From January to March 2014, our firm received 21 NIW case approvals. USCIS approved 16 of these cases without Requests for Evidence (RFEs). In addition, from January to March 2014, our firm also received 48 EB-1 case approvals. In summary, from January to December 2013, our firm received 357 NIW approvals and 216 EB-1 approvals.

Out of the 21 NIW cases approved in the past three months, most applicants had a Ph.D. degree when applying. However, 4 of these applicants, or approximately 19%, 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 finance, Chinese language & culture, 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.	17	81%
Master	4	19%

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 citations they received was 82. The average processing time for these applications was 165 days, or more than five months. The longest it took to approve an application was 334 days, while the shortest was 74 days.

Median number of Journal papers	9
Median number of citations	82
Average Processing days	165

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 for your immigration needs.

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 21 NIW cases approved from January to March 2014, please refer to the table below.

Client	Degree	Research field	Journal papers	Citations	Job title	RFE	Processing days
1	Master	Mechanical Engineering	N/A	N/A	Sr. Mechanical Design Engineer	Yes	145
2	Ph.D.	biochemistry	6	90	Postdoctoral Research Associate	No	112
3	Ph.D.	Finance	3	N/A	Researcher	No	164
4	Master	Biomedical Engineering	4	95	Biomedical Engineer	No	121
5	Ph.D.	genetics & physiology	10	124	Senior Research Fellow	No	243
6	Ph.D.	Computer Science	N/A	N/A	Researcher	Yes	198
7	Ph.D.	Chinese language & culture	12	945	Lecturer	Yes	334
8	Ph.D.	Food science	9	82	Postdoctoral Associate	No	95
9	Master	drug metabolism	9	29	Senior Scientist	No	265
10	Ph.D.	biomedical	12	105	Research fellow	No	97
11	Ph.D.	biochemistry	8	35	Post Doc Researcher	Yes	184
12	Ph.D.	Electrical Engineering	16	73	Sr. Engineer	No	289
13	Ph.D.	biochemistry	8	119	Postdoctoral Fellow	Yes	215
14	Ph.D.	biological and medical science	3	19	Researcher	No	125
15	Master	Biotechnology and Molecular & Cell Biology	4	5	Research Associate	No	167
16	Ph.D.	Biomedical	8	82	Research Scientist	No	223
17	Ph.D.	Electrical Engineering	25	157	Postdoctoral Fellow	No	121
18	Ph.D.	Semiconductor Research	11	0	Design Engineer	No	118
19	Ph.D.	biomedical	10	83	Postdoctoral Researcher	No	74
20	Ph.D.	seismology	11	80	Postdoctoral Scholar	No	97
21	Ph.D.	Electrical and Electronics	3	5	Post-doctorate Fellow	No	86

 

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Attorney Kristin Whitaker, a former USCIS officer at the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the USCIS, has been working for Zhang & Associates, P.C. since February 4, 2013 as a Senior Attorney and Training Manager.

For the past five years before she joined us, Kristin had served as an attorney for the USCIS working in the AAO, handling a wide range of appeals cases. This experience has given her a unique insight into the USCIS which she will utilize to assist clients in obtaining the best possible results.

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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of 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, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past eighteen years, we have successfully helped thousands of 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

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

 

(04/25/2014)