Success Story: NIW Approval for an Italian Computer Scientist Advancing Smarter Malware Detection
Client’s Testimonial:
"I had an excellent experience collaborating with Chen Immigration on my EB 2 NIW petition. The platform is intuitive and well structured, and the attorneys were always prompt and thorough in their responses. Thanks to their guidance, my petition was approved smoothly.”
On March 20th, 2026, we received an EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for an Assistant Professor in the Field of Computer Science (Approval Notice).
General Field: Computer Science
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Assistant Professor
Country of Origin: Italy
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: March 20th, 2026
Processing Time: 12 months, 2 days (Premium Processing Requested)
Case Summary:
Cybersecurity problems rarely stand still. Malware changes, disguises itself, and evolves faster than many traditional defenses can keep up. That is why some of the most valuable research in computer science is no longer about catching only known threats. It is about building systems capable of recognizing what has not yet been seen. Our client’s NIW case was built around exactly that challenge.
Research That Responds to an Evolving Threat
Malware detection remains one of the most urgent challenges in cybersecurity, especially when labeled datasets are incomplete, and threat actors continue introducing new forms of attack. Because he develops state-of-the-art machine learning models that use synthetic data generation, our client’s research helps close that gap. The petition showed that this work supports stronger protection for critical infrastructure, government systems, and private sector networks, while also contributing to broader U.S. interests in artificial intelligence, data security, privacy, and advanced computing.
A Career Built on Asking Better Questions
One recommendation letter captured this clearly: “[Client]'s study provided valuable insights, particularly his conclusion that combining dynamic and static features does not improve the accuracy of malware detection.” That observation reflected an important aspect of his influence. His work helped clarify which assumptions in malware detection actually hold up and which do not, giving other researchers a more reliable foundation on which to build.
A Record of Deep and Independent Influence
North America Immigration Law Group (Chen Immigration Law Associates) also highlighted a research profile that showed unusual depth. Our client earned a Ph.D. in computer science and produced 21 peer-reviewed journal articles, 29 peer-reviewed conference articles, and 10 book chapters.
The citation evidence was even more striking. His published body of work had received 1,844 citations. According to the petition, that record placed him within the top 1% of his field in computer science over that period. The case also documented that 20 of his papers ranked among the most highly cited articles in computer science for their publication years.
Other teams used his findings to evaluate dynamic analysis methods, validate image-based malware detection models, and support adaptive approaches for classifying new malware families.
His expertise was also reflected in his peer review service. He had completed at least 7 reviews for authoritative journals and conferences. This type of service matters because it shows that other experts trusted his judgment in evaluating research at a professional level.
The Result
This NIW approval came from presenting a clear story about a researcher whose work helps cybersecurity stay ahead of evolving threats. We are delighted by this approval and look forward to his future work in computer science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.