RFE for EB1/EA from NSC

A

arunachalam

Registered Users (C)
Hi guys,
   I had self petitioned for EA by myself and have received a RFE. I am looking for some advice on how to answer the
   RFE.
   My particulars are as follows
   1) Ph.D in organic chemistry, worked a post-doc in one of the top US university for a year and then spent two years in
   Germany as a Alexander Humboldt Fellow and again now working as a post-doc in US in the medicinal chemistry
   department(apparently I am working in the organic chemistry area of medicinal chemistry). I am synthesizing
   compounds that are anti-HIV agents.I have completed 14 months in this area and I am yet to get a paper in this area, I
   have got some interesting results but it will take some more time to get published. My adviser has clearly written about
   my work in his reference letter which I submitted along with my original application.
   The RFE is ( I am using the same wordings that has been used by INS) that the documentation submitted with the
   petition (including that pertaining to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship), indicates that you are an
   accomplished researcher in organic chemistry. The importance of the research in which you are currently engaged is
   readily apparent. However, it is not apparent that you have the level of acclaim required for this visa classification.
   They have also written as follows
   Please submit any available additional evidence that would address the issue of your standing in the field of chemistry
   in terms of sustained national or international acclaim, such as, if applicable, any published material about your
   achevements and career. You may also provide additional information about how the evidence already submitted
   demonstrates that you have the requisite level of sustained acclaim.
   The point I would like to know is whether I should explain to them that though I am working in the medicinal chemistry
   area I am still in my organic chemistry and should let them know that these two areas medicinal chemistry and orgainc
   chemistry so closely interrelated, often there exists no boundary between them. I would appreciate very much if
   someone could shed some light on this.
   Thanks Arun.
 
No Title

I got approved in EB1-EA from VSC without any RFE last year. I think you are unnecessarily worried about the distinction between Organic Chem and Med. Chem. That is not what they want to see in your application; they want to see the evidence from the categories mentioned in the i-140 application form. Put together a nice cover letter (5-10 pages long) explaining the impact of your research (both in organic chem and medicinal chem) in lay man\'s terms. Attach the following evidence:

1. 5-10 reference letters from people other than your advisor. Atleast half of these should be from people outside the US. These letters should have words like "excellent", extraordinay, top 5% liberally sprinkled among them. Also, these letters should explain why your work is really better than others in "quantitative" terms (achieved 3 dB better performance than best existing methods, etc.) The best way to tackle this is to send a rough draft and ask your recommenders to make changes to it ... explain that it is to beat red tape and most should be willing to help you. It would be best if these people know you "through your work" rather than personally. Letters are the **most important** part of your evidence because they justify the magnitude of your work and awards to the IIO who doesn\'t have a good handle on the research that you do.

2. Awards/Fellowships: not only add evidence to support that you got these awards but these must be mentioned in the cover letter and take some space to explain why they are important (1 person out of 400 people get it etc.)

3. Citations of your work by others. Get a list of citations and if possible annotate atleast some of them by quoting what they say about your paper.

4. Publications. Make a list of **every scrap of paper** that you ever published (including internal research reports etc.) If some publications are more important/have very low rate of acceptance, mention this in the cover letter. Add first pages of publications as evidence. If you have any patents in process add attorney letters to prove it.

5. Program committees of conferences/Reviewer/Interviewer etc. present as many pieces of paper you got to justify that you reviewed peer\'s work in your field.

Note that presentation of your work is AS IMPORTANT as the awards that you got. Also, remember that you dont need to send any originals.
 
No Title

Hi Kr9,
Thanks for your mail. I will try to fullfill all those things in my covering letter. Do you still have your covering letter you used for your application and would you be interested in sending it to me. My e-mail is kannan@purdue.edu.
Thanks, Arun
 
No Title

Arun:

My situation is similar to yours. My petition for extraordinary alien was submitted to INS through the assistance of a lawyer on Oct 1999. On June 2000, we got an RFE from the INS. In the second round, we submitted 5 reference letters from people who I did not work directly with and their evaluation of me are based on reading the literaure or my publications. Notice this type of letters carries a lot of weight with the INS. I also submitted my latest publications, letters that I review manucripts for international journals, conferences that I attended and citations of my papers. We submiitted these to NSC on Aug 2000. After a week we got a notice of approval. Hope this info is useful.
My lawyer told me that RFE is typical. Good luck to you. You have a good credential and you just need to packaged your RFE response very well.
 
No Title

Hi Dominicalfonso,
Thanks a lot for your posting. I think I can do similar to what you have said and hopefully I can get thru, let us see.
Thanks, Arun.
 
No Title

As others have stated, the important thing is to secure an additional 4-5 letters from people who "know you through your work" - even if these people are known to you personally, do not emphasize that. I received a very similar RFE for my EB1-OR petition and my response was along those lines. INS is not very much concerned, I feel, on an additional smattering of research papers and publications - you have already provided a bulk of that. Get the letters - what I did in my case was I drafted each of those letters with liberal doses of words like "extra ordinary" through out and then sent it off for signatures... then you need a nice cover letter (which can be 4-5 pages) - in the cover letter argue your case by picking relevant paragraphs from the cover letters; and a discussion of the additional documentation. Don\'w worry about organic vs. medicinal chemsitry - INS is least bothered about such distinctions.

hope this helps
 
No Title

Hi Sosa,
Thanks for your posting, I think I am planning in the same way you have mentioned. I think I need to concentrate on my covering letter and I am working on that now.
Thanks, Arun
 
No Title

I suggest you do the following:

1, Get more recommendation letter from established professor/researcher from several different countries (not all in US, more countries better), all saying you are a established scholar (leader in some case with the subject you research if possible)with important contribution in you field.

2, Find evidence that other research institutions are interested in you work, like some university or research institution or company have invited you for a seminar/talk etc. These talks need not to be formal.

3, If you have, show them you have been involved in judging other people\'s work in your field, like reviewing paper for magazine/conference proceedings, etc.

4, Have you ever sitting in an board of an academic conference or being a session chair/cochair of an academic conference (even the conference only has 3 attendants), etc. That\'s certainly an claim.

5, Restate all the important point that matches the requirements of EB1-EA in you previously submitted material.

That\'s all I did for my RE and was approved.
 
No Title

Any idea for filing amendment for an existing (EB2 -NIW) application, to a) change address, b)increase the salary, and c) add more documents. The original application was filed in Sept. 29,00 and still pending. During this time the above three information has changed (increased, salary and more projects
I have contributing to).
Please send me any sample letters that you have or pointers to any existing samples on the web would be very much appreciated.
Thanks.
further info: CSC center, EB2-NIW cat, ND 10/02/00. Recent message
(since jan 3,01) 50-60days to process your case. Message still the same (verified 3/31/01). Profile: Ph.D.,~3 years exp, energy, 10 support letter original application.
 
No Title

Any idea for filing amendment for an existing (EB2 -NIW) application, to a) change address, b)increase the salary, and c) add more documents. The original application was filed in Sept. 29,00 and still pending. During this time the above three information has changed (increased, salary and more projects
I have contributing to).
Please send me any sample letters that you have or pointers to any existing samples on the web would be very much appreciated.
Thanks.
further info: CSC center, EB2-NIW cat, ND 10/02/00. Recent message
(since jan 3,01) 50-60days to process your case. Message still the same (verified 3/31/01). Profile: Ph.D.,~3 years exp, energy, 10 support letter original application.
 
No Title

Hi,
   Would please evaluate my case for an EB1-EA.

   1) PhD in Computer Sciecne from INDIA
   2) Four year Teaching experience in Computer Science at the Masters Level in an INDIAN University
   3) One year post doctoral research experience in CANADA
   4) Seven publications ( Two top international and rest in INDIA)
   5) One chapter in a book published by TATA McGILL INDIA
   6) Two citations ( my knowledge)
   7) Supervised more than ten Masters level Thesis
   8) Member of Different commities in the INDIAN University( Doctoral committe, Affiliation committe, Board of Studies)
   9) Around 3 years of IT experience in USA
   10) At present working for a LUCENT spinoff R&D ( Telecommunication software R&D).

   My company is about to file in EB1-OR. But, if qualified, I intend to file in EB1-EA. Also, can you send me a sample cover
   letter to prove the case. if not please advice where I can get a sample.

   Thanks,
   Apk
 
No Title

Hi,

I got my I-140 approval letter yesterday. I responded to my RFE on April 14, 2001 and the AVM recognised it on April 17 and it was approved on April 25 and I got the letter on April 30, 2001. I really want to thank all the people for their valuable suggestions. Anway, Good luck to all of you still waiting for the approval.
My case was in EA/EB from NSC.
Thanks,
Arun.
 
No Title

What is RFE? I am applying for NIW also, and I got a letter from INS asking for additional information. Is it a RFE? Thanks.
 
No Title

Hello Arunachalam,

Would you please post what documents you submitted in response of your RFE? I am applying for EB1-EA and got the same letter.

Thank you.

Bajie
 
No Title

Hi,

The RFE means Request for Further Evidence and INS usually ask if they are not satisfied with the evidence to conclude a case. In my response I submitted 5 more letters, copies of two manuscripts that I recently submited for publication and list of some more citations and it worked for me.
Good Luck.
Arun.
 
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