Success Story: Our Firm Helped a Researcher in Physics Secure NIW Approval Without an RFE
Client’s Testimonial:
"Not only did Chen Immigration provide high-quality petitions, but they were also quite transparent as well.”
On September 2nd, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Field of Physics (Approval Notice).
General Field: Physics
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Researcher
Country of Origin: South Korea
Approval Notice Date: September 2nd, 2026
Processing Time: Approximately 9 months (Premium Processing Upgrade Requested)
Case Summary:
North America Immigration Law Group successfully secured an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) for a physicist from South Korea. Holding a Ph.D. in physics, the client currently works as a research associate at a major U.S. university.
To satisfy the rigorous regulatory framework under Matter of Dhanasar, our legal team meticulously detailed the client’s sustained record of excellence and the widespread adoption of his analytical methodologies. We built a compelling evidentiary portfolio highlighting the following professional milestones:
- Prolific Publication Output: Authorship of more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles featured in top-ranked international journals.
- Measurable Global Impact: Accumulation of over 800 citations across his published body of work. To demonstrate that these metrics reflected exceptional influence rather than standard academic output, we presented bibliometric percentile data showing that several of his articles rank among the top 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1% most-cited papers in his field for their respective publication years.
- Practical Implementation: Concrete evidence demonstrating that independent research groups actively rely on the client's software tools, scientific datasets, and data analysis methodologies in their own research.
Beyond academic metrics, we clearly linked the client’s ongoing research to urgent federal priorities. We emphasized that the client’s work advances Critical and Emerging Technologies, specifically advanced data processing techniques and data analysis tools recognized by the federal government as vital to U.S. technological leadership and scientific research capabilities. The critical national importance of this endeavor was further validated by major research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), underscoring its broad scientific value.
USCIS acknowledged the undeniable national importance of the client's continued work, approving the I-140 NIW petition filed with an upgrade to Premium Processing.