Success Story: NIW Approved Without RFE For A Postdoctoral Scholar With Our Firm’s Assistance
Client’s Testimonial:
"After a long wait, I finally received the approval. Thank you to the Chen legal team for all your professional support and for providing prompt responses throughout the process."
On April 3rd, 2026, we received another EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) approval for a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Field of Biomedical Science (Approval Notice).
General Field: Biomedical Science
Position at the Time of Case Filing: Postdoctoral Scholar
Country of Origin: Taiwan
State of Residence at the Time of Filing: California
Approval Notice Date: April 3rd, 2026
Processing Time: 25 months, 22 days
Case Summary:
The client’s approved I-140 National Interest Waiver petition presented a strong case under the NIW framework by showing that her work in biomedical science has both substantial merit and national importance. As reflected in the petition, the client holds a Ph.D. in basic medical sciences and has built a research profile centered on establishing disease models to identify genes critical to hematopoiesis, with the goal of advancing therapies for severe blood disorders, including leukemia and chronic mountain disease.
At the time of filing, the client was conducting research in the United States and planned to continue studying genes and molecules involved in blood generation through animal disease models, gene editing, and compound screening. The petition strategically emphasized that, in the NIW context, the key question is not merely whether the client had a job, but whether her proposed endeavor itself carried broad importance and whether she was well-positioned to move that endeavor forward.
To support that point, the filing highlighted a publication record of 7 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 2 first-authored articles, along with 2 first-authored conference abstracts and 1 first-authored accepted conference abstract. Her work had also been cited 167 times. These metrics were not presented as automatically dispositive. Instead, the petition framed them the way an adjudicator would likely assess them: as objective indicators that other researchers had engaged with, relied upon, and built upon the client’s findings, which in turn supported the argument that her contributions were already influencing the field in meaningful ways.
The petition further demonstrated significance by pointing to the substance of the client’s research. Her past work included the development and use of zebrafish-based models to study disease mechanisms, blood development, and related therapeutic questions. The filing argued that this work was important not only because it expanded scientific understanding, but because it contributed to research relevant to major health challenges and treatment innovation in blood disorders. Government support also reinforced this point: the record included evidence of major funding connected to the National Institutes of Health and Taiwan’s science funding authorities, helping show that respected institutions had already recognized the value of this line of work.
The petition was also supported by 4 recommendation letters, which helped confirm the originality, influence, and future promise of the client’s research in the field. One expert noted that:
“Her work is crucial to enabling the U.S. to maintain its leadership in pharmaceutical development.”
Together, those letters complemented the publication, citation, and funding evidence and helped show why waiving the job offer requirement would benefit the United States.