r/EB2_NIW

This is only for venting since I am too anxious about my submission. The attorney adre3sed peong 2 RFE in details but kept prong 3 literally unaddressed at all just saying my work is of natural importance even if other employees exist and I have experience and track record. Now it seems like every other one discussed urgency, impracticpality of labor cer etc which is the officer pointed out in their RFE. I feel very sad that I didn't push back hard enough and listened to the lawyer

Finally got approved after a year, want to share my timeline to just thank everybody on this platform sharing information/data, encouraging me for this desperating year.

Signed contract with Shawn: 2024.7 (I DO NOT recommend AT ALL!!!! I can have another post sharing more details)

PD: 202509

PP: 202603

RFE: 202606

Approved: today

Background: BS+MS in US, no phd, 4 yoe in US (supply chain optimization). 10 papers, ~170 citations when submit, ~270 when RFE. Original submission: 3 recommendation letters(2 independent, 1 coworker)

RFE reply: 3 new independent LOR, updated 1 old LOR, 2 company supporting letters about collaborative work, 2 co-workers support letter. Citation evidence, judge works, awards.

I did my RFE reply by myself since after I saw their submission I dont trust these lawyers anymore(missing information, forgot my LOR, wrong pronouns) I did confirm with them before mine is not a "killer officier".

Hope you'll get approved soon!

Timeline:
PP date and filing date: June 17, 2026
Approval date: August 18, 2026
Center: NSC
Lawyer: Chen
No RFE

Profile:
Physician (md outside the US)
Previously worked as an assistant professor in medical school
Currently a resident physician at a big university hospital in nyc
26 citations at filing
9 publications (6 first authors), 5 conference abstracts, and 7 peer reviews
2 testimonial letter: 1 quasi-government and 1 director of neuroscience division from my hospital

Endeavor: molecular analysis to improve brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases

Happy to answer any questions

My EB-2 NIW case was approved after got RFE on all 3 prongs. I'm sharing my timeline for anyone finding it helpful.

I-140 / NIW Details

• Category: EB-2 NIW
• Priority Date: January 07th, 2025
• Center: NBC
• PP Upgrade: Feb 27th, 2026
• RFE: April 21st, 2026
• RFE Response received: July 17th, 2026
• I-140 Approved: Aug 19th, 2024

Profile

• Field: PhD, Biology
• Background: Molecular and Computational Biology
• Citation at time of filing: 27
• Citation at time of RFE response: 68

I-485 on pending I-140

• I-485 self-filed / Receipt Date: March 25th, 2026
• Biometrics: April 10th, 2026
• EAD: I'm in H1B so I didn't file for EAD

I'm currently waiting on the approval notice and I-485. Hope yours get approved soon!

March Filer – Anyone Else Getting Silent Updates?
March filer with dependent.
PD: August 2025
RD: March 2026
SU: May 20, Aug 5, and Aug 18
No visible status change. Anyone else getting multiple silent updates like this? Anyone got EAD?

Pulled prong-level findings from 5,087 AAO decisions on NIW petitions. Quick caveat: AAO data skews toward denials because denials are what get appealed, so this shows why cases fail rather than how often they succeed.

Of 3,919 dismissals that named a specific prong, 83% failed on Prong 1, national importance. Prong 2 showed up in 29%. Prong 3 barely registers, under 5%. Whatever you think the hard part is, in the appeal record it's overwhelmingly Prong 1.

Dug into what those Prong 1 failures actually look like. The biggest gap by far is insufficient quantification, flagged in 2,500 dismissals. After that: no evidence of outside interest in the work (1,116), inconsistent endeavor scope (868), and support letters aimed at the wrong thing (660). Adjudicators generally accept that the field matters. What they keep refusing to accept is that this particular endeavor has demonstrated national reach, and vague petitions give them nothing to work with.

The RFE numbers surprised me more. Across 3,235 cases with an RFE, 17% resolved favorably overall. Split by what the RFE challenged and it stops being one number:

RFE on Prong 1 only: 2.7% cured (29 of 1,062)

RFE on Prong 2 only: 20.5% cured (60 of 292)

A Prong 2 RFE is recoverable. Credentials, letters, track record, all things you can go get. A Prong 1 RFE means the adjudicator doesn't believe your endeavor has national reach, and the response almost never changes their mind. Roughly seven times harder to cure.

So the national importance case has to be built before filing. By RFE stage it's mostly too late.

Data source: visalytics.com, where you can run your own profile against this dataset for a free personalized assessment. Data is freely available with no login required

Edit: RFE figures above span both AAO appeals and approval reports. Appeals-only: 1.1% Prong 1, 4.5% Prong 2, around 4x gap.

Hi,

I'm hoping to get some advice from others who have been in a similar situation.

I filed my EB-2 NIW adjustment of status concurrently with my I-765 and I-131 on October 28, 2025.

Timeline:

I-485 filed: October 28, 2025

I-765 filed: October 28, 2025

I-131 filed: October 28, 2025

Biometrics: November 2025

I-765 approved: July 28, 2026

EAD card produced: July 30, 2026

I-485: still pending / being processed

I-131: still pending

I have now received my EAD, which is a huge relief because I had been waiting nearly nine months for employment authorization.

My situation is a little complicated because I was previously working under TN status, but I am now relying on my pending adjustment of status/EAD rather than TN for employment authorization.

My question is what I can actually do with the EAD while my I-485 remains pending.

Specifically:

Can I take a part-time job with a second employer while continuing my current full-time job, using my EAD?

Can I leave my current job and switch to a completely new employer using the EAD while my I-485 is still pending?

My immigration lawyer hasn't been much help lately, so here I am asking y'all!!

Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process of preparing my EB-2 NIW application and am looking for an immigration attorney to work with. I came across Peak Immigration and Jason Crofts and wanted to see if anyone here has worked with him.

I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Hi all,

After seeing so many cases way stronger than mine and still got RFE, would like to share some positive energy and hope for those that’s in the same shoes as me.

Timeline:

Case received: 06/15/2026 with PP
Approved: 08/17/2026
Law firm: Chen

Background: PhD candidate, CS
Field: AI
Citation: 30+ with 4 papers

In CS/AI, or even in engineering, my profile is definitely not on the strong side. I was also surprised when Chen offered me approve or refund. Not even sure if it’s imposter syndrome, but waiting for i140 results made me very anxious as I am graduating soon and all the visa BS these days seems daunting to me. Thankfully got good news today. So for all the folks out there doubting yourself, i think I am the living proof of NIW approval is all about the endeavor, not the profile.

Hi everyone, I have two questions regarding evidence for an EB-2 NIW case.
My proposed endeavor/research area is retention of STEM domestic students to complete their degrees and gender gap in stem .
For recommendation letters, do the recommenders need to be STEM researchers specifically, or could I obtain letters from professors/researchers who specialize in language education and multilingualism following my research methodologies ? Would letters from people in the language-education field still be considered relevant to the proposed endeavor?
Someone from a government institution has cited my research three times, but I have not been able to get a response from this person when I contacted them. Can I still use those citations as evidence for one of the NIW prongs (for example, to demonstrate the influence/impact of my work), even without a recommendation letter from that person? Or is a letter from the person who cited the work necessary?
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has handled a similar EB-2 NIW case or has experience with citations from government institutions. Thanks!

Prong 3 in our response was basically this:

"In Dhanasar, it was concluded that the petitioner "would benefit the United States even assuming that other qualified U.S. workers are available" due to "his record of successful research in an area that furthers U.S. interests" and therefore satisfied this requirement. The evidence submitted with the original filing and this response also demonstrates that petitioner has considerable experience and expertise in the field and possesses a verifiable track record of research success. Because his record of successful work in this area furthers U.S. interests, petitioner offers contributions of such value that, on balance, he would benefit the United States even assuming that other qualified U.S. workers are available. As such, it would be beneficial to waive the requirement of a job offer and thus of a labor certification."

That's it , no discussion of impracticality of labor cert, urgency, job creation, or the other specific factors the RFE actually listed. When I asked about expanding it, I was told keeping Prong 3 short/streamlined is intentional, since Prong 3 is usually satisfied once Prongs 1–2 are strong, and adding more could invite unnecessary scrutiny.

Has anyone had a Prong 3 this short go through okay, or does this tend to trigger a second RFE/NOID? Trying to gauge how worried to be.

Hi everyone,
I'm planning to apply for an EB-2 NIW (Consular Processing / ROW) and would love to get your honest feedback on my profile.
Education & Credentials
Master’s Degree (M.Sc.): Completed a thesis focused on advanced time-series prediction models using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Genetic Algorithms (Marmara University).MSc Statistics
Bachelor's Degree: STEM / Statistics
Research & Academic Contributions
Published Research: First author on a published journal article on time-series forecasting (International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Pure Sciences, 2025).
Government-Funded Research (TÜBİTAK): Contributed to a major long-term grant project (TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 - Earthquake Studies) focused on statistical data analysis for disaster management and earthquake preparedness (Nov 2021 – Jan 2024).
Professional Background (~5+ Years Experience)
Current Role: Senior Data Analyst at a leading fintech company
Past Experience: Senior / Product Data Analyst roles across prominent e-commerce, quick-commerce, and retail companies
Instruction & Keynote Speaking:
Certified Data Analyst Instructor at GOIT, delivering professional training in SQL, Python, data analysis, and statistical modeling.
Guest speaker/keynote presenter at university statistics summits (e.g., Gazi University Statistics Society Career Summit).

Hi friends. I just got the approval today. Here is some information.

Timeline:

Case received: 12/15/2025

Case upgraded to PP: 2/7/2026

RFE sent: 3/27/2026

RFE response received: 6/17/2026

Approved:8/18/2026

I filed it myself.

Background:

PHD in educational statistics (STEM) with 7 years of work experience (All PE related). 4 papers with 20 citations (increased to 40+ when responding to the RFE) at filing. Reviewed 30+ journal/conference papers.

RFE Response:

My prongs 1 (national importance) and 3 were challenged. When receiving the RFE letter, I realized my PE was not framed well. I included two sub-areas in my PE, which looked a little scattered. So the first thing I did was to synthesize my PE statement. I almost spent days only optimizing the PE statement. After that, I included the research agenda to specify my PE. I also included three independent recommendation letters (I believe this is the most important part for my RFE response). In the RFE response letter, I addressed USCIS concerns one by one. I spent 90% of my effort on national importance.

Some thoughts:

1. Based on my and my friends' cases, I think the number of papers and citations matter but not matter that much. One of my friends has less than 5 citations but got approval without RFE (Q3 of 2025). I also know a couple of professors who have 100+ citations but unfortunately got denied.

2. PE statement is the most important thing in your petition because it leads everything you will draft. In the PE statement, you should clearly say what problem you are solving.

3. In my RFE response, all the recommendation letters only talk about my PE-related research instead of my credentials. They don't say anything about "I am good". They talked about how my PE-related research can help from their perspectives. For example, the letter from a professor only talked about how my PE-related research can help in his funded projects. Another letter from a VP in a big organization only mentioned how my PE-related research can help their operational work.

4. I used ChatGPT when preparing for the original filing. When preparing for the RFE response, I relied heavily on Claude but also used ChatGPT to do some QA work.

5. Overall, it is quite a long journey. I experienced three H1B lottery failures, which were very frustrating. I am very proud of myself.

6. I really appreciate this community where I got a lot of helpful information. May the Force be with you!

Hi friends. I received the approval email from ELISdonotreply@uscis.dhs.gov this morning, but the system shows USCIS Is currently Processing the Case (Changed from RFE response received). I wonder if this happens normally. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m specifically trying to find out whether there are any 2026 I-485 filers who were approved directly from the National Benefits Center (NBC).

Here’s my timeline for context:

• I-485 received: April 20, 2026
• Biometrics: May 14, 2026
• 1st FTA0: May 14, 2026
• 2nd FTA0: May 14, 2026
• Silent updates: May 27, June 03, August 6, 2026 for both primary and derivative
• 3rd FTA0: August 13, 2026- appeared for both primary and derivative
• No silent updates after 3rd FTA0
• Current location: NBC (Emma)
• One of 75 countries
• No RFE / No action required / Interview waived for now

My main concern is that it has been almost 4 months since filing, and my case still has not been transferred to a Field Office. From the recent approvals I’ve been following, almost everyone who got approved had their case at a Field Office. Without a Field Office transfer yet, it’s hard for me to reassure myself that an approval might be coming soon.

At this point, I’m mainly trying to understand whether anyone in the 2026 cohort has seen a 3rd FTA0 on their case while still at NBC, and whether that led directly to approval from NBC or a later transfer.

Would really appreciate any confirmed experiences or recent 2026 NBC outcomes. Thanks!

After a long wait, our EB-2 NIW I-485 cases have been approved and the Green Cards are finally here. These timeline posts helped me a lot while I was waiting, so I'm sharing mine as another data point.

I-140 / NIW Details

• Category: EB-2 NIW
• Priority Date: January 2024
• I-140 Approved: May 2024
• Processing: Regular/Normal Processing

Profile at the time of filing

• Field: PhD Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Background: Wireless Communications
• Citations: Around 40
• Law firm: Chen - they filed my case within 20-25 days!

I-485 Timeline

• I-485 Filed / Receipt Date: October 2025 (Self-petition - No lawyer)
• EAD Approved: March 2026
• Case originally processed through: NBC
• Transferred to Field Office in June 2026
• Field Office was non-local
• No interview
• No RFE
• I-485 Approved: July 2026
• Green Cards received

The I-485 stage was easily the most stressful part - months would pass with no visible movement, and there's no way to tell whether silence is good or bad. In our case, the transfer out of NBC to a non-local field office turned out to be the last step before approval, and it went through without an interview or an RFE.

Very grateful this chapter is closed. To everyone still in the queue: the quiet stretches are normal, and they do end. Hoping your approvals land soon. 🎉

Hello,

I upgraded to PP over a month ago. Only email from premium processing unit sent. No physical receipt sent in mail nor PP upgrade showing in case tracker. Is this normal?

My attorney preferred keeping it thin basically saying that becasue I am well positioned and my work of natural importance to the USA then it would be beneficial to waive the labor certificate even assuming other workers exist. Now the RFE mentioned things like urgency, creating jobs, self employment and harm to USA workers but the lawyer didn't address that at all saying they won't distract from prong 2 and this what worked in the past. Any ideas on that?

For those who received an RFE for an EB-2 NIW petition, how many days did USCIS give you to respond? Mine was issued on August 11, and the response deadline is September 14, so I was given only about 34 days. Did anyone else receive a similarly short deadline? Please share how much time you were given and, if your case has already been decided, the final outcome.

Hi community,

I want to add my approval to this community data point.

EB2NIW Approved

Nationality: Nigeria

I-140 PD: Jan 25 2024

I-485 PD: October 10 2025

Biometrics: October 31 2025

I-765 approved for dependent: October 31 2025

i-765 approved for main applicant July 22 2026

i-485 approved for main applicant: August 6 2026

i-485 approved for main dependent: August 7 2026

Card delivered: August 15 & 17th for Principal and Dependent Respectively

Other important details

No RFE

No interview

Congressional Inquiry on July 12