Hi All,
I need some help here to chose a strategy for green card application trough NWI petition.
Briefly, I'm scientist currently working in a Mid-West University as Postdoc Fellow. I have been in US since January 2005 on multiple types of visa and currently I'm on H1B (will expire next summer but we plan to apply for extension for 3 more years).
I came to US back in 2005 to join my wife who is also scientist and PhD researcher. I have a PhD from Eastern European where I was born. I've been working as a postdoc since 2007. My current field of study is not closely related to my previous PhD work/studies. I have about 8 papers published back in Europe (2000-2004) and recently I got two papers (2009) in my "new" area of work. The citations for all these papers are very little or none because my papers are either too new (2009) or focused on some unique problems of animal nutrition and infectious parasitic diseases (2000-2004).
1.) Recently I was fortunate to receive a Postdoctoral Fellowship award from American Heart Association (could be considered as lesser nationally or internationally recognized prize/award).
2.) I'm regular member of The American Physiological Society and the Biophysical Society (both of which require outstanding achievements as judged by recognized national or international experts).
3.) I have no history as peer-reviewer, but I hope soon to start work in this direction. By the end of this year I have to finish one more paper on diabetes and diastolic heart failure and also to generate data for a grant sponsored by NASA.
4.) I might collect 5-6-7 letters from professors or surgeons which I work with. I'm collecting (in collaboration with others) human heart specimens collected during a heart transplantations (translational science). My other 'basic' science work might be considered as important for the nation because it is focused on diabetes, aging and heart failure. All of those are major healthcare problems in USA.
I wonder is it better to start preparing now for NIW application or may be better to wait couple more years. Are there any chances that the upcoming immigration reform will improve or make things less or more complicated for people like me? Do you think that I might qualify now for NIW green card? What could be the worst case scenario if I got my application denied? Can I reapply in a few years 2013? Should I wait to get my H1b extended for 3 more years before I send my documents to USCIS next year or it is smarter if send them now before the end of 2009?
Thank you for reading/answering to my questions!
I need some help here to chose a strategy for green card application trough NWI petition.
Briefly, I'm scientist currently working in a Mid-West University as Postdoc Fellow. I have been in US since January 2005 on multiple types of visa and currently I'm on H1B (will expire next summer but we plan to apply for extension for 3 more years).
I came to US back in 2005 to join my wife who is also scientist and PhD researcher. I have a PhD from Eastern European where I was born. I've been working as a postdoc since 2007. My current field of study is not closely related to my previous PhD work/studies. I have about 8 papers published back in Europe (2000-2004) and recently I got two papers (2009) in my "new" area of work. The citations for all these papers are very little or none because my papers are either too new (2009) or focused on some unique problems of animal nutrition and infectious parasitic diseases (2000-2004).
1.) Recently I was fortunate to receive a Postdoctoral Fellowship award from American Heart Association (could be considered as lesser nationally or internationally recognized prize/award).
2.) I'm regular member of The American Physiological Society and the Biophysical Society (both of which require outstanding achievements as judged by recognized national or international experts).
3.) I have no history as peer-reviewer, but I hope soon to start work in this direction. By the end of this year I have to finish one more paper on diabetes and diastolic heart failure and also to generate data for a grant sponsored by NASA.
4.) I might collect 5-6-7 letters from professors or surgeons which I work with. I'm collecting (in collaboration with others) human heart specimens collected during a heart transplantations (translational science). My other 'basic' science work might be considered as important for the nation because it is focused on diabetes, aging and heart failure. All of those are major healthcare problems in USA.
I wonder is it better to start preparing now for NIW application or may be better to wait couple more years. Are there any chances that the upcoming immigration reform will improve or make things less or more complicated for people like me? Do you think that I might qualify now for NIW green card? What could be the worst case scenario if I got my application denied? Can I reapply in a few years 2013? Should I wait to get my H1b extended for 3 more years before I send my documents to USCIS next year or it is smarter if send them now before the end of 2009?
Thank you for reading/answering to my questions!