CASE: I-140 / National Interest Waiver

CLIENT: Korean

LOCATION: Santa Clara, California

Our client contacted us in June 2013 about the possibility of doing a National Interest Waiver application for him. He is a post-doctorate researcher and scientist in the field of Aerospace Engineering and Science, and was working as a research fellow for NASA at the time of his filing.

Our client is an extraordinary researcher and engineer in the field of Aerospace Engineering Research; specifically, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and flow control.

His significant contributions have placed him at the pinnacle of the field of Aerospace engineering. Our client’s expertise is in the development of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) which meets the contemporary requirements for not only conventional development but also revolutionary aircraft design. He has been helping a U.S. aircraft company investigate the feasibility of their designs under consideration by performing very complex CFD analysis and suggesting alternative optimal new configurations.

Upon review of his credentials and qualifications, our office determined that he was qualified for the National Interest Waiver (NIW) category. Being qualified for the NIW is beneficial since you would not need an employer nor family member to petition you for green card purposes. You’d be eligible for a self-petition and unless you are from China or India, in which case you’d still have to wait for priority dates to be current, you would be eligible to apply for adjustment of status (green card) immediately without any lag in priority dates.

As a primer, NIW applicants must have a master’s or higher degree. The landmark immigration case that discusses the standards for NIWs is Matter of New York State Department of Transportation, 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Comm.1998). This case held that the qualifying applicant must show the following elements in his or her I-140 NIW petition: First, it must be shown that the alien seeks employment in an area of substantial intrinsic merit. Next, it must be shown that the proposed benefit will be national in scope. Finally, the petitioner seeking the waiver must establish that the alien will serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U. S. worker having the same minimum qualifications.

Our office prepared a 19-page brief for our client’s NIW filing. Our client also obtained 9 letters of recommendation from his colleagues and internationally-recognized scientists. Our office also included his publication records, presentation records, and conference materials in the NIW application. We demonstrated the intrinsic merit of our client’s research in the United States, the national scope of his research, and asserted that our client would serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications. His NIW application contained 45 exhibits. Our office filed his I-140(NIW) petition at the USCIS Nebraska Service Center on July 29, 2013 along with his I-485 adjustment of status application.

However, on September 16, 2013, the USCIS issued a Request for Evidence for his I-140 petition. In response to the RFE request, our office prepared a brief which included notes from scientists in the field regarding updates of his work and the importance of his past work in physics-based turbulence model and computational fluid dynamics research.  We also emphasized our client’s past accomplishments and the benefits of his work. Our Response to RFE was filed on November 13, 2013.

Eventually, on December 6, 2013, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s I-140 petition. Now, our client can wait for his I-485 adjustment of status decision which will be adjudicated soon.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-485 (Based on EB-2 I-140 Approval)

CLIENT: Kenyan Nurse Practitioner

LOCATION: Akron, Ohio

Our client is a certified nurse practitioner, who is currently working at a nursing care company in Akron, Ohio under an OPT. Her employer was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she was a certified nurse practitioner, she was eligible for “Schedule A” classification.

The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without having to file a Labor Certification with the Department of Labor. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. We argued that the position of Nurse Practitioner is included in Schedule A.

Our client has both a Bachelors and Masters degree in nursing. Our office was retained in May 21, 2013 and we started the Prevailing Wage Determination filing and other related matters.

We filed the I-140 application on September 17, 2013 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, her pay stubs, and other necessary supporting documents. In our cover brief, we included the “ability to pay” argument and why nurse practitioners must fall under the Schedule A designation.  On September 30, 2013, without any Requests for Evidence (RFE), the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition.

When we filed her I-140 petition, the priority date for Kenyan nationals was current for the EB-2 category, thus we also filed her I-485 adjustment of status application concurrently. Eventually, on November 29, 2013, her adjustment of status application was approved by the USCIS. Also, her husband, who applied as a derivative, got his green card at the same time.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140 / National Interest Waiver

CLIENT: Korean

LOCATION: Cleveland, Ohio

Our client contacted us in April 2012 regarding the possibility of doing a National Interest Waiver self-petition for him. He is a post-doctorate researcher and scientist in the field of Material Science / Engineering, and is currently working as a post-doctorate researcher in an academic institution in Cleveland, Ohio.

His significant contributions have placed him at the pinnacle of the field of material science and engineering. He is a leading scientist with an excellent reputation in alloy design, especially in titanium alloys which are promising structural and functional materials for the next generation.

Our client successfully brazed Ti alloys which are mostly used in aerospace and chemical applications. Successfully joining titanium alloys is of great importance to national defense. He also developed very low-melting Ti-based filler alloys for Ti alloys. Lower brazing temperature would ensure lower risk of damaging aerospace components during processing

Upon review of his credentials and qualifications, our office determined that he was qualified for the National Interest Waiver (NIW) category. Being qualified for NIW is beneficial since you would not need an employer nor family member to petition you for green card purposes. You’d be eligible for a self-petition and unless you are from China or India, in which case you’d still have to wait for priority dates to be current, you would be eligible to apply for adjustment of status (green card) immediately without any lag in priority dates. You can also file for a work permit simultaneously.

As a primer, NIW applicants must have a master’s or higher degree. The landmark immigration case that discusses the standards for NIWs is Matter of New York State Department of Transportation, 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Comm.1998). This case held that the qualifying applicant must show the following elements in his or her I-140 NIW petition: First, it must be shown that the alien seeks employment in an area of substantial intrinsic merit. Next, it must be shown that the proposed benefit will be national in scope. Finally, the petitioner seeking the waiver must establish that the alien will serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U. S. worker having the same minimum qualifications.

Our office prepared a 23-page brief for our client’s NIW filing. Our client also obtained 9 letters of recommendation from his colleagues and internationally-recognized scientists. Our office also included his publication records, patents, presentation records, and conference materials in the NIW application. We demonstrated the intrinsic merit of our client’s research in the United States, the national scope of his research, and asserted that our client would serve the national interest to a substantially greater degree than would an available U.S. worker having the same minimum qualifications. His NIW application contained 58 exhibits.

Our office filed his I-140(NIW) petition to the USCIS Texas Service Center on November 8, 2012. Eventually, on November 14, 2013, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s I-140 petition.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140 (EB-2 Category) / Schedule A / Premium Processing

EMPLOYER: Nursing Care Company

BENEFICIARY: Kenyan

LOCATION: Akron, Ohio

Our client is a certified nurse practitioner, who is currently working at a nursing care company in Akron, Ohio under the OPT program. Her employer was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she was a certified nurse practitioner, she was eligible for “Schedule A” classification.

The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without having to file a Labor Certification with the Department of Labor. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. We argued that the position of Nurse Practitioner is included in Schedule A.

Our client has both a Bachelors and Masters degree in nursing. Our office was retained on May 21, 2013 and we started on the Prevailing Wage Determination filing and other related matters.

We filed the I-140 application on September 17, 2013 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, her pay stubs, and other necessary supporting documents. In our cover brief, we included the “ability to pay” argument and why nurse practitioners must fall under the Schedule A designation.  On September 30, 2013, without any Request for Evidence (RFE), the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition.

When we filed her I-140 petition, the priority date for Kenyan nationals was current for the  EB-2 category, thus we also filed her I-485 adjustment of status application concurrently with the I-140 petition. Since the I-140 petition is approved, her I-485 adjustment of status application will likely be approved soon.

{ 1 comment }

CASE: I-485 (Based on EB-2 I-140 Approval)

 CLIENT: Nepali Computer Systems Analyst

 LOCATION: Omaha, Nebraska

Our client is a computer systems analyst from Nepal, who is currently working for a software distributing company in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and has worked for this company since October 2011. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States.

After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his potential employer can petition him as a Computer Systems Analyst. Based on our client’s educational and professional background as an engineer and management analyst, our office determined that he is eligible for EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing the PERM labor certification, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that the PERM Labor Certification application could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad.  Within a week from our retention, the prevailing wage request was filed.  On December 17, 2012, we filed the PERM labor certification application.  Eventually, on April 17, 2013, exactly four months from filing, the PERM labor certification was approved – an EB2 position for a Nepali Computer Systems Analyst.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing.  We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application.  We included the job offer letter, employer’s tax records, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on May 9, 2013 via premium processing.  Within a week of the filing, on May 16, 2013, the I-140 EB2 Petition was approved.

After the I-140 was approved, our client retained our office again for his I-485 adjustment of status application. On June 3, 2013, our office filed an I-485 adjustment of status application for our client. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time. Eventually, on August 16, 2013, only about two months later, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s I-485 application.  Our client now is a green card holder.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-485 (Based on EB-2 I-140 Approval)
CLIENT: British Engineering Manager
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is an engineering manager from the United Kingdom, who is currently working at a molded component manufacturing company in the greater Cleveland area. The company/petitioner was willing to petition him for a green card, in the second-preference category (EB2).

Our client has a Bachelor’s degree and has more than 5 years of related work experience. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States. The issue is that he can only renew his H-1B after an I-140 petition is approved. After talking to our client, our firm advised that his potential employer can petition him as an Engineering Manager, specifically, Liquid Injection Molding (LIM) Process Engineering Manager.

Prior to filing the PERM labor certification application, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. As mentioned on our previous success story, we filed the PERM labor certification application for our client on August 8, 2012. Two months later, on October 10, 2012, the PERM labor certification was approved. There were no audits in this application. Our client retained us again for the I-140 petition.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing. We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application. We included the job offer letter, employment verification letters from our client’s previous employers, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on October 31, 2012 via premium processing. On November 8, 2012, in only eight days, the I-140 EB2 for our British client was approved.

After the I-140 was approved, our client retained our office again for his I-485 adjustment of status application. On March 28, 2013, our office filed an I-485 adjustment of status application for our client. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time. Eventually, on May 31, 2013, only about two months later, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s I-485 application.  Our client now is a green card holder.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140 Premium Processing

 EMPLOYER: Software Distributor

 BENEFICIARY: Nepali Computer Systems Analyst

 LOCATION: Omaha, Nebraska

Our client is a computer systems analyst from Nepal, who is currently working at a software distributing company in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and has worked for this company since October 2011. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States.

After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his potential employer can petition him as a Computer Systems Analyst. Based on our client’s educational, professional and working background as an engineer and management analyst, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for the EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing PERM labor certification, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that the PERM Labor Certification application could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad.  Within a week from our retention, the prevailing wage request was filed.  On December 17, 2012, we filed the PERM labor certification application.  Eventually, on April 17, 2013, exactly four months from filing, the PERM labor certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Nepali Computer Systems Analyst.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing.  We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application.  We included the job offer letter, employer’s tax records, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on May 9, 2013 via premium processing service.  Within a week of the filing, on May 16, 2013, the I-140 EB2 Petition for our Nepali client was approved.  He can now file an I-485 adjustment of status application for his green card (he could’ve filed the I-485 simultaneously, but he wanted to make sure the I-140 was approved first before he pays the $1070 filing fee).

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

For other I-140 EB2 success stories, please click here.

For other success stories, please click here.

Also feel free to contact our office anytime for free consultations.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140

 EMPLOYER: Hospital

 BENEFICIARY: Filipino

 LOCATION: Erie, PA

Our client is a family physician from the Philippines, who is currently working at a hospital which was willing to do a second-preference petition (I-140) for him. He has a M.D. degree and is a licensed physician in the state of Pennsylvania. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States.

After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his potential employer can petition him as a Family Medicine Physician. Based on our client’s educational, professional and working background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification for his I-140 petition.

Prior to filing PERM, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that the PERM application could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad.

Within a week from our retention, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained the foreign degree evaluation report, our office filed the job order on November 16, 2011.  On May 10, 2012, we filed PERM.  Eventually, on July 17, 2012, a little after two months from filing, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Filipino beneficiary.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing.  We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application.  We included the job offer letter, state physician license, our client’s M.D. degree, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on September 11, 2012 via regular processing.  On May 3, 2013, the I-140 EB2 Petition for our Filipino client was approved.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

For other I-140 success stories, please click here.

For other success stories, please click here.

Also feel free to contact our office anytime for free consultations.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140 / I-907 (Premium Processing)
ISSUE: Had to get the I-140 Approved to Be Eligible for 3-Yr H-1B Extension
EMPLOYER: Molded Component Manufacturer
BENEFICIARY: British Engineering Manager
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is an engineering manager from the United Kingdom, who is currently working at a molded component manufacturing company in the greater Cleveland area. The company/petitioner was willing to petition him for a green card, in the second-preference category (EB2).

Our client has a Bachelor’s degree and has more than 5 years of related work experience. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States. The issue is that he can only renew his H-1B after an I-140 petition is approved.

After talking to our client, our firm advised that his potential employer can petition him as an Engineering Manager, specifically, Liquid Injection Molding (LIM) Process Engineering Manager.

Prior to filing the PERM labor certification application, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. As mentioned on our previous success story, we filed the PERM labor certification application for our client on August 8, 2012. Two months later, on October 10, 2012, the PERM labor certification was approved. There were no audits in this application. Our client retained us again for the I-140 petition.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing. We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application. We included the job offer letter, employment verification letters from our client’s previous employers, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on October 31, 2012 via premium processing. On November 8, 2012, in only eight days, the I-140 EB2 for our British client was approved.

Now, not only can he file for a green card (could have been filed simultaneously, but priority dates were not current back in October), but he is also eligible for an H-1B 3 year extension.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

For other I-140 EB2 success stories, please click here.

For other success stories, please click here.

Also feel free to contact our office anytime for free consultations.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-140 / I-907 (Premium Processing)
ISSUE: Had to get the I-140 Approved to Be Eligible for 3-Yr H-1B Extension
EMPLOYER: Electric Immersion Heater Manufacturer
BENEFICIARY: Indian Management Analyst
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is a management analyst from India, who is currently working at an electric immersion heater manufacturing company in Cleveland Ohio. The company was willing to do an immigration petition him for a second-preference petition (I-140). He is on his sixth year of H-1B, and to extend it for another three years, he’s had to have an I-140 approval before his current H-1B expires.

Our client has an MBA degree and has worked for this company since April 2012. He has maintained his status as an H-1B visa holder in the United States.

After talking to our client, our firm advised that his potential employer can petition him as a Management Analyst. It is a Job Zone 4 position, which typically does not merit an EB2 finding by the Department of Labor, but we thought the position was complex enough to merit an argument. Based on our client’s educational, professional and working background as an engineer and management analyst, our office determined that it’s still worth a shot for the EB-2 classification.

As mentioned on our previous success story, we filed the PERM labor certification application for our client on June 29, 2012. Two months later, on August 30, 2012, the PERM labor certification was approved. Our client retained us again for the I-140 petition.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing.

We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application. We included the job offer letter, employment verification letters from our client’s previous employers, and other necessary supporting documents.

The I-140 Petition was filed on September 24, 2012 via premium processing. On October 1, 2012, in only seven days, the I-140 EB2 for our Indian client was approved.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

If you have any questions, please fill out the free consultation form below, and we will respond as soon as possible privately. 

For the other EB-2 success stories, please click here.

For other success stories, please click here.

Also feel free contact our office anytime for free consultations.

{ 0 comments }