WeGreened Approval Statistics: Week of December 15, 2025

During the week of December 15 to December 21, 2025, WeGreened received 90 approval notices from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Of the 90 approvals, 71 were for NIW (National Interest Waiver), 16 for EB1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), 2 for EB1B (Outstanding Professors or Researchers), and 1 for O1A (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement).

The EB-2 NIW category again represented the majority of approvals, while EB-1A remained strong among professionals whose records supported sustained acclaim under a totality-of-the-evidence review.

EB1A and NIW Credential Analysis

EB1A petitioners this week showed concentrated impact metrics. Publications ranged from 0 to 80 (Q1: 15.5, median: 19, Q3: 22), and citations ranged from 0 to 2,401 (Q1: 358, median: 432.5, Q3: 634.75). The distribution reflects a relatively tight middle band with a smaller number of higher-end profiles, which is consistent with how EB1A cases often present a more “compressed” metric range among approved cases.

NIW petitioners reflected a broader spectrum of credential profiles. Publications ranged from 3 to 161 (Q1: 6, median: 9, Q3: 14), and citations ranged from 1 to 8,574 (Q1: 63, median: 169, Q3: 354.5). Compared with EB1A, NIW shows a wider spread and heavier tails on both publications and citations, indicating that approvals can encompass both earlier-stage records and highly established scholarly profiles, depending on how the petition frames impact and future benefit.

Insights on Petitioner Backgrounds and Fields

EB1A approvals this week reflected a mix of research-intensive and non-traditional profiles, with noticeable presence in medicine and health-related areas, computer and data-facing fields, and other research domains, while also including at least one non-academic pathway where influence was shown through field-recognized accomplishments rather than publications.

NIW approvals spanned a wider distribution across AI/software, engineering, and biomedical and health sciences, with many petitioners in postdoctoral or research roles and a meaningful share in industry, where petitions succeeded by tying the endeavor to identifiable U.S. needs and documenting credible pathways to continued impact.

Highlighted EB1A Case: High-Impact Journalism Leader Secured EB1A Without Academic Metrics

One notable EB1A approval this week involved a journalism professional pursuing a senior editorial strategy role at a major U.S. media organization. The petitioner holds a master’s degree, and the case was secured with a distinctly non-academic record that included no peer-reviewed publications and no citation record, demonstrating that extraordinary ability can be established through field-appropriate evidence of influence, recognition, and leadership. The case was filed with premium processing and approved in 120 days, and our team prepared four detailed expert recommendation letters to validate the petitioner’s standing and to translate field influence into the EB1A legal framework.

Our legal team organized the filing under the two-part Kazarian structure and demonstrated that multiple EB1A criteria were satisfied with objective, field-appropriate proof. We presented evidence of original contributions of major significance by documenting concrete influence on journalism practice and editorial strategy outcomes, supported by independent third-party validation. We also highlighted recognition in the form of awards and distinctions reflecting selectivity and professional significance, and we documented high remuneration by contextualizing compensation against relevant peer benchmarks in the field. In addition, we supported leading or critical role elements by showing the level of responsibility and the distinguished reputation of the organizations involved. In the final merits analysis, we synthesized these components into a single narrative demonstrating sustained acclaim and a record placing the petitioner among the small percentage at the very top of the field.

This outcome reinforces a point: EB1A success depends on presenting the strongest available, field-appropriate evidence and tying it together persuasively under final merits, even when traditional academic metrics are not central to the profession.

Adjudication Trends and Policy Observations

EB1A continues to turn on sustained acclaim and final merits review, where meeting at least three criteria is necessary but not sufficient. This week’s approvals also highlight that EB1A is not limited to academic metrics, including a non-academic journalism approval built without peer-reviewed publications or citation metrics and instead supported by field-appropriate evidence of influence, recognition, critical roles, and strong third-party validation.

NIW approvals again span a wide range of disciplines and career stages when the petition clearly defines a nationally important endeavor, shows the petitioner is well-positioned, and explains how a waiver amplifies U.S. benefit through flexibility and scale. In this batch, a noticeable share of approvals involved cases that used premium processing. When it was used, it more often appeared as an upgrade after filing rather than as an upfront request, but the consistent throughline remained the quality of the evidentiary record and the clarity of the Dhanasar framing rather than any single procedural choice.

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North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) is a U.S. immigration law firm dedicated to representing corporations, research institutions, and individuals from all 50 U.S. states regarding I-140 immigration petitions. We specialize in employment-based immigration petition and have a proven record of high success rate for the categories of: EB2-NIW (National Interest Waiver), EB1-A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), EB1-B (Outstanding Researcher/Professor) and O-1 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability).

Our Ten Thousand I-140 Approvals Provide Unprecedented Insight into the USCIS Adjudication Trend

With more than 58,000 EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-2 NIW and O-1 cases approved, we have first hand information on the manner in which the USCIS adjudicate I-140 cases. As the USCIS has constantly changed its adjudication standards for the EB-1A, EB-1B and EB-2 NIW categories, our firm's huge database of successful cases gives you unprecedented insight to USCIS adjudication trends. We carefully analyze the data for all of our cases and apply the results of our analyses toward giving our clients up-to-date advice and adapting our strategies such that we remain on par with the ever-shifting landscape of immigration law in the U.S. With us, you will always have access to important updates, strategies, and information so that you can make the most informed decisions about your case.

We Have Helped Tens of Thousands of Clients with Credentials and Backgrounds Similar to Yours

With our exceedingly large number of successful petitions, no matter what credentials you have, no matter your background and field of expertise, no matter your visa status or nationality, chances are we have helped hundreds or even thousands of clients just like you. Our clients are usually impressed with how well we understand their research and work. Our insight and understanding stems from the fact that we have handled many cases with elements similar to yours already, and this helps us devise the best strategies for each individual petition.

Vast Majority of Clients Came to Us Because of Referrals

For years, our firm has attracted new clients based solely on word of mouth, recommendations, and the positive collaboration experiences shared with them by their friends and family. We take pride in our reputation and work hard to ensure that we provide a green card application experience that our clients are happy to share with their friends and colleagues. That is how our cumulative total of approved cases grew from 600 in 2013 to over 58,000 in 2025.