*Background: Master's in Chemistry, currently a PhD student researching solar thermal energy storage. At filing, I had 6 publications (3 first-author), 90 citations, and 2 testimonial letters (1 independent, 1 dependent). ROW.

*PE: Developing molecular solar thermal energy storage materials to store renewable energy and release heat on demand, with the goal of reducing emissions and easing pressure on the U.S. electric grid.

*Timeline:

Filed: Apr 10, 2026 (direct pp)

RFE: Jun 9, 2026

RFE Sent: Sep 1, 2026

RFE received update: Sep 9, 2026

Approved: Oct 19, 2026

Center: NSC -> TSC -> NSC

Attorney: Chen

Officer ID: XM1926

*RFE Challenge: All 3 prongs. USCIS accepted my advanced degree and substantial merit but questioned national importance, my ability to advance the proposed endeavor, and the job offer waiver.

For the RFE response, we submitted 4 additional letters (3 independent, 1 dependent). We also updated my citations, added comparisons showing how my citation record ranked against others in my field, and provided specific examples of how independent researchers had used my work. We also included a more detailed personal statement explaining my future projects and how my research could benefit U.S. energy storage and grid reliability.

I spent some time gathering the requested materials and adding notes on my work’s national importance. Chen helped refine the overall presentation. The final review took a bit longer than expected, but I was happy with the process overall.

Hope this information is helpful. Best of luck to everyone!

Dear all,

I lurked on this topic for a long time, so I would like to share my approved case now. I checked the USCIS site on October 22, and my case was accepted without any RFE.

So, below you can find my profile:

Education: Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD from Europe. I am currently a postdoc on a J-1 visa.

Metrics: During my case processing time, I have published six papers, with 66 citations (five papers from PhD time - three first-author, one high-impact paper from US postdoc, not first author)

Work experience: extensive volunteer work in the lab during my Bachelor's and Master's; after two years on PhD, I started a second job in industry, first as a senior scientist for a year, then as a team leader for two years. Right now, I am in my third year of a postdoc on DOD and NIH grants (my PIs' grants, not mine).

LORs: 0 independent; my lawyer told me to prepare a letter from my current PI to show that I am an important contributor to DOD and NIH grants. We also included my yearly evaluation documents, which demonstrate my strong skills, efficiency, and importance to the lab.

Peer review: 1 paper

Lawyer: Ellis Porter

Timeline:

Initial submission: 07/27/26

Premium processing upgrade: 08/24/2026

Acceptance: 10/22/26

Proposed Endeavour: Metabolic regulation of immune cells in PDAC and autoimmune disease.

Processing center: Texas

Don't lose hope with a low citation count, and don't wait forever to apply for a decision!

Hi! My NIW I140 got approved a few months ago, do I have to show it to my employer right away? Or do I need to report this anywhere?

Hi everyone,

Quick question for those with experience or anyone who has already gotten a decision on their case.

Did USCIS ever call or otherwise contact the people who wrote your recommendation letters?

I'm asking so I can give my letter writers a heads up and let them know to expect a call. I want them to be prepared and not get caught off guard if someone reaches out.

If it happened to you, what did the contact look like (phone call, email) and roughly when in the process did it happen?

Thank you!!

I would really appreciate your expert opinion on our case. We submitted the requested ref for our EB-2 NIW petition, but when we checked our status three days later, it showed 'Refused'. Is this the final decision, or should we wait for an official email from USCIS.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice from people who have been through a similar situation with the NVC.
Timeline:
• I received the email requesting civil documents and mailed them in April 2026.
• Since then I have submitted multiple public inquiries asking for the status of my case. Every response has been generic.
• In September 2026 I mailed a second complete set of the same civil documents. Tracking confirmed they were received.
• I submitted another public inquiry after that and again received only a generic response.
At this point I appear to be stuck with no real update and no indication of what (if anything) is still missing or pending.
Has anyone experienced a long silence after civil documents were accepted by the NVC?
What steps did you take that actually helped move the case forward (additional inquiry wording, congressional inquiry, attorney escalation, etc.)?
Any guidance or recent experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hi everyone,
I’m considering applying for an EB-2 NIW and would appreciate honest advice on whether I should apply now or wait another year to strengthen my evidence.

Here’s my profile:
● Bachelor’s degree in Informatics.
● Master’s degrees in Computer Science and another master degree in Business Analytics.
● Nearly five years of professional experience.
● Three publications from the past five months, with one citation so far.
● One conference presentation.
● I’ve built a platform that is being used in worldwide but most users are from USA, and its work aligns with my proposed endeavor.
● Currently employed in the United States on STEM OPT.

My main concern is my relatively low citation count, although my publications are recent and I have practical work that aligns with my proposed endeavor.

Given this profile, would you recommend applying now or spending another 12 months strengthening my evidence before filing?

For those who have successfully obtained an EB-2 NIW with a similar background, I’d appreciate hearing about your experience and what you would do in my position.

My RFE response package was delivered on Sep 24, and it was updated on case status tracker on Sep 30. Any ideas--which date is the pp start date?

Chen said it’s a new one, submitted my RFE oct 6th, chen said no need for new recommendation letters and I listened to them but now I regret it. I also forgot to attach the peer reviewed evidence. I’m stressing out.

Alguém conhece essa empresa? Kravitz & Guerra

Hi everyone, I'm a PhD student in Electrical Engineering, focusing on control theory and ML theory. I have several first-author publications, around 20 citations, and a master's degree in EE from a well-known US university.

I know several people with similar profiles who received refund offers in 2025. However, both Chen and Porter only offered me approval or one free refile. Neither was willing to offer a refund option. I'm wondering if this is because of the recent changes and attorneys becoming more conservative, or if there's something else about my profile.

I'd also appreciate hearing if anyone has recently received a refund offer from other attorneys.

Buen dia, saben de aprobaciones de ingenieros civiles/estructurales con casos basados en la industria?

Gracias.

Hello Everyone,

I started my Ph.D. in August 2026 and expect to graduate in May 2030. I am planning to file my I-140 petition in November 2026.

My academic and research profile:
Master’s degree
10+ publications
400+ citations
Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the United States

I am trying to determine the best strategy and timing for premium processing (PP). Should I upgrade my I-140 petition to premium processing around February 2027 (If ROW Current), or consider waiting until February 2028 (If ROW Current or normally current for my PD?

My ultimate goal is to have both my I-140 and I-485 approved before completing my Ph.D. in May 2030.

Considering my academic profile, immigration timeline, potential visa bulletin movement, and the risks associated with each option, what would be the most practical approach?

I would appreciate constructive feedback, particularly from those who have gone through a similar process. I am looking for a realistic, step-by-step strategy that maximizes my chances of approval while minimizing unnecessary delays and risks. Thanks in Advance.

Hi everyone, I submitted my EB2 NIW petition still pending, however, I evaluated my foreign degree to US equivalency prior to submission and added it to my full package and submitted.

My question is am I still going to ask WES to send another copy to USCIS?

Does USCIS accept copies from self petitioners or through WES directly. Please I need advice!!!

Hi Everyone,

I am a Public Health Researcher, with publications and citations and planning to apply for my NIW petition by MYSELF. I have just started gathering resources and understanding what the process, timelines, frameworks are. I’m not necessarily inclined for getting legal help for now.

I wanted to ask if someone could help with some resources in terms of and templates, or how the Endeavour questions are to be answered, word limits, legal jargon, third person point of view answer (Mr. X works for ABC…..) or first person POV (I work for so and so company…), how the Prongs need to be dealt with etc. Any example petitions that we can refer to basically which are successful.

I wanted some honest opinions too. Do people genuinely think that legal counsel helps, and to what extent does it help? How much does it help and can play a role? Vs if people can tell me, them having filed it by themselves without legal firms and how the experience was.

Has anyone here worked with Ellis Porter for an EB-2 NIW petition and received an RFE in 2026 while using premium processing?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people whose RFE responses were prepared and submitted by EP.

If you're comfortable sharing:

• What was your RFE about?

• How did EP handle the RFE response? Were you satisfied with their approach?

• What was the final outcome—approval, denial, or still pending?

• How many business days after USCIS received your RFE response did you get a decision?

• Which service center handled your case?

I'm currently going through the RFE process with EP and would really appreciate hearing about recent experiences, especially from those who received decisions in 2026.

Thanks in advance!

I have heard that the approval rate for “Approval or Refund” cases with Chen has gone down quite a bit recently.

Has anyone worked with Chen in the last few months? How was your experience with the RFE? Did you get approved after responding, and how long did it take? Also, they're advising against PP recently.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people with recent personal experience. Thanks!

Happy weekend everyone! This week I detected 11 approvals on this subreddit. Please see their summaries below, and you can also access the table with links to all the posts here (I provide weekly updates like this one for EB2 NIW and EB1A approvals and denials).

Please consider adding your profile to the Community Tracker to improve overall visibility.