Success Story: NIW Approved Despite RFE! We Helped A Graduate Research Assistant Secure Success
Client’s Testimonial:
“Likewise, thank you for helping us with our application. It has been a pleasure working alongside you.”
On April 9th, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Graduate Research Assistant in the Field of Computer Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Computer Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Graduate Research Assistant
Approval Notice Date: April 9th, 2026
Processing Time: 19 months, 26 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
We are pleased to share the approval of an I-140 National Interest Waiver petition for a researcher in computer engineering whose work focuses on bringing large language models and generative AI to resource-constrained edge devices while also improving search technologies through AI-driven topic intelligence. This case was approved after a Request for Evidence, and the final outcome reflected the strength of the client’s qualifications, the importance of the proposed endeavor, and a clear legal presentation of why the work benefits the United States.
The client holds an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering and, at the time of filing, was conducting research at the University of Arizona. The proposed endeavor was to continue research on deploying LLMs and generative AI on resource-constrained edge devices to enhance on-device processing capabilities and optimize traditional search engines with advanced topic intelligence powered by generative AI and other SEO techniques. In the petition, we showed that this work has practical implications for information retrieval, user experience, and broader AI-driven technological advancement.
To demonstrate that the client was well-positioned to advance the endeavor, we documented:
- 3 first-authored peer-reviewed conference articles
- 19 citations to the client’s published work
- At least 3 completed peer reviews
- Evidence of major funding support from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Korea’s Institute for Advancement of Technology
These metrics were not presented as self-sufficient. Instead, the petition explained why an adjudicator should read them as evidence of recognized expertise and independent reliance. The citation record showed that other researchers were already using the client’s findings in areas such as model compression, edge deployment, robotics, and reputation analysis. The peer-review record further supported the argument that the client had developed knowledge respected by others in the field. The petition also noted that one of the client’s papers ranked among the top 10% most-cited Computer Science papers for its year, which helped place the citation total in a more persuasive context.
The petition further included 4 recommendation letters supporting the significance of the client’s work and his ability to continue advancing the proposed endeavor.
By tying the client’s academic training, current research role, publication record, citations, peer-review activity, funding support, and future research plan into one coherent narrative, we demonstrated that waiving the labor certification requirement would benefit the United States. We are proud to have supported this client in achieving I-140 NIW approval after RFE and look forward to his continued contributions to edge AI and next-generation information retrieval technologies.