Disclaimer: The contents in this web site are only for your information and are not intended to be legal advice. While many of our applicants successfully obtain their I-140 approvals, the information here should not be considered as a guarantee of your green card application outcome.
Applying from outside the USA
Published Jul 26,2013
By GCforPhD
Question:
Thank you so much for all your efforts on your website, it is really helpful ,after I saw your site I decided to go forward and self petition
but when I contacted a lawyer I got confused .My intention was to apply for the Eb1a but they advised me to apply for NIW .I am attaching my CV it has my publications under published work heading.
As for citations I got citations 6 times.And I have other reference letters apart from the attached ones.
My question is which do you think will suit me better Eb1a or NIW? ;as i don’t know if my field of “Image Watermarking for Security Applications” will be eligible for NIW; my other question is can I apply from outside the USA as I am from Egypt and what are my chances based on that?
Again Thank You So Much for all the help 🙂
Response:
In our opinion NIW may be more appropriate. EB1A may be possible but that would require significantly more evidence than you have attached. In either case, lot depends on how the petition and evidence are presented.
Your recommendation letters need to be written appropriate to the right kind of petition.
For examples you can see self-petition packets as in our website.
Here are our thoughts on the area of your work. It sound like your research area could be justified under NIW. In general most advanced research activities could be argued to be in the US national interest.
If you plan to apply from abroad, it is possible. You should fill you i-140 application differently and use the consular processing approach.
Posted in EB1A
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Amit Pande
11 years ago
Hello,
I see that this page is active. So, eager for your help. I have 50+ publications, 100 non-self/ 150+ citations, 12+ awards including prestigious NSF fellowship and Best paper awards. I did a Self-petition which got rejected. Moreover, I did a lawyer who (really was lazy and offered no help after I paid the fee) and it was rejected. I got two clause approved both the times – papers and reviewer for work of others, but not third one. Can you recommend me if I should try again and any attorney?
We looked at the link to your webpage. You seem to have good background and possibly satisfy all the requirements for a self-petition under EB1a or EB2niw. EB1a is generally hard, although still possible in your case provided you carefully prepare your petition and evidence. We suggest you look at some example petitions from successful petitioners.
USCIS does not usually reject petitions. In many cases they send an RFE (request for evidence). A carefully constructed response most of the time succeeds. You can still try to self-petition (yourself or via a good lawyer). Many self-petitioners are successful on their own.
This time you could specifically prepare your petition to address the shortcomings pointed in the petition response. One rule of thumb is to obtain 7 to >10 references who can strongly support your case. Please look at some example letters.
We wish you best of luck
Sriram
11 years ago
Hi,
i am a postdoc at univ of missouri with the following credentials (PhD from US univ):
1. 6 international journal publications with 100+ citations.
2. 2 grants securing USD 300K+.
3. An equation named after me ( cited by some other researcher in a published article)
4. Several other lesser acclaimed recognition and awards.
5. Reviewed work of others
6. 1 Patent. 2 provisional patents filed.
What would be my chances under EB1A category? It would be highly appreciated if you could let me know.
You have a very good chance of success in the EB1a category. However you still need to prepare a comprehensive petition with evidence supporting the uscis requirements.
I am applying for EB2-NIW outside the USA.
I saw that the fee of i-140 must be paid by US credit card or The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the United States.
Could you tell me how can I pay the fee of I-140 outside US?
Unfortunately, we are not aware of any workaround. You would need to pay with U.S. credit card or check/money order. Maybe you can find people in the diaspora who could help you with paying the fees.
Disclaimer: The contents in this web site are only for your information and are not intended to be legal advice. While many of our applicants successfully obtain their I-140 approvals, the information here should not be considered as a guarantee of your green card application outcome.
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Hello,
I see that this page is active. So, eager for your help. I have 50+ publications, 100 non-self/ 150+ citations, 12+ awards including prestigious NSF fellowship and Best paper awards. I did a Self-petition which got rejected. Moreover, I did a lawyer who (really was lazy and offered no help after I paid the fee) and it was rejected. I got two clause approved both the times – papers and reviewer for work of others, but not third one. Can you recommend me if I should try again and any attorney?
We looked at the link to your webpage. You seem to have good background and possibly satisfy all the requirements for a self-petition under EB1a or EB2niw. EB1a is generally hard, although still possible in your case provided you carefully prepare your petition and evidence. We suggest you look at some example petitions from successful petitioners.
USCIS does not usually reject petitions. In many cases they send an RFE (request for evidence). A carefully constructed response most of the time succeeds. You can still try to self-petition (yourself or via a good lawyer). Many self-petitioners are successful on their own.
This time you could specifically prepare your petition to address the shortcomings pointed in the petition response. One rule of thumb is to obtain 7 to >10 references who can strongly support your case. Please look at some example letters.
We wish you best of luck
Hi,
i am a postdoc at univ of missouri with the following credentials (PhD from US univ):
1. 6 international journal publications with 100+ citations.
2. 2 grants securing USD 300K+.
3. An equation named after me ( cited by some other researcher in a published article)
4. Several other lesser acclaimed recognition and awards.
5. Reviewed work of others
6. 1 Patent. 2 provisional patents filed.
What would be my chances under EB1A category? It would be highly appreciated if you could let me know.
Thanks in advance
Hi
You have a very good chance of success in the EB1a category. However you still need to prepare a comprehensive petition with evidence supporting the uscis requirements.
You may find the following links helpful.
Do-it-yourself petitions
FAQ
Best of luck
I am applying for EB2-NIW outside the USA.
I saw that the fee of i-140 must be paid by US credit card or The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the United States.
Could you tell me how can I pay the fee of I-140 outside US?
Unfortunately, we are not aware of any workaround. You would need to pay with U.S. credit card or check/money order. Maybe you can find people in the diaspora who could help you with paying the fees.