CASE: I-485 / 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 self-petition. He is a researcher from Jordan and he is an exceptional scientist in the field of Pharmaceutical science. His research focuses on discovery, design, and development of small molecules therapy or technology to treat various cardiovascular diseases and conditions. He has obtained his J-1 hardship waiver through our office’s legal assistance 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 has significantly and extensively contributed to the drug discovery, design, and development aspects of glycosaminoglycans and their structural mimetics to treat various diseases including, but not limited to, thrombosis, inflammation, cancer, and several infectious diseases. His researches were highly evaluated by the 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 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 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 updated ETA-9089 form. On May 31, 2016, our office filed the Response to RFE. On July 12, 2016, his I-140 was approved by the USCIS.  Our office filed his I-485 application along with his I-140 petition concurrently. On June 15, 2017, the USCIS approved his I-485 application as well. Now, he is a green card holder.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement Post-Divorce
NATIONALITY: Indian
LOCATION: India

Our client is a citizen of India who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in September 2012.  She came with her husband who held a J-1 Visa as a researcher.  Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

Unfortunately, while they are residing in the United States, her marriage did not work out well. Eventually, she got divorced from her ex-husband in December 2016. Our client had an approved I-140 petition for her, but could not file adjustment of status application or immigrant visa petition unless she fulfills two year foreign residency requirement or obtains a waiver.

In March of this year, our client contacted our office. She retained our firm to do her J-2 waiver. On April 3, 2017, the J-2 Waiver (DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client was divorced from the J-1 visa holder.  Eventually, on April 24, 2017, the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver. Finally, the USCIS issued I-612 waiver approval notice on May 26, 2017.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement Post-Divorce
NATIONALITY: Turkish
LOCATION: Virginia

Our client is a citizen of Turkey who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in April 2007.  He came with his wife who held a J-1 Visa as a researcher.  Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement. Since 2008, our client changed his status from J-2 to F-1 and pursued his graduate studies in the U.S.

Unfortunately, while they are residing in the United States, his marriage did not work out well. Eventually, he got divorced from his ex-wife.  Before he divorced with his ex-wife, he changed his status from J-2 to F-1. However, he was still subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.  Our client wants to be petitioned by his prospective employer. Nevertheless, he cannot change his status to other non-immigrant visa in the United States because of the 2 year foreign residency requirement.

In April of this year, our client contacted our office. He retained our firm to do his J-2 waiver. On May 1, 2017, the J-2 Waiver (DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client was divorced from the J-1 visa holder.  Eventually, on May 19, 2017, the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver. Finally, the USCIS issued I-612 waiver approval notice on June 2, 2017.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: Immigrant Visa / I-140 (EB-3 Category) / Schedule A / Old Priority Date Retention

EMPLOYER: Nursing / Rehabilitation Center

BENEFICIARY: Filipino Registered Nurse in the Philippines

LOCATION: Petitioner: Des Plaines, IL / Beneficiary: Manila, Phlippines

Our client’s beneficiary is a registered nurse from the Philippines licensed in the state of Illinois. Currently, he is working at a hospital in the Philippines as a nurse. His prospective employer was willing to petition him for a third-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Our client also has an approved EB-3 I-140 petition with a priority date of December 2008.

Since he is a registered nurse, she is 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 Professional Nurses is included in Schedule A.

Also, under 8 CFR 204.5(e):

“Retention of section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) priority date. A petition approved on behalf of an alien under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act accords the alien the priority date of the approved petition for any subsequently filed petition for any classification under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act for which the alien may qualify. In the event that the alien is the beneficiary of multiple petitions under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act, the alien shall be entitled to the earliest priority date. A petition revoked under sections 204(e) or 205 of the Act will not confer a priority date, nor will any priority date be established as a result of a denied petition. A priority date is not transferable to another alien.”

As mentioned above, our client’s approved I-140 petition was not denied, was actually approved, and was never revoked at any point. Thus, by virtue of 8 CFR 204.5(e), this succeeding I-140 Petition by our client’s prospective employer for our client is entitled to the previous priority date.

Our client has a nursing degree and has several years of related experience. Our firm told him that his potential employer can petition him as a Registered Nurse under the schedule A category. More importantly, since the priority date of his previous I-140 was current, he can eventually apply for his immigrant visa via consular processing. Our office was retained on September 21, 2016 and started on his Prevailing Wage Request.

We filed the I-140 application on December 18, 2015 via regular processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, his previous I-140 approval notice, and other necessary supporting documents.  Later, we upgraded our client’s I-140 petition to premium processing. Eventually, on June 2, 2016, the I-140 was approved and it retained our client’s old priority date.  

Once his I-140 was approved, our client retained our office again for his immigrant visa processing. Once we were retained, our office filed the immigrant visa packets to the National Visa Center on October 28, 2016, who in turn forwarded the client’s materials to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. An interview notice was set for the client at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. On June 8, 2017, our client appeared at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. The interview went well, and the Embassy approved and issued his immigrant visa.

With the approved Immigrant Visa, our client can come to the United States immediately, and he will get his green card within two months of entry.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-751

APPLICANT: Filipina

LOCATION: North Carolina

Our client contacted our office in June of 2016 regarding her I-751 application.

She is from the Philippines and she married a U.S. citizen in December 2013. Through her marriage, she obtained a 2-year conditional green card in June of 2014. Our office helped her in the green card process.  Her conditional residency terminated in June 2016.

To comply with immigration requirements, our client and her husband had to file an I-751 Joint Petition to Remove Conditions. She retained our office on June 7, 2016, and our office prepared an I-751 application for our client with other supplemental exhibits.

On June 17, 2016, our office filed an I-751 application to the USCIS with multiple affidavits from her friends and family members, joint bank statements, utility bills, joint leasing documents, and photos of our client and her husband to demonstrate the bona fideness of their marriage.

Once the application was filed, the fingerprint notice was issued two weeks later. Eventually, on June 2, 2017, the USCIS approved our client’s I-751 application without any Request for Evidence (RFE).

{ 0 comments }

CASE: N-400 (Citizenship / Naturalization)

APPLICANT: Kenyan

LOCATION: Cincinnati, OH

Our client contacted us in January 2017 to seek legal representation for her naturalization and citizenship N-400 application. She came to the United States from the Kenya and obtained her green card in November 2011.

Once retained, her N-400 application was filed on January 11, 2017 with all supporting documents. Prior to her citizenship interview, our office prepared her via conference calls.  On May 18, 2017, our client appeared at the Cincinnati, OH USCIS office for her naturalization interview. Our client answered all questions correctly and passed her naturalization and citizenship interview. Eventually, her application was approved on May 31, 2017. Her oath taking is scheduled in which she will become a naturalized U.S. Citizen.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H-1B Visa Extension Petition

PETITIONER: Industrial Material Company

BENEFICIARY: Chinese Industrial Material Research Scientist

LOCATION: Ohio

Our client is an industrial material company focused on the production and commercialization of high-performance / non-immunogenic biomaterials for use in the medial and consumer healthcare arenas. They are located in Wooster, Ohio. They contacted our office in December 2016 to seek legal assistance from our office for their foreign employee’s H-1B extension. The beneficiary is from China and obtained his Master’s degree in Plant Pathology in the United States. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is an industrial material research scientist which qualifies as a specialty occupation. This proffered position is clearly a “specialty occupation” because the minimum requirements for this position are a Bachelor’s Degree in Science/Engineering or its equivalent.  Moreover, our office helped this employee’s previous H-1B case in 2014 and it was approved by the USCIS.

Once retained, our office promptly filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on January 19, 2017 via regular processing service.  Since this petition was based on the extension, this petition was exempted from the annual cap of the H-1B.  Thus, we could file prior to the April 1.  There were no Requests for Evidence during the processing of the H-1B.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B Extension Petition was approved on February May 30, 2017.  Now the Beneficiary can continuously work for his Petitioner-Employer as an H-1B visa holder and he can work there for next three years.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: I-485 Adjustment of Status / Schedule A

APPLICANT: Taiwanese

LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY

Our client is a physical therapist. Her current employer was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she was a physical therapist, 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 Master’s degrees in Rehabilitation Science and is a licensed physical therapist in the State of New York. Our office was retained on February 22, 2016 and we filed the Prevailing Wage Determination immediately.

We filed the I-140 application on June 24, 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.  

However, on July 7, 2016, the USCIS issued Request for Evidence (RFE) for her I-140 case. The USCIS requested our client’s employer to explain its multiple locations and our client’s potential place of employment. We filed the Response to RFE on August 11, 2016. Eventually, on August 24, 2016, 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 October 3, 2016. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time.

However, on April 10, 2017, the USCIS issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) and requested our client to I-485 Supplement J document. Our office prepared and filed the Response to RFE along with Supplement J document to USCIS on May 10, 2017.

Eventually, on June 1, 2017, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s adjustment of status application. Now, she finally is a green card holder.

{ 0 comments }

Case: I-130/I-485

Client: Ghanaian

Location: Atlanta, GA

Our client entered the United States in November 2008 from Ghana on an A-2 visa (A-2 diplomatic visa is a nonimmigrant visa which allows foreign accredited officials, not in the diplomatic category, to enter into the U.S. to engage in official activities of their government).  Later, he married his U.S. citizen wife in December 2014. He retained our office on April 6, 2015 for his adjustment of status application.

Our office prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on April 16, 2015. We also filed I-508 and I-566 applications with his adjustment application.   Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, our office thoroughly prepared our client via conference calls for their USCIS adjustment of status interview.

On July 30, 2015, our client and his wife appeared at the Atlanta, GA USCIS office for his adjustment interview. The interview was extensive, and a year later, the USCIS of scheduled another interview for them. The officer was suspicious regarding the bona fideness of our client’s marriage.

On August 9, 2016, our client and his wife appeared at the Atlanta, GA USCIS office his second interview. The interview went well, but the USCIS issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) for our client’s updated vaccination record. Our client promptly filed the Response to RFE.

Finally, on June 1, 2017, the USCIS approved our client’s case. Both the I-130 Petition and I-485 Green Card Application were approved. Our client is now a green card holder.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H-1B Concurrent Employment

PETITIONER: University

BENEFICIARY: Zimbabwean Director of Global Integration & Projects Manager

LOCATION: Kansas

Our client is a university which is located in Kansas. They contacted our office in February 2017 to seek assistance from our office for their foreign employee’s H-1B based on concurrent employment category. The beneficiary is from Zimbabwe and he obtained his Ph. D. degree in chemistry. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Director of Global Integration & Projects Manager which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation. He got his H-1B status with a different petitioner-employer in 2016.

After retention, our office promptly filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on March 9, 2017 via regular processing. We also gathered supporting documents from both the Petitioner and Beneficiary and argued that beneficiary’s position is a specialty occupation as the law requires.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B application was approved on April 27, 2017.  His H-1B is good until April 2020.

{ 0 comments }