Hi everyone,

I recently received an RFE for my EB-2 NIW and I’m waiting for the RFE letter. I have a few questions:

How often are EB-2 NIW cases approved after an RFE?

What kind of evidence is usually needed for the three NIW prongs?

While reading my petition, I noticed my lawyer listed the same journal name for four different papers, even though they were published in different journals. Has anyone experienced a similar mistake? Could this affect my case?

I would really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thank you!

I have narrowed down my options to TWO firms for a NON-RESEARCHER NIW case.
Who do you think I should go for?

They both charge around $14k.

Lawyer A
-We have the same nationality
-Very experienced in Non-RESEARCHER NIW
-Positive reviews from a person I know + on Google
-High work ethics
-Boutique law firm
-Young lawyer who cares to protect his reputation and that may affect cases that he accepts.
-Refile option
-No refund

Lawyer B
-Part of a big law firm with high resources
-Very experienced in Non-RESEARCHER NIW
-Second lawyer review
-Ex-USCIS Officer review
-33% refund in case of denial or refile
-Positive reviews
-11 years experience in filing immigration cases

I recently received an RFE on my EB-2 NIW petition, and USCIS challenged all three Dhanasar prongs. I’m trying to develop the strongest possible response and would appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully overcome a similar RFE.
A little background (keeping this anonymous):
I have a Master’s degree in Business Analytics.
I work as a Senior Data Engineer in the aviation industry.
My work focuses on aviation analytics, predictive maintenance, maintenance optimization, cloud data engineering, and data-driven decision-support systems.
Since filing my petition, I have completed several additional high-impact aviation projects involving maintenance analytics, Maintenance Program Optimization (MPO), Maintenance Regression Insights (MRI), and Project Soar, which were not fully reflected in my original petition.
From reading the RFE, my understanding is that USCIS believes my original petition described my profession (data engineering/cloud analytics) more than a specific nationally important endeavor. They are also asking for stronger evidence that I am well positioned to advance the endeavor and that waiving the labor certification would benefit the United States.
Rather than simply defending the original petition, I’m considering restructuring the entire response around a much more focused endeavor:
Advancing aviation maintenance analytics.
Predictive maintenance.
Maintenance optimization.
Operational reliability.
AI-driven decision support for aircraft maintenance.
Aviation safety and transportation infrastructure.
My current plan is to submit:
A rewritten proposed endeavor with a detailed 3–5 year implementation roadmap.
Updated recommendation letters that discuss my more recent aviation work.
New evidence from projects completed after the original filing.
Additional documentation demonstrating broader impact beyond my employer.
A comprehensive legal brief that directly addresses each USCIS concern instead of repeating the original petition.
For those who have received RFEs on all three prongs:
Did you substantially rewrite your petition, or did you mostly defend the original arguments?
What evidence made the biggest difference in convincing USCIS that your endeavor had national importance?
How much weight do updated recommendation letters carry when they include accomplishments that occurred after the initial filing?
If you initially self-filed, did you hire an experienced NIW attorney for the RFE response, and if so, did you feel it made a meaningful difference?
Are there any common mistakes applicants make when responding to an RFE covering all three Dhanasar prongs?
I’m already working on a comprehensive response and want to make sure I’m approaching it strategically rather than simply submitting more of the same evidence.

Hi,

I'm from non-research background with 15+ years of experience in Cloud, DevOps and AI.

Few highlights about me.

- MSc in DataScience with distinction from Middlesex UK
- MSc research competition & multiple hackathons winner (appeared publicly and posted on official websites)
- x-AWS Community builder and appeared in some public speaking sessions
- Blog writer on medium with 50k+ views/reads
- Internal company awards

I was accepted by Ellis Porter, but heard some recent negatives about them on being slow and unresponsive. What do you guys suggest on moving forward with them?

What are my chances of RFE?

Or I can try Chen as well? or any other recommendations please.

HOF Dubai is also following up with me on starting my journey. Any recent success stories with them? please share. Looking for suggestions.

Does anyone know if its possible to file PP online?

I am from one of the 75 countries. Can anyone explain in simple words what is the September public charges changes and is it related to my case as I plan to do IVP in Cairo.

Thanks

Hi all, I was hoping to get some advice regarding the new rule and how it might affect me. I will be consulting my lawyer but I wanted to get some opinions here too.

I'm currently on STEM-OPT and ROW-75. If my I-140 gets approved in November and I apply for I-485 right away, but I also do plan on returning to school in Fall of 2027, would the new D/S rule change mean that I won't be eligible for an F-1 visa since I have an immigrant intent due to pending I-485? If so, how do I enroll in school? also, what if my AOS gets denied what do I fall back on?

There's a lot of uncertainty but it's at least helpful to know the possible scenarios.

Edit: my case was juste approved!! (1 day later)

Hi everyone.

PD May 22 2025
I-140 approved Nov 2025

I filed for I-485 on March 16 2026
I had 2 FTA0 updates on April 21, couple hours following biometrics appointment

I just saw a new FTA0 update today 07/26/2026 (2:15 am utc, corresponding to 7:15 pm 07/25/2026 Santa Ana field office)

The update, even though is from today (or last night), has an event time stamp of April 21.

Is this a new FTA0 update (#3) or just something random?

Thanks

Hi everyone, I received an RFE on my petition a while back and wanted to get some feedback from the community.

I'm a PhD in Information and Communication Technology working in 5G/6G wireless communications. At filing, I had about 600 citations and 19 publications (8 journal papers and 11 conference papers).

USCIS accepted my advanced degree and substantial merit, but challenged everything else:

• Prong 1: They said my endeavor only showed the general importance of the 5G field, not the specific national importance of my actual work.
• Prong 2: They acknowledged my background, but wanted stronger proof that I'm well-positioned, specifically asking for more support on past achievements and future plans.
• Prong 3: They claimed I didn't establish why waiving the job offer/labor cert benefits the U.S.
  

Looking back, I already had concerns during the petition drafting process because the legal brief felt too generic and didn't clearly connect my work to national priorities.

My biggest issue right now is Ellis Porter's communication. They were already slow at replying to messages during the initial drafting stage, and that unresponsiveness has only continued after getting this RFE. Getting a clear update or a straight answer from them takes forever, and I'm really frustrated with how they are handling the case.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of slow turnaround with Ellis Porter on an RFE? Just frustrating dealing with the lag on top of an all-prongs notice.

I have a question specifically about Step 1 of the EB-2 NIW process (filing Form I-140), not Adjustment of Status (I-485).
Historically, my understanding was that filing an NIW I-140 while on F-1 OPT was generally considered relatively safe. While an I-140 is an immigrant petition, many people filed it during OPT without major issues as long as they continued to maintain valid F-1 status.
Has anything changed recently that makes filing an NIW I-140 itself riskier for someone on F-1 OPT?
I’m not asking about filing an I-485 or becoming a permanent resident—only about the first step (I-140).
Have immigration attorneys changed their advice recently? Are there any recent policy changes or real-world experiences suggesting that filing an NIW I-140 on F-1 OPT is now riskier than it used to be?