Success Story: NIW Approved Without RFE! Our Firm Helped an Assistant Professor Secure Success
Client’s Testimonial:
"I am happy with the overall process.”
On March 3rd, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for an Assistant Professor in the Field of Labor Economics (Approval Notice).
General Field: Labor Economics
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Assistant Professor
Country of Origin: South Korea
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: New Jersey
Approval Notice Date: March 3rd, 2026
Processing Time: 1 month, 22 days (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
We were pleased to obtain an I-140 NIW approval for the client, a Ph.D. in economics whose work focuses on labor economics and household financial decision-making. In the petition, we presented the client’s proposed endeavor as continued research on designing surveys and integrating administrative data to study how workers’ subjective expectations about employment and income risks shape their consumption, saving, and household financial decisions, with the goal of informing more effective labor and macroeconomic policies that strengthen U.S. economic stability. We also showed that the client was actively engaged in this line of work through current employment, which supported both the continuity of the endeavor and the client’s ability to keep advancing it.
Background and Field of Expertise
The case centered on the client’s expertise in labor economics, especially research examining how workers perceive risk and how those perceptions influence real financial behavior. We framed this work as nationally important because it addresses issues that reach far beyond academic theory.
Strong Evidence of Research Excellence
To show that the client was well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor, we organized the evidence around training, scholarly output, peer recognition, and independent reliance on the client’s work. The client had authored 6 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 1 first-authored article, with 2 additional articles accepted for publication. These metrics were not presented as sufficient on their own. Instead, we used them to show a sustained record of producing research that had met peer-reviewed publication standards in a competitive field and that had continued to gain acceptance in respected scholarly venues.
We also highlighted that the client’s published body of work had received 110 citations. The petition further strengthened this point by showing that the client’s work had achieved meaningful scholarly uptake, supporting the argument that the research had influence beyond the client’s own authorship.
Another important factor was the client’s peer review record. The client had completed at least 12 reviews to date. We presented this as a meaningful trust signal because peer review invitations are generally extended to researchers whose expertise is recognized by others in the field.
The Approval
This I-140 NIW approval recognized the client’s advanced training, focused research agenda, and strong record of achievement in labor economics. By showing that the client’s work addressed an area of clear, substantial merit and national importance, and by supporting that argument with evidence of publication, citations, peer review, and ongoing work in the field, we were able to demonstrate why a waiver of the job offer and labor certification requirements was beneficial to the United States. We are delighted to see this approval and extend our best wishes to the client as this important research continues.