Success Story: Overcoming an RFE, An Italian Forensic Pathology Expert Secured EB-1A Approval
Client’s Testimonial:
“I am very grateful for the work done on my EB 1A petition. The process was handled with a high level of professionalism, and I particularly appreciated the openness and willingness to engage with my input throughout the case.
Although my professional profile is not a typical or purely academic one, the team took the time to fully understand the nature of my work and presented it in a clear, thoughtful, and effective manner. During the RFE stage, we worked collaboratively to strengthen the response, which ultimately led to approval.
I truly appreciated the flexibility, commitment, and support provided throughout the entire process, and I am thankful for the successful outcome.”
On January 28th, 2026, we received another EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) approval for an Assistant Medical Examiner in the Field of Forensic Pathology (Approval Notice).
General Field: Forensic Pathology
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Assistant Medical Examiner
Country of Origin: Italy
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: Illinois
Approval Notice Date: January 28th, 2026
Processing Time: 9 months, 18 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
This EB-1A case focused on a client who built a record showing how his methods and findings are used by other forensic pathologists, prosecutors, and courts to make death investigations and testimony more objective, reproducible, and understandable for non-specialists.
A Record Built Around Practical Impact
The client is a forensic pathologist with extensive experience in academic and scholarly activities, whose work spans forensic trauma examination, medicolegal death investigation, forensic toxicology, forensic radiology, and autopsy pathology. He has been particularly recognized for investigations into sudden unexpected deaths and firearm-related deaths, as well as studies on stab wounds that translate complex injury mechanics into data that can be used in casework and explained in court.
At the core of the record were clear indicators that the field treats the client as a go-to authority:
- Peer-review service: at least 100 reviews for forensic pathology journals and conferences, reflecting repeated trust in his technical judgment.
- Scholarly productivity: 74 peer-reviewed journal articles, 64 conference abstracts, 12 book chapters, 1 book, and 1 first-authored technical report in the field of forensic pathology
- Independent influence: 577 citations documenting that other researchers and practitioners have relied on his work.
Despite these strong metrics, USCIS issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) that accepted key parts of the record, including judging activity and authorship, but questioned whether the evidence sufficiently demonstrated “original contributions of major significance.”
North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) treated the RFE as a clarity-and-proof problem, actively working with the petitioner to collect additional evidence to support his case. The response did not merely restate accomplishments; it showed adoption in the places where forensic work matters most, such as in active investigations, prosecutorial preparation, and courtroom testimony.
Across these points, NAILG organized the response so that significance was shown through third-party reliance and real-world implementation.
Independent expert testimony reinforced that the client’s contributions extend beyond academic publication and into real-world forensic and legal practice. One expert summarized the impact of the client’s work succinctly:
“[Client]’s work thus advances forensic processes and judicial decision-making.”
ApprovalFollowing the RFE response, USCIS approved the EB-1A petition. NAILG is honored to have presented this EB-1A case and to have assisted the client in achieving this approval. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the client through each stage of the process and to help organize the record into a clear, evidence-based petition that reflected the client’s sustained contributions and professional standing in forensic pathology.