An Analysis of NIW Cases Approved from October to December 2015
From Octoberto December 2015, our firm received 60 NIW case approvals. USCIS approved 54 of these cases without Requests for Evidence (RFEs). In addition, from October to December 2015, our firm also received 49 EB-1 case approvals. From January to December 2015, our firm received 253 NIW approvals and 187 EB-1 approvals.
Out of the 60 NIW cases approved in the past three months, most applicants had a Ph.D. degree when applying. However, 10of these applicants, or approximately 17%, only had a Master’s degree when their cases were filed. Among samples of approved applicants, most conduct research in Medical Science, Biology and Engineering, while others focus on finance, marketing, and business management, etc. Those who work in fields related to Engineering, Medical Science and Biology are forced to compete with a large number of applicants from which the USCIS can only approve the strongest applications.
| Ph.D. |
44 |
73% |
Master |
10 |
17% |
Bachelor & others |
6 |
10% |
Those who work as a “Postdoctoral Research Associate”, “Research Scientist/Engineer”, “Assistant Professor’, or any other similar title mainly conduct research, produce papers, and attend conferences. Because of the nature of scientific work, such applicants find it easier to show that they have exerted national influence and sustained a past record of achievement through more objective evidence (i.e. citations, downloads, commercialization of work, etc.). Of course, this should not discourage you from applying if you feel you lack such evidence. On the contrary, each case varies and USCIS could deem your particular qualifications and skill set to be of intrinsic merit to the United States. USCIS does not adjudicate petitions solely on the basis of concrete numbers. With our highly experienced attorneys, we will help you highlight your strongest professional assets, while downplaying your weaker ones.
In addition to the above, we have also compiled other relevant data from our samples. The median number of journal papers published by these applicants was 9. The median number of independent citations they received was 90. The average processing time for these applications was 225days, or over7 months. The longest it took to approve an application was 520 days, while the shortest was 48days.
Median number of Journal papers |
9 |
Median number of independent citations |
90 |
Average Processing days |
225 |
Before you start the application process, it is imperative that you consult a highly trained legal professional. By consulting with an attorney at our firm, you will learn not only about your options, but also specific application strategies for your immigration needs.
If you are interested in contacting us for a free consultation, please call our offices at 1-800-230-7040 or email us at info@hooyou.com.
For more information on the 60 NIW cases approved from October to December2015, please refer to the table below.
Client |
Degree |
Research field |
Journal papers |
Independent Citations |
Job title |
RFE |
Processing days |
1 |
Ph.D. |
atmospheric physics |
10 |
146 |
Research Associate |
No |
302 |
2 |
Ph.D. |
environmental science |
15 |
183 |
Lab Manager |
No |
229 |
3 |
Ph.D. |
Protein Structural Biology |
7 |
187 |
Researcher |
No |
274 |
4 |
N/A |
petroleum exploration |
N/A |
N/A |
geological advisor |
No |
266 |
5 |
Ph.D. |
biochemistry |
12 |
145 |
Research Fellow |
No |
297 |
6 |
Master |
Business Management |
N/A |
N/A |
Sales Director |
No |
195 |
7 |
Ph.D. |
Computer Science |
23 |
8 |
Professor |
No |
165 |
8 |
Ph.D. |
Medical Physics |
10 |
111 |
Medical Physicist |
No |
328 |
9 |
Ph.D. |
Electrical and Computer Engineering |
4 |
24 |
Assistant Director |
Yes |
206 |
10 |
Ph.D. |
eyelid surgery |
3 |
51 |
Doctor |
No |
202 |
11 |
Ph.D. |
Dental Science |
39 |
200 |
Assistant Professor |
No |
192 |
12 |
Master |
organic chemistry |
N/A |
N/A |
Process Development Chemist |
No |
466 |
13 |
Bachelor |
civil engineering |
12 |
44 |
chief consulting engineer |
No |
195 |
14 |
Ph.D. |
cancer |
19 |
222 |
Research Specialist |
No |
277 |
15 |
Ph.D. |
Neuroscience |
11 |
94 |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
No |
292 |
16 |
Ph.D. |
Geology |
56 |
1500 |
Researcher |
No |
48 |
17 |
N/A |
Petroleum Engineering |
1 |
20 |
Petroleum Engineer |
Yes |
314 |
18 |
Ph.D. |
Neurotrauma |
N/A |
30 |
Postdoctoral Associate |
No |
196 |
19 |
Ph.D. |
structural bioinformatics |
9 |
1755 |
Assistant Professor |
No |
370 |
20 |
Ph.D. |
Computer engineering |
3 |
N/A |
Assistant Professor |
No |
298 |
21 |
Ph.D. |
Plant Biology |
8 |
55 |
Postdoctoral Research Associate |
No |
144 |
22 |
N/A |
gaming industry |
N/A |
N/A |
VP |
No |
297 |
23 |
Ph.D. |
public health |
2 |
N/A |
Medical Doctor |
No |
140 |
24 |
Ph.D. |
pain management |
8 |
N/A |
Doctor |
No |
140 |
25 |
Ph.D. |
Telecommunications |
15 |
28 |
Senior Consultant |
Yes |
224 |
26 |
Ph.D. |
mathematical modeling |
8 |
24 |
Postdoctoral Researcher |
No |
304 |
27 |
Ph.D. |
Chemistry |
21 |
112 |
Senior Scientist |
No |
122 |
28 |
Ph.D. |
ophthalmology |
8 |
39 |
ophthalmologist |
No |
188 |
29 |
Master |
Petroleum Engineering |
1 |
18 |
Field Engineer |
No |
155 |
30 |
Master |
Mechanical engineering |
7 |
N/A |
Senior research engineer |
No |
209 |
31 |
Master |
Electrical Engineering |
N/A |
N/A |
Researcher |
Yes |
275 |
32 |
Ph.D. |
mechanical engineering |
25 |
157 |
Researcher |
No |
154 |
33 |
Ph.D. |
Industrial Engineering |
20 |
92 |
Researcher |
No |
179 |
34 |
Master |
Finance |
N/A |
N/A |
Director |
No |
182 |
35 |
Ph.D. |
Materials science |
16 |
140 |
Postdoctoral Associate |
No |
287 |
36 |
Master |
materials science |
3 |
30 |
Senior Engineer |
No |
121 |
37 |
Ph.D. |
atmospheric science |
5 |
54 |
Researcher |
No |
129 |
38 |
Ph.D. |
cardiology |
2 |
195 |
Research Fellow |
No |
173 |
39 |
Ph.D. |
polymer science |
12 |
65 |
Researcher |
No |
177 |
40 |
Master |
Electrical Engineering |
5 |
15 |
Electrical engineer |
No |
247 |
41 |
Ph.D. |
Mechanical Engineering |
9 |
17 |
Postdoctoral Associate |
No |
313 |
42 |
N/A |
urban architect |
N/A |
N/A |
Chief Designer |
No |
197 |
43 |
Ph.D. |
Materials Science |
5 |
N/A |
Postdoctoral Researcher |
No |
147 |
44 |
Ph.D. |
Electrical Engineering |
21 |
214 |
Assistant Professor |
No |
326 |
45 |
Ph.D. |
biomedical engineering |
8 |
39 |
Usability Engineer |
No |
271 |
46 |
Ph.D. |
computer science |
4 |
78 |
Professor |
No |
160 |
47 |
Master |
piano performance |
N/A |
N/A |
piano accompanist |
Yes |
255 |
48 |
Ph.D. |
water resources engineering |
21 |
409 |
Research scientist |
No |
179 |
49 |
Ph.D. |
Cancer |
7 |
930 |
Instructor |
No |
150 |
50 |
Bachelor |
marketing |
N/A |
N/A |
General Manager |
No |
166 |
51 |
Master |
telecommunications |
N/A |
N/A |
Senior Engineer |
No |
167 |
52 |
Ph.D. |
biomedical |
3 |
40 |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
No |
314 |
53 |
Ph.D. |
biomedical |
10 |
288 |
Postdoctoral Researcher |
No |
178 |
54 |
Ph.D. |
Materials science |
10 |
116 |
Research Scientist |
Yes |
520 |
55 |
Ph.D. |
civil engineering |
5 |
23 |
Postdoctoral Researcher |
No |
222 |
56 |
Ph.D. |
Physics |
50 |
26661 |
Research Fellow |
No |
279 |
57 |
Ph.D. |
gastric surgery |
13 |
174 |
Medical Doctor |
No |
152 |
58 |
Ph.D. |
genetics |
8 |
126 |
Research Scholar |
No |
265 |
59 |
Ph.D. |
networking systems research |
16 |
40 |
Researcher |
No |
74 |
60 |
Ph.D. |
Biotechnology |
6 |
87 |
Researcher |
No |
204 |
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
nineteen 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, P.C.
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| Tel: | 1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433 |
| Email: | info@hooyou.com |
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(04/01/2016)