Success Story: Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Enhancing Maternal and Child Well-Being: NIW Approval Secured for a Social Work Researcher
Client’s Testimonial:
“As a researcher and published author, obtaining an EB2-NIW approval was an important milestone in my immigration journey. I am grateful to Chen Immigration (WeGreened) for helping me achieve this success. From the beginning, the WeGreened team demonstrated professionalism, expertise, and a commitment to preparing the strongest possible petition. Their process was organized, efficient, and designed to highlight my qualifications and contributions effectively.”
On September 2nd, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a PhD Student in the Field of Social Work (Approval Notice).
General Field: Social Work
Position at the Time of Case Filing: PhD Student
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Country of Residence at the Time of Filing: Texas
Approval Notice Date: September 2nd, 2026
Processing Time: 5 months, 16 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
We are pleased to share the I-140 National Interest Waiver (NIW) approval of a social work researcher. The client holds a Ph.D. in social work and is currently conducting research at a major U.S. university. Her proposed endeavor focuses on applying social and technology-based interventions to understand and address intimate partner violence among women, promoting maternal and child well-being.
Academic Contributions and Recognition
To satisfy the Matter of Dhanasar framework, our legal team built a compelling evidentiary portfolio highlighting the client’s professional milestones:
- Prolific Publication Output: Authorship of 20 peer-reviewed journal articles (14 first-authored), 2 conference abstracts (1 first-authored), and 1 first-authored book chapter, featured in prominent social science journals.
- Citation Impact & Percentiles: Accumulation of 118 citations across her published body of work. Rather than presenting raw figures alone, we contextualized these metrics using bibliometric data to prove that multiple papers rank among the top 10% and top 20% most-cited articles in the general social sciences for their respective publication years.
- Independent Reliance: Concrete evidence showing that independent international researchers actively rely on her analytical findings to contextualize healthcare barriers and evaluate interventions for social and psychological challenges.
- Evaluative Standing: Completion of at least 9 peer reviews for authoritative journals, demonstrating that editorial boards recognize her expert authority in social work and public health.
Expert Recommendations
The petition was further corroborated by 3 letters of recommendation from distinguished experts in social work and public health who verified the national importance and practical necessity of the client's research. As one recommender noted:
"[Client] is a leader in social work and an asset to the United States."
NIW Approval and Outlook
USCIS approved the client’s I-140 NIW petition, recognizing the substantial merit and national importance of her work in social work and public health data analysis. This outcome supports the client’s continued efforts to advance culturally responsive interventions, protect vulnerable women and children, and strengthen social service frameworks across the United States.