CASE: PERM Labor Certification    
EMPLOYER: Korean Church
BENEFICIARY: Korean Education Pastor
LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is a Korean church in Cleveland, Ohio which was willing to petition for an Education Pastor position for a Korean, second-preference category for the I-140.  Our client’s prospective employee has a master’s degree in Divinity. After talking to our client, our firm concluded that this employer can petition him as an Education Pastor. Second preference petitions for Koreans are current, which means that if a PERM Labor Certification for a second preference position gets approved, the I-140 and I-485 could be filed simultaneously. Based on our client’s prospective employee’s education, professional and work background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification.  Our client eventually retained us in October 2015.

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 PERM could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad. On October 6, 2015, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained a foreign degree evaluation report, our office filed the job order on January 12, 2016.  On April 8, 2016, we filed PERM.  Eventually, on July 19, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Korean beneficiary. Now our client can file the I-140 petition.

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CASE: PERM Labor Certification

EMPLOYER: Non-Profit Housing Organization

BENEFICIARY: Kenyan Non-Profit Housewarming Project Manager

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is currently working as a Non-Profit Housewarming Project Manager whose current employer was willing to petition him for a second-preference EB2 petition (I-140).  Our client has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a related field and working experience as well. He has been working for his current employer under OPT status. Based on our client’s education, professional and work background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification for his I-140 petition.  Our client eventually retained us.

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. On April 2, 2015, the prevailing wage request was filed.  Once we received the Prevailing Wage determination, our office filed the job order on August 20, 2015.  On November 20, 2015, we filed PERM.

However, on May 2, 2016, the Department of Labor issued a request for audit. The DOL requested documents from Petitioner to determine whether the recruitment process was done properly. In response to the Audit request, our office prepared the response to Audit brief along with Employer’s declaration, notice of filing, and recruitment documentation on May 11, 2016.  

Eventually, on July 18, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Kenyan beneficiary. Since his priority date is current, our client can file the I-140, I-485 green card application, and I-765 simultaneously.

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CASE: PERM Labor Certification    
EMPLOYER: Dental Group in Cleveland, OH
BENEFICIARY: Korean Dentist

Our client is from South Korea, who is currently working in the United States as an associate dentist under H-1B status. His current employer was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in the United States. After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his employer can petition him as an associate dentist. Based on our client’s education, professional and work background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing PERM, our firm prepared and filed 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 PERM could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad. On September 29, 2015, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained Prevailing Wage determination, our office filed the job order on December 10, 2015.  On March 1, 2016, we promptly filed PERM.  Eventually, on July 8, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Korean beneficiary. Now our client can file the I-140 petition.

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CASE: I-140 / National Interest Waiver

CLIENT: Jordanian

LOCATION: Virginia

Our client contacted us in November 2014 about the possibility of doing a National Interest Waiver. He is a researcher from Jordan and he is an exceptional researcher and scientist in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences; specifically, his research focuses on discovery, design, and development of small molecules therapy or technology to treat various cardiovascular diseases and conditions. He obtained his J-1 hardship waiver through our office as well in 2014 and contacted our office again for his NIW.

His significant contributions have placed him at the pinnacle of the field of pharmaceutical science. He contributed to the drug discovery, design, and developmental aspects of glycosaminoglycans and their structural mimetics to treat various diseases including, but not limited to, thrombosis, inflammation, cancer, and several infectious diseases. His research were highly evaluated by reviewers of various journals and by colleagues and experts in the field.

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 for 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 34-page brief for our client’s NIW filing. Our client also obtained 10 letters of recommendation from his colleagues and internationally-recognized scientists. Our office also included his publication record, presentation record, 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 116 exhibits (Exhibit A to LLLLL).

Our office filed his I-140(NIW) petition to the USCIS Texas Service Center on December 26, 2014. However, on May 29, 2016, the USCIS issued Requests for Evidence and requested our client to submit an updated ETA-9089 form. On May 31, 2016, our office filed the Response to RFE. Eventually, on July 12, 2016, his I-140 was approved by the USCIS.  When we filed his I-140, he concurrently filed his I-485 adjustment of status application. His adjustment of status application will be approved soon as well.

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CASE: PERM Labor Certification

EMPLOYER: Engineering Company

BENEFICIARY: Taiwanese Radio Frequency Identification Engineer

LOCATION: Columbus, OH

Our client is currently working as a Radio Frequency Identification Engineer (RFID) whose current employer was willing to petition him for a third-preference petition (I-140).  Our client has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a related field and has requisite working experience. He has been working for his current employer under an H-1B status. Based on our client’s educational, professional and working background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-3 classification for his I-140 petition.  Our client eventually retained us in March 2015.

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 retention, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained a foreign degree evaluation report, our office filed the job order on August 31, 2015.  On November 11, 2015, we promptly filed PERM.

However, on April 14, 2016, the Department of Labor issued an audit request. The DOL requested documents from Petitioner to determine whether the recruitment process was done properly. In response to the Audit request, our office prepared the response to Audit brief along with Employer’s declaration, notice of filing, and recruitment documentation on April 29, 2016.  

Eventually, on June 30, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB3 position for the Taiwanese beneficiary. Since his priority date is current, our client can file the I-140, I-485 green card application, and I-765 simultaneously.

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CASE: H-1B Visa Petition

PETITIONER:  Sales Leads Provider

BENEFICIARY: Nepalese Software Developer –Web Applications in Omaha, NE

Our client is a Sales Leads provider located in Omaha, NE.  They contacted our office in later February of this year to seek legal assistance for a possible H-1B petition for their foreign employee.

The beneficiary obtained his Master of Science in Management Information Systems in the United States. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Software Developer – Web Applications which clearly qualifies as a specialty occupation.

Upon retention, our office prepared and eventually filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on March 31, 2016 via regular processing service. This H-1B petition was selected after the lottery. Our client’s H-1B application was approved on June 28, 2016.

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CASE: I-485 Adjustment of Status  / Schedule A

APPLICANT: Taiwanese

LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY

Our client is a family nurse practitioner. Her current employer was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she was a family 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 first going to the DOL for a labor certification. 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. The position of Nurse Practitioner is included in Schedule A.

Our client has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in nursing and is a certified Nurse Practitioner. Our office was retained on December 17, 2015 and we filed the Prevailing Wage Determination immediately.

We filed the I-140 application on March 17, 2016 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, employment letter, 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 March 25, 2016, without any Request for Evidence (RFE), the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition.

Once the I-140 petition was approved, our client retained our office again for her I-485 adjustment of status application. Our office filed an I-485 adjustment of status application for our client on April 21, 2016. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time.

Eventually, on June 30, 2016, the USCIS Texas Service Center approved our client’s adjustment of status application. Now, she finally is a green card holder.

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CASE: I-130 / I-485

NATIONALITY: Philippines

LOCATION: South Carolina

Our client came from the Philippines on a J-1 in July 2008 to work as a teacher. She was subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement. After her authorized period of stay expired, she remained in the United States.

In April 2011, she got married to her U.S. citizen husband and later on consulted with our firm for her J-1 visa waiver prior to applying for adjustment of status. If someone is subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement, he or she cannot get a green card in the United States until he or she fulfills the requirement or obtains a waiver.

Upon retention, our office promptly prepared a waiver request through the No Objection Statement (NOS) route from the Philippine Embassy in the United States and eventually the EVP in the Philippines.

On September 21, the J-1 Waiver Application (Form DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State.  We also sent a request to the South Carolina State Government to get authentication for the necessary documents.  Later, these authenticated documents and No Objection Application (for the Philippines Government) were sent to the Philippine Consulate in D.C. for further authentication.  On November 20, 2012, our office sent our client’s materials to the Waiver Review Committee in Manila, Philippines.  Then, the Waiver Review Committee forwarded the materials and favorable recommendation to the Philippine Embassy in D.C. who eventually issued a No Objection Statement.

On June 29, 2015, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement.  Eventually, on August 12, 2015, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for the waiver.

Once she gets the waiver, she retained our office again for her and her daughter’s adjustment of status application. Once retained, our firm prepared and filed the I-130 petition and I-485 adjustment of status application on November 3, 2015. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time.

Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls. On March 28, 2016, our clients were interviewed at the Charleston, South Carolina USCIS office. After the interview, however, the USCIS issued the Request for Evidence (RFE) and requested our client to submit more evidence to demonstrate bona fide nature of her marriage to her US citizen husband. We promptly filed the Response to RFE and on June 27, 2016, the USCIS approved our client and her daughter’s green card applications.

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CASE: I-140 / National Interest Waiver

CLIENT: Korean

LOCATION: Colorado

Our client contacted us in May 2015 about the possibility of doing a National Interest Waiver I-140 self-petition. He is a researcher from South Korea in the field of photophysical sciences; specifically, solar energy conversion sciences.

His significant contributions have placed him at the pinnacle of the field of photophysical research. His research regarding solid-state morphology in electron transfer processes of organic solar energy conversion devices has shown that the combination of two versatile spectroscopic techniques can bring new insights for complex material systems. Moreover, our client has discovered electronically excited triplet states of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) which were highly evaluated by reviewers of various journals and by colleagues and experts in the field.

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 for 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 18-page brief for our client’s NIW filing. Our client also obtained 6 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 35 exhibits (Exhibit A to II).
Our office filed his I-140(NIW) petition to the USCIS Nebraska Service Center on September 11, 2015. Eventually, on June 26, 2016, the USCIS approved his I-140 petition without any Requests for Evidence.  When we filed his I-140, he concurrently filed his I-485 adjustment of status application. His adjustment of status application will be approved soon as well.

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CASE: PERM Labor Certification    
EMPLOYER: Dental Group in Cleveland, OH
BENEFICIARY: Korean Dentist

Our client is from South Korea, who is currently working in the United States as an associate dentist under an F-1 (OPT) status. His current employer is willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in the United States. After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his employer can petition him as an associate dentist. Based on our client’s education, professional and working background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification.

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 PERM could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad. On October 6, 2015, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained the Prevailing Wage determination, our office filed the job order on December 17, 2015.  On March 3, 2016, we promptly filed PERM.  Eventually, on June 27, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Korean beneficiary. Now our client can file the I-140 petition.

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