Success Story: NAILG Overcomes RFE to Secure NIW Approval for Nanobody Research Targeting Leukemia Pathways
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you for the help throughout the process.”
On February 4th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Field of Biochemistry (Approval Notice).
General Field: Biochemistry
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Country of Origin: India
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Minnesota
Approval Notice Date: February 4th, 2026
Processing Time: 7 months, 26 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
Some NIW cases are approved on the initial record. Others become an endurance test, where the outcome depends on whether the endeavor can be re-explained, tightened, and supported with objective evidence that holds up under closer scrutiny. This case received a Request for Evidence (RFE), and North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) responded with a clarified narrative and a more disciplined presentation of independent validation.
The client is a biochemistry researcher with a Ph.D. in chemistry. The proposed endeavor is to continue developing novel nanobodies targeting human TET dioxygenases to create specific inhibitors of the TET2 protein for treating acute myeloid leukemia and its subtypes. Strategically, the petition framed this work as a targeted-therapy pathway: turning precise molecular tools into more selective inhibitors that can strengthen treatment development for an aggressive cancer with significant clinical and public health consequences.
The petition also reflected the client’s ongoing research activity in the United States through a research professional role at a U.S.-based research university, supporting a credible platform for continued work in the same technical direction.
Evidence Organized Around Independent Validation
In NIW adjudication, numbers are not persuasive by themselves. The question is whether the record shows that the client’s work is being selected, used, and trusted by the field, and whether that pattern supports the conclusion that the client is well-positioned to keep advancing a nationally important endeavor. We organized the evidence so USCIS could verify the impact through objective indicators:
- Publication record: 6 peer-reviewed journal articles (3 first-authored) and 1 first-authored preprint
- Citation reliance: 125 citations to the client’s published work
- Peer-review trust: at least 5 completed peer reviews
These metrics were not treated as self-explanatory. The case presentation tied them to how the research community operates: peer-reviewed publication reflects repeated success under expert screening, and citations are most persuasive when interpreted as independent reliance, meaning other researchers are building on the work as an input to their own studies. To further contextualize the citation record, the petition emphasized that at least two publications achieved top 10% field-and-year normalized citation performance, helping USCIS interpret influence beyond raw counts alone.
Funding as an Additional Objective Anchor
The petition also highlighted that the client’s research direction has attracted competitive support from major funding sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, and the Department of Science and Technology. This type of support was used as an additional credibility anchor because it reflects external, merit-based review and alignment with high-priority scientific and health objectives.
Expert Recommendation Letters
To corroborate the objective record, the petition included two letters of recommendation from established experts, including an independent advisory perspective. Strategically, these letters were used to translate specialized biochemistry concepts into clear significance, explaining why the client’s nanobody and inhibitor work matters for targeted cancer therapy development and why the client’s trajectory supports continued contributions in the United States.
“When this is taken into consideration with his work in developing nanobodies to treat cancers such as AML, it is clear that [Client’s] work is of great value to the field and that he is an irreplaceable presence in the research sphere.”
Approval
USCIS approved the I-140 EB-2 National Interest Waiver petition after the RFE response. The outcome reflects what many scrutinized NIW cases require: a clearly defined endeavor, a disciplined presentation of peer-validated evidence, and objective indicators of independent reliance that show the client is positioned to keep delivering nationally important contributions.