Success Story: Artificial Intelligence Researcher Secures NIW Approval After RFE With Our Expert Guidance
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you very much for all your help and support throughout the process!”
On August 13th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a PhD Student in the Field of Artificial Intelligence (Approval Notice).
General Field: Artificial Intelligence
Position at the Time of Case Filing: PhD Student
Country of Origin: Republic of Korea
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Massachusetts
Approval Notice Date: August 13th, 2026
Processing Time: 15 months, 29 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into consequential decision-making, ensuring that AI systems operate safely and reliably has become an important research challenge. Our client, an AI researcher with a master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science, has focused on developing computational methods that can improve the reliability, adaptability, and safety of intelligent systems. After receiving a Request for Evidence (RFE), the client successfully secured approval of an I-140 EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition.
The client is currently conducting research at a U.S. academic institution. The proposed endeavor centers on developing advanced reinforcement learning and AI alignment methods to make AI systems safer and more dependable, particularly for applications where reliable decision-making is important. While the petition identified applications involving language-based AI, autonomous technologies, and healthcare, we framed the endeavor more broadly around the need for responsible AI development and the potential benefits of improving the safety of AI deployment.
To demonstrate that the client was well positioned to pursue this work, we presented a research record that included 2 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 1 first-authored article, and 3 peer-reviewed conference articles, including 2 first- or co-first-authored articles. These publications had accumulated 108 citations. The petition also placed the conference publications in the context of computer science, where peer-reviewed conference papers can represent an important form of scholarly achievement.
The significance of this record was not based simply on publication and citation totals. We showed that two of the client’s papers ranked among the top 10% most-cited computer science articles from their respective publication years. This comparison helped place the citation record in context rather than treating 108 citations as an isolated number. More importantly, independent researchers had built on the client’s methods in subsequent work involving intelligent systems, robust computational approaches, and dynamic decision-making. These examples provided concrete evidence that the client’s research had informed work beyond the client’s own projects and collaborations.
Following the RFE, the client’s I-140 NIW petition was approved. We are pleased to have supported this case and wish the client continued success in developing AI methods that can contribute to safer and more dependable intelligent technologies.