EB-2 NIW question

D

DavidB

Registered Users (C)
Hi,
I am currently in the process of gathering data for filing an I-140 self petition under NIW and have the following questions.

How strong is my self petition?
1) PhD in computer science from a top 30 world ranking school in the UK
2) 3 years working as a postdoc at a US university
3) partially funded by an NIH grant
4) Paper reviewer for a top 5 conference
5) best paper award at an international conference
6) work shown on the front cover of an international conference proceeding
7) Only 3 papers published conferences (journal aren't considered big in my field)
8) ~10 letter of recommendation from the US and internationally including heads of research groups and institutions.
9) presented work at a major NIH funded research group meeting.
10) British citizen

Also which processing center is the least stringent, the one for my region is Nebraska, but can I file at another center?

Finally, does and one have a sample successful self petition letter I could look at?

Cheers
David
 
1) PhD in computer science from a top 30 world ranking school in the UK That qualifies you for the part that states that you need to have an advanced degree. Assuming you work in the same field
2) 3 years working as a postdoc at a US universityIn itself does not hold much weight. What you have done as a postdoc might - you would have to prove that you have made a significant impact on your field, more than someone else in a comparable position has
3) partially funded by an NIH grantNot sure, unless you can claim that that is exceptional for a person in your position or that it is very prestigious. Also you would have to claim that it was due to you personally that the funding was given
4) Paper reviewer for a top 5 conferenceHow exceptional is this for someone in your position. Can you prove -letter from organizing committee f.i stating that they singled you out for this due to your expertise
5) best paper award at an international conference Maybe, depending on how prestigious this is. How many people get an award like this?
6) work shown on the front cover of an international conference proceedingIf you can prove that that is an exceptional honor
7) Only 3 papers published conferences (journal aren't considered big in my field)You would have to convincingly argue that journals aren't considered big, mere assertion won't be enough. Also you would have to prove that your published papers have made a difference in your field -have they been cited, have people changed the way they do things based on your papers etc
8) ~10 letter of recommendation from the US and internationally including heads of research groups and institutions.The amount is sufficient. How many of those people are not directly related to you (i.e not your graduate professors, colleagues, collaborators ). Also more importantly what the writers claim in their letters has to be backed up by you with evidence. F.i. if the writer claims that you have been 'extensively cited' you would have include evidence of such. USCIS compares the letters to available evidence you supply.
9) presented work at a major NIH funded research group meeting.Not sure, depends on how you argue that this is an honor
10) British citizen Doesn't matter
 
Any out-of-loop citations to your publications?

Also, do you have any invitations to give talks or to join editorial boards etc (even if you didn't accept them)?
 
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Yes, I was asked to present at an "all hands meeting" explaining how the software I from the department I was in would be of use to computational biology.
Not many citations for my papers, but some of the software I've worked as the main developer on has more citations.
Also I am a member of SIGGRAPH, EuroGraphics and as I am hoping to apply for EB2 doesn't need to be invited position.

I was recommended to be a reviewer for a major conference by a leading figure in my field.
 
Also I am a member of SIGGRAPH, EuroGraphics and as I am hoping to apply for EB2 doesn't need to be invited position.

It is if you are claiming it as one of the criteria to distinguish yourself. Just being a member does not do anything for your application. It only counts if you have been selected to become a member based on your excellence in the field.
 
Yes, I was asked to present at an "all hands meeting" explaining how the software I from the department I was in would be of use to computational biology. You would have to prove that this is an unusual honor and not something that is part of your work or someone in your field of work routinely. Why did YOU have to give the presentation and not your colleague for example. You can support this by letters from the organizers specifying that you specifically were needed to give this presentation


Not many citations for my papers, but some of the software I've worked as the main developer on has more citations.First you would have to prove that you are the main developer of the software and not just part of a team. Then the citations have to be specifically about the thing you developed. F.i. if I developed a new font for Yahoo, then references to Yahoo would only count if they were pertaining to the new font. Apart from citations you can also prove your worth by describing (asn backing up) that your work has influences others, that it is used by other entities, that your software itself has made a major difference

I was recommended to be a reviewer for a major conference by a leading figure in my field.How did this leading figure know you?

Not trying to be difficult but just posing the questions USCIS also might. If you work on answering these in your first submission you won't have to deal with RFE's and the like hopefully. Your best defense is a good offense
 
If your membership in SIGGRAPH and EuroGraphics are paid, then they have no value when it comes to NIW.

Regarding citations, if your name is there on the software site or if you can get a letter from the person who manages the software development process, then I think it can be helpful. Simply, you need to convince the USCIS officer that your work is on demand and is useful for the nation.

Also, try to get AT LEAST ONE recommendation letter from someone who is affiliated with a governmental agency such as a national research lab, military lab, etc, stating that the work you have done has helped the nation... Obviously, the content of reco letters are not like other standard letters!

Since you were invited to review for a major conference, print the invitation email, and collect some information about the conference ranking etc and include it with your application, emphasizing the conference ranking etc. You still can email several journal editors asking them to consider you as a reviewer. Journals don't have to be highly ranked. Most of them will most likely invite you to review a paper or two. You can print the invitation emails and include them with your application. All you need is to write the letter to the editors carefully.

At the end, it all depends on how you market yourself!
 
Hey! David:

In my experience, one has to conclusively prove that one's work is in the national interest, and as such, a waiver for the labor certification process should be granted. I was successfully able to demonstrate this with the aid of persuasive letters of recommendation written by some of the top scientists in my field. In all, I had a total of 14 such letters, spanning academia, government and industry. Most of the letters (~8) were written by people with whom I had never collaborated on any research effort, but had merely gained their acquaintance at conferences and other similar events. These folks, based on their expertise, evaluated my credentials and wrote some stellar recommendations. I truly believe that's what got me through. The other aspect perhaps was that I had organized my petition very meticulously. For instance, letters of recommendation along with the CVs of corresponding referees were packaged in individually labeled full-size envelops. But I digress... Overall I believe that you have a strong case:

1) PhD in computer science from a top 30 world ranking school in the UK - if possible, submit some evidence that indeed the school is so highly ranked.
2) 3 years working as a postdoc at a US university - this in itself is not sufficient to prove the 'national interest' requirement.
3) partially funded by an NIH grant - always good to have big names as funding agencies. Try to get a couple of letters from NIH.
4) Paper reviewer for a top 5 conference - from a research perspective that's outstanding, but it might be difficult to weave this into justifying 'national interest'.
5) best paper award at an international conference - submit documentary evidence.
6) work shown on the front cover of an international conference proceeding - this is a clincher, at least in my opinion. Again submit documentary evidence.
7) Only 3 papers published conferences (journal aren't considered big in my field) - perhaps you should have your referees attest this assertion.
8) ~10 letter of recommendation from the US and internationally including heads of research groups and institutions. - cannot hurt!
9) presented work at a major NIH funded research group meeting. I think this might be construed as being routine, and as such, may not accorded any special significance.
10) British citizen - cool! At least you will not have to wait in line to file I485 like some of us. I am assuming here that you are natural born British citizen and not a naturalized British citizen!

Also which processing center is the least stringent, the one for my region is Nebraska, but can I file at another center? I am not sure if you chose the service center where you want to file. I filed at the Texas Service Center, and they took one year to approve my I140 without any Request for Evidence (RFE).

Finally, does and one have a sample successful self petition letter I could look at?

Good luck!
 
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