From July to December 2019, our firm received 57 NIW case approvals. USCIS approved 47 of these cases without Requests for Evidence (RFEs).

Out of the 57 NIW cases approved during this period, many applicants had a Ph.D. degree when applying. However, 18 of these applicants, or approximately 31.6%, 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 human resources, interior design, and architecture, 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.	33	57.8%
Master	18	31.6%
Bachelor & others	6	10.6%

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 105. The average processing time for these applications was 296 days, or about 10 months. The longest it took to approve an application was 601 days, while the shortest was 168 days.

Median number of Journal papers	9
Median number of independent citations	105
Average Processing days	296

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 57 NIW cases approved from July to December 2019, please refer to the table below.

Client	Degree	Research field	Journal papers	Independent Citations	Job title	RFE	Processing days
1	Ph.D.	Cardiovascular medicine	9	N/A	Associate Chief Physician	No	224
2	Master	Computer science	80	1293	General Manager	No	322
3	Ph.D.	Physics	19	139	Researcher	No	204
4	Master	IT Architect	2	N/A	Senior PM	Yes	361
5	N/A	broadcasting arts	N/A	N/A	Entertainment　writer	No	206
6	Master	Human resources	N/A	N/A	Employee relations counselor	No	222
7	Ph.D.	Cosmetic Medicine	N/A	N/A	Surgeon	No	212
8	Ph.D.	biological systems	5	46	Research Scientist	No	221
9	Ph.D.	operations research	3	124	Researcher	No	354
10	Master	Oil and gas	N/A	N/A	Manager	No	490
11	Bachelor	Ocean engineering	N/A	N/A	Manager	Yes	280
12	Ph.D.	civil engineering	3	4	Marine Engineer	No	396
13	Ph.D.	materials science	17	67	Postdoctoral Associate	No	387
14	Ph.D.	Information Systems	20	41	Associate Professor	No	205
15	N/A	business management	N/A	N/A	finance director	No	194
16	Ph.D.	electronic engineering	8	25	Postdoctoral Fellow	No	377
17	Master	Information technology	24	65	Professor	No	348
18	Ph.D.	Computer science	8	156	Research Scientist	No	365
19	Master	Electrical Engineering	7	N/A	Engineer	No	194
20	Bachelor	Civil engineering	N/A	N/A	Senior engineer	No	216
21	Ph.D.	psychology	10	41	Professor	Yes	601
22	Master	Oil and gas	N/A	N/A	Manager	Yes	593
23	Ph.D.	pediatric emergency medicine	4	N/A	Physician	No	183
24	Master	cancer genomics	7	1929	Software Engineer	No	180
25	Ph.D.	Nanoelectronics	14	145	Senior Engineer	Yes	176
26	Ph.D.	Oil and gas	7	60	Reservoir Engineer	No	196
27	Ph.D.	Business Administration	3	N/A	Associate Research Fellow	No	183
28	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Actor	No	218
29	Master	telecommunications	13	22	Researcher	No	209
30	Ph.D.	atmospheric science	2	7	Researcher	No	220
31	Ph.D.	Materials Science	43	1980	Researcher	No	184
32	Ph.D.	Mathematical modeling	9	254	Machine Learning Engineer	No	187
33	Ph.D.	Computer science	7	17	Software Developer	No	476
34	Ph.D.	developmental biology	17	154	Postdoctoral Research Associate	No	188
35	Master	urology	16	145	Medical doctor	No	217
36	Master	mechanical engineering	N/A	N/A	Lead Engineer	No	542
37	Ph.D.	Mathematics	5	10	Researcher	Yes	329
38	Ph.D.	Biomedical Science	16	85	Researcher	No	182
39	Master	Interior Design	N/A	N/A	Senior Designer	No	201
40	Ph.D.	Ophthalmology	5	N/A	ophthalmologist	No	474
41	Master	Oil and gas	3	34	Engineer	No	513
42	Master	Healthcare	2	N/A	Researcher	No	251
43	Ph.D.	public health	19	782	Research Technologist	No	194
44	Ph.D.	Computer Science	15	306	Assistant Professor	Yes	298
45	Master	architecture	N/A	N/A	architect	No	183
46	Ph.D.	Biotechnology	9	60	Research Associate	No	248
47	Ph.D.	Dental Public Health	5	8	Researcher	Yes	338
48	Ph.D.	petroleum exploration	11	1800	Researcher	No	515
49	Bachelor	Oil and gas	N/A	N/A	Manager	No	505
50	Ph.D.	sustainable energy	11	153	Researcher	No	182
51	Master	semiconductor	9	242	Researcher	Yes	400
52	Ph.D.	sports education	50	167	Associate Professor	No	294
53	Ph.D.	Neuroscience	19	131	Data Science Architect	No	168
54	Ph.D.	civil engineering	7	40	Structural Engineer	No	252
55	Master	Medicine	14	42	Medical doctor	No	253
56	Ph.D.	Biomedical	20	480	Senior Associate Researcher	No	259
57	Master	Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering	9	N/A	Senior Research Engineer	Yes	474

 

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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.

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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.

Silicon Valley • New York • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Austin • Seattle • Sunnyvale • Madison • Honolulu

Tel:	1-800-230-7040, 713-771-8433
Email:	info@hooyou.com
website:	http://www.hooyou.com

 

(08/17/2020)