An Analysis of NIW Cases Approved from January to March 2018

From Januaryto March 2018, our firm received 70 NIW case approvals. USCIS approved 55 of these cases without Requests for Evidence (RFEs). In addition, from Januaryto March 2018, our firm also received 56 EB-1 case approvals.

Out of the 70NIW cases approved in the past three months, most applicants had a Ph.D. degree when applying. However, 16 of these applicants, or approximately 23%, 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 arts, painting, and accounting, 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.

47

67%

Master

16

23%

Bachelor & others

7

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 5. The median number of independent citations they received was 46. The average processing time for these applications was 231days, or over 7 months. The longest it took to approve an application was 494 days, while the shortest was 88days.

Median number of Journal papers

5

Median number of independent citations

46

Average Processing days

231



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 tailoring to the new standard. 

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 70 NIW cases approved from January to March 2018, please refer to the table below.

Client

Degree

Research field

Journal papers

Independent Citations

Job title

RFE

Processing days

1

Ph.D.

Biomedical Science

6

4

physician scientist

Yes

494

2

Ph.D.

molecular biology

3

875

Research Associate

No

145

3

Bachelor

pharmacy

N/A

N/A

Pharmacist

Yes

410

4

Ph.D.

Biochemistry

5

16

Postdoctoral Fellow

No

294

5

Bachelor

Science

N/A

N/A

project manager

No

109

6

Ph.D.

Optical Imaging

3

N/A

Imaging Optics Systems Engineer

No

308

7

Master

Arts

13

N/A

producer

No

112

8

Ph.D.

pain management

3

N/A

Director

Yes

306

9

Master

Systems Biology

22

352

Bioinformatics Scientist

No

301

10

Master

Software Medical Device Varication and Validation

N/A

N/A

Senior Engineer

No

373

11

Master

Business

N/A

N/A

Team Leader

No

287

12

Ph.D.

Materials Science

3

N/A

Postdoctoral Associate

No

344

13

Ph.D.

anesthesiology

3

N/A

anesthesiologist

No

112

14

Ph.D.

medical physics

170

227

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

No

199

15

Ph.D.

Pharmaceutical Science

N/A

N/A

Registered Pharmacist

No

133

16

Ph.D.

Sound design

3

14

Lecturer

Yes

239

17

Ph.D.

functional materials

2

5

Postdoctoral Fellow

No

291

18

Master

civil engineering

2

12

Engineer

No

281

19

Ph.D.

Musical Arts

N/A

N/A

Artist

Yes

413

20

Bachelor

Arts

N/A

N/A

Deputy Director

No

121

21

Ph.D.

Materials Science

9

N/A

Engineer

No

353

22

Ph.D.

biomedical engineering

8

135

Postdoctoral Fellow

No

275

23

Ph.D.

Mechanical Engineering

4

15

Team leader

No

111

24

Master

semiconductor production

51

131

Executive Director

Yes

464

25

Ph.D.

Mechanical Engineering

5

100

Senior Research Engineer

No

272

26

Master

Computer Science

1

N/A

Software Engineer

Yes

416

27

Ph.D.

anesthesia

86

789

Professor

No

118

28

Ph.D.

Computational Biology

35

431

Informatics Research Scientist

No

272

29

Master

Biotechnology and Biostatistics

7

61

Associate Statistics Manager

No

363

30

Ph.D.

plastic surgery

N/A

N/A

Senior Vice President

Yes

142

31

Ph.D.

Medicine

1

N/A

Physician

No

162

32

master

pharmaceutical

N/A

N/A

Head Researcher

No

102

33

Ph.D.

material science

3

18

Researcher

Yes

424

34

Ph.D.

Geoenvironmental Engineering

3

N/A

Civil Engineer

Yes

318

35

Ph.D.

geotechnical engineering

5

12

Postdoctoral Researcher

No

287

36

Ph.D.

Biomedical

2

458

Researcher

No

108

37

Ph.D.

Communication

17

117

Researcher

No

122

38

master

asset management

N/A

N/A

Head of Equity

Yes

267

39

Ph.D.

clinical

18

20

Vice Director

No

114

40

Master

waste water treatment

3

N/A

Engineer

No

125

41

Ph.D.

Food Technology

7

47

Technical Advisor

No

98

42

Ph.D.

Quantitative Investment

3

78

Researcher

No

100

43

Ph.D.

Chemical Engineering

2

3

General Manager

No

98

44

N/A

painting

N/A

N/A

Artist

No

124

45

Bachelor

Arts

N/A

N/A

Chief Designer

No

124

46

Ph.D.

geoscience

6

35

Geologist

No

103

47

Ph.D.

Applied Linguistics

2

23

Researcher

No

243

48

Master

Electrical & Computer Engineering

9

46

Senior Technical Business Analyst

No

256

49

Ph.D.

genomics

3

27

Researcher

No

88

50

Ph.D.

Materials science

7

271

Researcher

No

260

51

Ph.D.

Biomedical

5

170

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

No

137

52

Ph.D.

Coastal and Oceanographic research

1

N/A

Postdoctoral Associate

No

139

53

Bachelor

online games

N/A

N/A

software developer

No

166

54

Ph.D.

medicine

15

54

Deputy Director

No

125

55

Ph.D.

food science

5

6

Research Associate

No

102

56

Ph.D.

Ocean Science

5

4

Engineer

No

125

57

Ph.D.

Higher education administration

N/A

N/A

Research Analyst

Yes

393

58

Master

Accounting

N/A

N/A

Accountant

Yes

356

59

Bachelor

Electrical Engineering

N/A

N/A

CEO

No

215

60

Ph.D.

Physics

6

31

Senior R&D Engineer

No

315

61

Ph.D.

molecular and cell biology

16

556

Postdoctoral Fellow

No

281

62

Master

Vietnamese Studies

N/A

N/A

N/A

Yes

342

63

Ph.D.

Astrophysics

109

11704

Postdoctoral Research Associate

No

330

64

Ph.D.

Ocean Science

5

11

Postdoctoral Research Associate

No

181

65

Master

Architecture

N/A

N/A

Staff Architect

No

112

66

Master

Intellectual Property

1

N/A

Intellectual Property Portfolio Manager

No

129

67

Ph.D.

agriculture

3

10

Research Economist

No

128

68

Ph.D.

plasma physics

8

24

Process Engineer

No

399

69

Ph.D.

plant and agriculture

4

249

Postdoctoral Fellow

Yes

378

70

Ph.D.

Bioanalytical Chemistry

5

N/A

Sr. Applications Scientist

No

258

 

------
Former U.S. Consular officer, Attorney Sechyi Laiu joined Zhang & Associates, P.C. on June 26, 2017


At Zhang & Associates, P.C., Attorney Laiu specializes on Consular Processing cases and business development. Attorney Laiu also focuses on TN visas, E visas, CBP administrative proceedings (monetary confiscation, deferred inspection), and overseas financial compliance.

Prior to joining Zhang & Associates, P.C., Attorney Laiu worked for the U.S. Department of State as a Chinese and Portuguese speaking diplomat. As a consular-coned officer who served in Vancouver (Canada), Shenyang (P.R. China), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Attorney Laiu processed over 30,000 visa cases and worked in every section of Consular Affairs overseas (Fraud Prevention Unit, Immigrant Visas, Non-Immigrant Visas, and American Citizen Services).

He will use his experience and expertise to deliver the highest quality of service to our clients.


Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients worldwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled over ten thousand 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, EB-5, PERM, I-485 I-130, H-1B, O, L and J cases. In the past twenty-two years, we have successfully helped over ten thousand 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
website: http://www.hooyou.com

 

(07/26/2018)