was needed, step by step, in writing, which helped a lot.
The approval came through without any RFE, which was such a relief. With the positive experience I've had with the team, I'm also planning to retain them for my I-485. If you're a researcher going through this process, I'd strongly recommend them.”
On September 10th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Space Science (Approval Notice).
General Field: Space Science
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Country of Origin: Thailand
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Utah
Approval Notice Date: September 10th, 2026
Processing Time: 13 months, 3 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
Dhanasar-Based Petition Strategy
North America Immigration Law Group helped secure approval of an I-140 NIW petition for a space science researcher from Thailand. Prepared under the Dhanasar framework, the petition demonstrated the substantial merit and national importance of the proposed endeavor, the client’s strong positioning to advance it, and the benefit of waiving the job offer and labor certification requirements. At the time of filing, the client was conducting research at a U.S.-based academic institution and held a Ph.D. in communications and computer engineering.
Proposed Endeavor and National Importance
The client’s proposed endeavor focused on space science research aimed at improving the reliability of systems affected by space weather. The petition explained that the client’s work combines data analysis, modeling, and collaborative scientific methods to better understand conditions that can disrupt communication and navigation technologies. We demonstrated that this work supports broader national needs by contributing to infrastructure resilience, technological continuity, reliable navigation, secure communication, and preparedness for disruptions that may affect transportation, emergency response, and defense-related systems.
Objective Evidence of Expertise
To show that the client was well positioned to advance the endeavor, the petition presented objective evidence of scholarly productivity, independent reliance, technical expertise, and continuing research plans. The client’s record included:
● 113 peer-reviewed journal/conference articles, including at least 6 first-authored works
● 6 conference abstracts, including 4 first-authored abstracts
● 1 preprint
● 644 citations to the client’s published work
Demonstrating the Client’s Significance
The petition showed that the client’s significance extended beyond publication numbers. We demonstrated that independent researchers had relied on the client’s work in studies involving space weather monitoring, ionospheric modeling, radio signal behavior, navigation reliability, and forecasting tools. These citations showed that the client’s findings and methods had become useful to other scholars studying space science, ionospheric conditions, and communication and navigation system reliability.
The petition also placed the citation record in context by showing that several of the client’s publications ranked among highly cited Space Science articles for their respective publication years, including 1 paper in the top 10% and 3 papers in the top 20%. This comparative evidence helped demonstrate that the client’s work had received meaningful recognition within the field.
NIW Approval and Outlook
The petition connected the client’s prior research record to the proposed space science endeavor by emphasizing the client’s experience with ionospheric research, radio propagation modeling, observational data, forecasting methods, and communication and navigation reliability. The case established the strength of the client’s education, extensive publication record, citation impact, current research role, technical expertise, and future research plans.
USCIS approved the client’s I-140 NIW petition without a Request for Evidence after a premium processing upgrade was requested. This approval supports the client’s continued contributions to space science, ionospheric research, radio propagation modeling, and technologies that help strengthen communication and navigation reliability in the United States.