Success Stories: A Ph.D. Student from Nigeria Secures NIW Approval in the Field of Biomedical Science in Less than 2 Months, Without Any RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
“Attorneys and other staff displayed great professionalism throughout the preparation process. Thank you! I appreciate the work you put in to ensure my NIW approval.”
On February 23rd, 2023, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Ph.D. Student in the Field of Biomedical Science (Approval Notice).
General Field: Biomedical Science
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Ph.D. Student
Country of Origin: Nigeria
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Mississippi
Approval Notice Date: February 23rd, 2023
Processing Time: 1 month, 21 days
Case Summary:
Our client with an M.Sc. in pharmacology approached us to help him achieve the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition approval. The NIW visa category is an attempt to prove the petitioner's “substantial merit” and “national importance” in the chosen field, including any work that contributes to the improvement of some important factor of life in the U.S. Thus, our client from Nigeria proposed to uncover the mechanisms of obesity-induced and diabetic kidney disease to develop more effective treatments for these conditions, signifying that his research is relevant to improving public health and quality of life, as well as reducing incidence and mortality rates for chronic kidney disease and related health conditions in the U.S.
When he hired North America Immigration Law Group, our main focus was to affirm that all his ground-breaking research represents one of the most prominent health concerns in the modern world. Due to its clear national importance, his research has been supported with funding from the National Institutes of Health, which is the United States’ primary agency for biomedical and public health research. As such, the fact that his work was supported by this institution is strong evidence of its utility to U.S. interests.
We also accompanied his application with publications in his name, which was very important for winning the case and receiving a waiver. Our client’s publications i.e., the 7 peer-reviewed journal articles (3 of them first-authored) show that he is an issue area expert in his field, and also, he has published a great number of papers in no fewer than 4 highly-ranked peer-reviewed journals. His publications have further been cited a total of 37 times according to Google Scholar, emphasizing that these publications are highly recognized and relied upon in the field of biomedical science.
Given that, only the most highly esteemed researchers in the field are also invited to evaluate the work of their peers, especially in notable venues, our client has evaluated several peer manuscripts. He has completed at least 11 reviews to date, confirming that he has a leading position among biomedical scientists.
Moreover, we obtained four letters of recommendation from his fellow experts, corroborating that through targeted biomedical modeling, our client’s work considerably expands the available medicinal options and reduces treatment costs for diabetes patients worldwide. One of them also stated the following:
“[The client's] findings are also timely due to the impact of COVID-19 on diet-related chronic diseases. Over the last couple of years, restrictions on movement and an increased reliance on processed foods have seen diet-related chronic diseases soar to historic levels in the United States… Consequently, it is crucial to slow the progression of metabolic and kidney diseases that have already gripped the nation. Therefore, his research forms a base to test the outcomes of other preventative and curative treatments for common kidney diseases. As a result, he has secured a position at the forefront of biomedical science by enabling the optimization of metabolic drugs and slowing the progression of harmful diseases in the United States.”
Considering all of the evidence cumulatively, USCIS approved our client’s NIW petition in less than 2 months that too without any RFE. We are delighted to get our client his NIW case approval successfully. We thank him for having faith in our law firm for his I-140 petition and congratulate him on this breakthrough.

