Success Story: NIW Approval After RFE for a Regenerative Medicine Researcher Advancing Kidney Disease Treatment
Client’s Testimonial:
"Thank you so much for all the effort.”
On June 25th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Field of Regenerative Medicine (Approval Notice).
General Field: Regenerative Medicine
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Country of Origin: Iran
Approval Notice Date: June 25th, 2026
Processing Time: 16 months, 11 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
This I-140 National Interest Waiver petition was approved after a Request for Evidence (RFE) for a client in the field of regenerative medicine. The client holds an M.D. and was conducting research at a U.S. university at the time of filing. His work focuses on developing regenerative medicine approaches that may help address kidney disease by studying tissue engineering, stem cell therapy, decellularized scaffolds, organ-on-a-chip systems, microsurgery, and molecular techniques.
We presented the client’s proposed endeavor as nationally important because kidney disease creates a serious public health and economic burden in the United States. His research aims to support new therapeutic strategies, reduce dependence on costly procedures such as dialysis and transplantation, and improve healthcare equity by advancing regenerative approaches to kidney disease treatment.
To show that the client was well-positioned to advance this endeavor, we relied on objective evidence of scholarly productivity and research influence. The client’s record included 7 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 2 first-authored articles, and 268 citations to his published work. Instead of relying on these numbers alone, we explained how the client’s publication record, highly ranked journal placements, and citation impact showed meaningful recognition in regenerative medicine and related clinical research.
We further demonstrated the client’s significance by showing that independent researchers had relied on his work involving various areas of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Several of his papers were cited at unusually high rates for their publication years, including 1 paper ranked among the top 0.1% and 5 papers ranked among the top 1% most-cited Clinical Medicine articles for their respective years.
After USCIS issued an RFE, we further clarified how the client’s work met the Dhanasar framework. We emphasized the national importance of regenerative medicine research for kidney disease, the client’s strong positioning through his M.D. training and research record, and the benefit of waiving the job offer and labor certification requirements. The I-140 NIW petition was filed on February 14th, 2025, later upgraded to Premium Processing, and approved on June 25th, 2026, after an RFE. We congratulate the client on this NIW approval and wish him continued success in advancing regenerative medicine and kidney disease research in the United States.