On May 19, at the liaison meeting between the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Texas Service Center (TSC), the Texas Service Center representative pointed out that some I-140 petitions are quite difficult to review because too many materials were offered or the index of supporting materials was not done well. The representative also showed several example cases to the AILA members. One of the applicants’ NIW and EB-1 application materials consisted of 14 file folders, each of which was 4 or 5 inches thick, and the materials were not sorted or labeled.
The representative of TSC requested that the AILA members neatly bind enclosures when submitting petitions. Further, the materials should not be too thick, because this makes it inconvenient for the immigration officers to review. For example, if the petitioner’s paper is too long, only the first page, with the author’s name, is necessary; if the paper is cited too many times, the citing articles need not be submitted. Rather, you can search the articles on a website (such as Google scholar) and attach only the resultant search list in the materials.
Over the past 13 years, our firm, Zhang & Associates, has always portrayed our clients to the Immigration officers in the best way possible. All of the petition packages we have sent to the USCIS have been orderly and tidy. On July 27, 2007, based on years of practical experience, we wrote and published a special article illustrating the point that quality is better than quantity. It may appear an exaggeration for us to say that our work style and the requirements of immigration processors coincide, however, honestly speaking, the methodology of our practice has always been to comply with the expectations of the immigration officers as completely as possible to deliver our clients the best possible service and results.
Below is the article (http://www.hooyou.com/news/news072707art.html) published on July 27, 2007):
“Less is more” is a motto adopted by contemporary architects after World War II. This principle describes “aesthetic tactics of flattening and emphasizing the building's frame, eliminating interior walls and adopting an open plan, and reducing the structure to a strong, transparent, elegant skin.” (From Wikipedia)
“Less is more” evolved from a broad movement in various forms of art and design, named “minimalism,” which emphasizes the most fundamental features in art and design.
The writing of petition letters of NIW and EB-1 cases could be an art. The attorney is picturing the petitioner to an immigration officer via a petition letter.
It has been a widely asked question--what is a good petition letter? We believe the aesthetic rule applies to writing of petition letter too. Less is more! A simple, clean and concise petition letter is more powerful and impressive than a redundant and complicated article. There is a common misunderstanding among applicants and some attorneys. They think the longer, the better for a petition letter. It is not rare to see attorneys flaunt the length of a petition letter. It seems that the more pages are there in a petition, the more confidence the applicant may have about the success chance of a case.
However, based on our practice experience, we know this may not be true. What matters is not the length, but the logic and presentation of the applicant’s credentials.
Writing a petition letter is like selling a product. The immigration officer is the target customer and the applicant’s case is the product, and the attorney is the sales person. The petition letter is the communication vehicle between the attorney and the immigration officer. In order to sell a product, the sales person needs to study his/her customer, especially the customer’s characteristics, taste and preference, and then present the product’s features which are appealing to the customer.
The immigration officer is the target customer. They can hardly be experts in an applicant’s academic field. They may have very limited knowledge about an applicant’s research expertise. Immigration officers review a large number of applications everyday. They cannot allocate too much time and efforts to understand the technicalities of the applicant’s research or work. If a petition letter uses a lot of technical jargons, an immigration officer may get lost. The purpose of a petition letter is not to educate the immigration officer for a specific area, but to convince him/her that the applicant’s case is approvable and should be approved. A good petition letter should use simple but interesting language to picture an applicant to the immigration officer. It should help the immigration officer understand the applicant’s qualifications and lay the foundations for the immigration officer to approve the case. In our phone communication with immigration officers, they have clearly indicated that they like to see “clean, logic, and presentable” petition letter, rather than “spaghetti writing.”
Some attorneys like to present all of an applicant’s accomplishments in a petition letter. They believe the rule of “the more, the better” in writing petition letters. Writing a petition letter is like selling a product. In order to distinguish from competitors, a brand must have its unique selling propositions, which are special features its competitors do not possess. Similarly, a good petition letter should briefly lay out the basic qualifications of an applicant, but the emphasis is the applicant’s special and most important features. These features are the unique selling proposition of the applicant. They may draw the immigration officer’s attention and enhance the approval chance of the case. For example, if the applicant is a post doctoral researcher, it is not necessary to describe his/her research projects in the bachelor’s or master’s program in a petition letter. Unimportant credentials, such as, membership obtained by paying an annual fee (for example, IEEE), high GPA in a Ph.D. program, and graduate school research awards won’t increase the persuasive power of a petition letter. These features can hardly influence national interest in a nation-wide scope or demonstrate the applicants are among the most able and accomplished in their respective fields.
On contrary, unimportant or irrelevant evidence in a petition letter trivializes or weakens the important evidence. As opposed to the rule of “the more, the better,” “less” means more chance of success of a case, as long as the attorney can present the most important and unique achievements of the applicant in the petition letter. Don’t underestimate the immigration officers’ observational ability. They may have reviewed hundreds of applications. They can identify the core credentials of an applicant in a short time. They know how to judge the quality of the petition letter. As immigration officer told us: “dirty in, dirty out!” If the petition letter is complicated or hard to follow, an easy response is a denial or “RFE.”
A simple and dynamic petition letter can significantly enhance the chance of success of an EB-1 or NIW case.
Less is more. Simplicity has its beauty.
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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.
At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past thirteen years, we have successfully helped thousands of clients get green cards. If you plan to apply for a green card, please send your CV to Attorney Jerry Zhang (info@hooyou.com) for a free evaluation.
Zhang & Associates, PC.
Houston ∙ New York ∙ Chicago ∙ Austin ∙ Los Angeles
Tel：1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433
Email: info@hooyou.com
website：http://www.hooyou.com
(06/24/2009)
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