Tag Archives: publications

Self petition and medical Phd student

Question:
I am interested in applying for Green Card. I graduated from university of Athens, school of medicine. I did my PhD at the same institution (degree expected in early 2012), I have 6 publications and 3 under review, 60 presentations in national and international meetings, currently working in the USA (Boston, MA) on H1b visa, I also received 6 first awards in Greece and I have 2 scholarships.

Q1:
What do you think my chances are?

Answer:
Your resume looks strong. A well prepared petition will have a good chance. The right category (EB1a or NIW) depends on your research/work area and your overall evidence.

Q2:
Can you guide me through the process?

Answer:
The green card for PhDs website has a self-petition packet that has example petitions. Several people have successfully used these to build their petitions. We help by answering questions which petitioners have.

Q3:
How long it will take in case it is approved?

Answer:
GC has two main applications, i-140 and i-485. Generally the first one is quicker. You can find the overall time it takes in the USCIS processing schedules website. This depends on the category you apply to and the country of your origin.

Detailed answers to your questions and most commonly asked questions can be found in pdf format at the link.

Green card for master’s students

Question:
I am  a graduate student in electrical engineering. I had few questions regarding the green card for master’s students on F-1. I have 3 international IEEE publications and 1 ordinary journal paper. My questions for you are as follows:

Q1:
What are the chances of getting EAD (Work authorization) for a master’s student if I apply after completing my master’s i.e., I will no more be on F-1 visa, I will be on OPT?

Answer:
OPT is also considered being on F1 status. You can get an EAD on OPT which will last for a year and can be extended for additional 17 months (for STEM fields).

If you are referring to EAD through Green card, you have to self-petition in EB1A (requires establishment of extraordinary ability) or EB2-NIW (requires you to show that your work is in national interest). In any category, the priority dates for your nationality should allow you to file i-485 in order to get an EAD.

In summary it is possible as long as you meet USCIS criteria.

Q2:
How many research publications are required? And what are the other important things or criteria looked into for giving an EAD?

Answer:
It is not just publications but how you show evidence of national interest. Please refer to USCIS criteria and our free e-book for answers to FAQ.

Q3:
Was there anyone who had applied for EAD while doing master’s or after completing his/her master’s? I know mostly PhD students apply for green cards.

Answer:
We have not helped any master’s students. Green card is not restricted to PhDs, anyone who meets USCIS criteria can apply.

Q4:
How much would be the entire amount required while applying for EAD or green card? And how much would it be if I go throw a lawyer?

Answer:
For EAD via Green card, you need to apply for i-140, i-485 and i-175. You can find the processing fee at USCIS website.

Lawyers charge anywhere from $3k and higher in addition to the application fee.

Question:
If I go through the entire process and by any chance my petition for EAD gets rejected. Will I lose my F-1 status?  If so, do I need to move completely back to my home country? Or is there any solution for it?

Answer:
We are assuming that you are referring to EAD via Green card. You will not lose your F-1 status. However, you will not be able to renew your F1 once you apply for i-485. When you apply for i-485, you are expressing intent to immigrate. Usually EAD application is not rejected, but i-485 can be.

You can find more information on F1 and green card on the following post.

How many publications do I need for EB1A or EB2-NIW

Question:

Hi,
I had a look at your websites, and it sounds a new and interesting thing to me. I have a simple question which clears many things for me. How many journal papers (e.g. in IEEE transactions) do I need to publish, to build a strong case for EB1A or EB-NIW?

Answer:
There is no fixed number that one can suggest. Some one may have a top notch publication which every one in the field considers it as best. If such a publication received several awards, magazine reviews etc then just one or two related may be good enough. There are people who have applied with just as few as 3 or so publications. Also there are applicants with nearly 50. All were successful.

Question:

I know it depends on which journals, and paper reviews, and other things as well. But let’s put the major emphasis on publication, and let’s say for example IEEE Journals (or any other examples you can give me). I want to know should I invest on this route, or it’s really for very competitive special people, like winners of national Olympiads, or nation-wide awards. I have couple of journals and can publish a couple of more. But I am highly uncertain with 4 5 good journal papers I would be eligible (since there are so many post docs publishing so many papers, but I never see any of them choosing this route). At the end, most PhD graduates have 3 4 journals, anyways !

Thank you very much

Answer:
Awards are only one part of the entire list USCIS mentions. It is not necessary that all applicants have it. We are aware of successful applicants with just few publications 7 or so (conference plus journal). In such cases it depends on how one justifies the NIW or EB1a. It would be useful if you looked at some example petitions to understand how to plan your strategy. You should build an understanding  on what collaborations, what directions of research, what types of publications, which research journals (impact factors etc) and citations etc are important.