Success Story: NIW Victory! We Guided a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Environmental Engineering to Approval
Client’s Testimonial:
“Congratulations to the Chen Immigration Team as well with special thanks to Chow for his unconditional support and guidance.”
On March 11th, 2025, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Environmental Engineering (Approval Notice).
General Field: Environmental Engineering
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Researcher
Country of Origin: Rwanda
Country of Residence at the Time of Filing: China
Approval Notice Date: March 11th, 2025
Processing Time: 10 months, 11 days
Case Summary:
We are proud to share the success story of a Ph.D. holder in environmental engineering whose I-140 NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition was approved after 10 months and 11 days without receiving any RFE issues. This case illustrates how well-documented achievements in a field of national urgency can lead to successful immigration outcomes.
Our client specializes in environmental engineering, with a research focus on sustainable technologies for recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from secondary sources such as electronic waste, industrial wastewater, mine tailings, and sludge. His work addresses multiple global priorities, including sustainable resource recovery, job creation in green industries, and decreased environmental exposure to toxic mining byproducts. He continues to develop scalable, circular-economy solutions that enhance domestic REE supply chains while lowering the cost of production and environmental risks.
His petition, filed under the EB-2 NIW category, showcased:
- 27 peer-reviewed journal articles,
- 346 citations according to Google Scholar,
- A peer review record of at least 5 completed evaluations for reputable environmental science journals,
- Several papers ranked among the top 10–20% most cited in the fields of Environment/Ecology and Chemistry for their publication years.
We are honored to have supported this dedicated researcher on his immigration journey and look forward to the ongoing impact of his innovations on rare earth element sustainability and environmental engineering solutions.

