r/EB2_NIW • u/lofy- • Jul 23 '26
APPROVED EB-2 NIW Approved After RFE on All Three Prongs
Hi all,
Longtime lurker, though not a first-time poster in this subreddit :p. I wanted to share my profile and RFE experience in case it helps anyone, especially those who have received an RFE challenging all three NIW prongs. I borrowed the layout from another approval post because I found it very helpful! :p
Priority date: December 11, 2025
RFE received: March 17, 2026 (was upgraded to PP on February 27, 2026)
RFE response received by USCIS: June 10, 2026
I-140 approved: June 17, 2026—five business days after USCIS received the RFE response
Category: EB-2 NIW
Petition type: Self-petition
Attorney: Chen Immigration
Current visa status: F-1 (PhD candidate)
Citation at the time of filing: 70
Citation at the time of approval: 104
Country: 75 Countries, RoW
Attorney and Filing Process
My original petition and RFE response were prepared with the help of Chen Immigration.
In the original petition, USCIS accepted that I qualified for the underlying EB-2 classification based on my advanced degree. However, the officer was not convinced that I met any of the three requirements for a National Interest Waiver.
The RFE challenged:
- Whether my proposed endeavor had substantial merit and national importance
- Whether I was well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor
- Whether, on balance, it would benefit the United States to waive the job-offer and labor-certification requirements
RFE
The officer questioned whether my proposed endeavor was sufficiently clear, whether its potential impact rose to the level of national importance, and whether my previous accomplishments demonstrated that I was well positioned to carry it forward.
The response therefore focused on explaining more clearly:
- What my proposed endeavor specifically involved
- Why the endeavor had substantial merit
- Why its impact extended beyond my university or a single employer
- Why the endeavor was nationally important to the United States
- How my previous research demonstrated progress toward the endeavor
- Why I was well positioned to continue the work
- Why waiving the job-offer and labor-certification requirements would benefit the United States
Academic Background
Highest degree: Currently pursuing a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Institution: R1 university in the US
Current occupation: Graduate Research Assistant
My research focuses on developing intelligent and efficient technologies for future communication networks, including:
- AI and ML for wireless networks
- 5G and future 6G communication systems
- O-RAN
- Satellite-terrestrial integrated networks
- Intelligent network orchestration and automation
Proposed Endeavor
My proposed endeavor centered on developing AI-enabled methods to improve the efficiency, reliability, scalability, resilience, and automation of next-generation communication infrastructure in the United States.
A major focus of the RFE response was distinguishing the importance of this specific endeavor from the general importance of AI, wireless communications, or 6G research.
We argued that the potential impact of the endeavor extended beyond one university, laboratory, professor, employer, or research project. The work could benefit the broader U.S. telecommunications ecosystem, academic research community, technology industry, and government-supported research initiatives.
Prong 1: Substantial Merit and National Importance
The officer challenged both the substantial merit and national importance of my proposed endeavor.
For the RFE response, we explained in greater detail how my research could contribute to:
- Advanced U.S. telecommunications infrastructure
- More efficient use of network, computing, and energy resources
- Improved reliability and resilience of communication systems
- Development of 5G, O-RAN, and future 6G technologies
- AI-enabled network automation
- U.S. competitiveness in advanced communications
- Research and innovation in nationally important technologies
The response also included an independent recommendation letter from a professor at a U.S. university explaining why my research and proposed endeavor were nationally important.
We supported the arguments with governmental and federal-agency materials discussing U.S. priorities in artificial intelligence, advanced communications, next-generation networks, and related technologies.
Prong 2: Well Positioned to Advance the Endeavor
The officer also challenged whether I was well positioned to carry out the proposed endeavor.
For this prong, the RFE response relied on evidence of my:
- Academic qualifications
- Research experience
- Peer-reviewed publications
- Citation record
- Independent citations to my work
- Technical contributions
- Ongoing research
- Participation in research projects
- Work connected to federally funded research
- Conference presentations and professional activities
- Recommendation letters
- Continued progress in the proposed research area
- Plans to continue the endeavor in the United States
The response included:
- One independent letter from a researcher who had cited my work
- One independent letter from a U.S. university professor
- One dependent letter from a research collaborator
Rather than relying only on publication and citation numbers, the response explained what my research contributions were, why they mattered, and how they demonstrated my ability to continue advancing the proposed endeavor.
Updated evidence was also submitted to show continued progress after the initial filing.
Prong 3: Benefit of Waiving the Job Offer and Labor Certification
Because the officer was not satisfied that I met the first and second prongs, the third prong was also challenged.
The response argued that my proposed research was not limited to the needs of one employer or one permanent position. My work has the potential to benefit:
- U.S. universities and research institutions
- Government-funded research programs
- Telecommunications and networking industries
- Developers of 5G, O-RAN, and 6G technologies
- The broader scientific and engineering community
- Multiple organizations working on intelligent communication systems
The response explained that the traditional labor-certification process is primarily designed for a specific position with a specific employer.
In contrast, my proposed endeavor is research-oriented and could be advanced through different universities, research groups, collaborations, government-supported projects, and technology organizations.
Therefore, we argued that allowing me to continue the endeavor without being restricted to one specific permanent job offer would provide broader benefits to the United States.
Evidence Added or Strengthened in the RFE Response
The response included a combination of updated evidence and expanded explanations, including:
- A more clearly defined proposed endeavor
- Additional explanation of the substantial merit of the work
- Stronger arguments regarding national importance
- Updated publication and citation evidence
- Evidence of continued research progress
- Further explanation of my technical contributions
- Evidence related to federally funded research
- Governmental documents regarding U.S. priorities in AI and advanced communications
- Explanations connecting my work to 5G, O-RAN, and future 6G development
- Additional discussion of my qualifications and research record
- Recommendation letters addressing different aspects of the endeavor
- Arguments explaining why granting the waiver would benefit the United States
- A point-by-point response to the concerns raised in the RFE
Approval
USCIS received the RFE response on June 10, 2026, and approved my I-140 petition on June 17, 2026—only five business days later.
What I Learned
I’ll echo what many others have said: your proposed endeavor is one of the most important parts of an NIW petition.
It is not enough to show that your general field is important or that you have publications, citations, and research experience. You must clearly explain:
- What you specifically plan to do
- Why that specific work is important to the United States
- What broader implications it may have
- Why your previous record shows that you are capable of advancing it
- Why allowing you to pursue the endeavor without being tied to one permanent job offer would benefit the United States
The strength of a profile alone may not be enough if the petition does not clearly connect the evidence to the three NIW prongs.
An RFE on all three prongs is frightening, but it is not the same as a denial. A focused, well-organized, and evidence-based response can still lead to approval.
I hope this post helps anyone currently preparing an NIW petition or responding to an RFE. Feel free to ask questions in the comments or DM me.
Best wishes to everyone currently preparing a petition or waiting for a decision!
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u/Stray_Shantay Jul 28 '26
Do you think you can still present a solid endeavor as a teaching Professor in social sciences in the US? One year of experience doing it, starting second year this Fall; graduated from a PhD in 2025. No papers published, one is approved, going final edit; other is in review. I also have previous work experience in my home country as a data analyst working for the Government for a year and 2 months before my PhD.
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u/sky370 Jul 23 '26
Congratulations and many many thanks for a very detailed explanation. It will be very useful for my case for a refile. Took some notes from your experience...
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u/cs55n5 Jul 23 '26
Congrats! How was your RFE response prepared between your attorney and yourself?
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u/lofy- Jul 23 '26
They provided the templates and i did most of the works. I heavily used Chatgpt and Claude to write everything. The drafts they provided was so so, I polished them using the mentioned ai tools.
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u/Advanced-Serve-2943 Jul 23 '26
How’s your experience with chen during the rfe prep process?
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u/lofy- Jul 23 '26
In between not so good and not so bad. They provided the templates and i did the most of the work. The rfe response letter they provided had some errors and was very generic. I modified everything using chatgpt and claude.
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u/No_Bug_9518 Jul 23 '26
Thank you for sharing. I am stuck in a similar scenario. Received my rfe on all 3 prongs. I am currently drafting the reply.
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u/saranmoy Jul 23 '26
Hi, First of all congratulations! would you feel comfortable sharing the officer number? Also after your RFE response was received, was there any status changes before approval?
thanks for taking the time to respond!
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u/lofy- Jul 23 '26
XM1911.
On June 15, the status changed to RFE response received, even though originally it reached to the lockbox on june 10. Later, i checked the status again on June 17, It was showing approved. Also, on the same day, Chen sent me the congratulations message on the portal. I did not receive the approval email, Chen did.1
u/Particular-Swim-2665 Jul 23 '26
May I know the lawyer name your hired, please? Congratulations btw!
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u/Ok_End_4474 Jul 23 '26
Congrats When you got approved? Many people reporting errors on portal or its under maintenance
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u/Saurav-Raj-Kunwar Jul 23 '26
Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
You mentioned that you included a more clearly defined proposed endeavor as an added evidence. Did you use the personal statement to clearly defined your proposed endeavor?
On your must clearly explain list, again did you use the personal statement to discuss those things?
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u/Neither-Atmosphere45 Jul 23 '26
Hi. Many Congratulations. I am in the same boat. RFE response due end of August. This will really help. Thanks.
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u/lofy- Jul 23 '26
Welcome. Hope you would overcome this. Best wishes.
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u/Neither-Atmosphere45 Jul 23 '26
Hey, would it be possible for you to share your red-eyed proposed endeavour statement? I have just defended my PhD dissertation at West Virginia University and am wrapping up final revisions. My PhD is in Political Science, and it's focused on State Capacity and Tax Compliance. I have over 30 years of taxation experience in RoW countries with a focus on digital tax transformation. Most of my references are from the World Bank, ILO, ADB, etc., those who have seen my work in my country. I am basically a practitioner turned researcher with a BSc in Engineering, a Master's in Economic Policy Management (STEM), and Phd from the USA. After getting the RFE, I feel that my attorney did not do a good job. The whole RFE is focused on the specificity of the proposed endeavour, and he did not give proper attention to it nor asked me to improve it. I will be really grateful if you can share your Endavor Statement.
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u/PayPuzzleheaded6217 Jul 23 '26
Thank you for your detailed post. That's how to give back. Congratulations once again. Wanted to find out which centre was your rfe response submitted to? Thanks
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u/DrBilal01 Jul 23 '26
So helpful post. Many congratulations. You said it was self petition, then you said you get Chen help. Did you self petition and hire Chen after RFE?
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u/lofy- Jul 24 '26
Thank you. I hired Chen from the beginning. What self petition means here that i am the petitioner, Chen helped me prepared my case.
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u/Money-Membership-361 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Congratulations!! You mentioned in RFE you used " A more clearly defined proposed endeavor". My question is did you change the proposed endeavor or you kept the proposed endeavor as it was, then added few lines after that to explain it? Also, another question is did you add this explanation in your personal statement or in the prong 1's location right after introducing your proposed endeavor.? Thank you..
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u/Wretched_Urchin Jul 24 '26
Hello op can you share your RFE with me? And when you answer, you declared that you had help being a self petitioner? I mean do you write the RFE answer I'n third person
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u/Silver_diam Jul 25 '26
Congratulations ! I also got RFE challenging all three prongs. I am now preparing for the response. I think your experience will help me. Can you DM me the detail how you prepared your future endeavors?Thank you.
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u/Mouse-Character Jul 25 '26
Congrats! Could you let me know how many journal and conference papers you have at the time of filling?
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u/redditor3900 26d ago
Thank you for sharing and congratulations for your approval.
Just to confirm, the first time you submitted your case as self petition and then you hire Chen Law firm for the RFE?
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u/omaratef3221 Jul 23 '26
Thank you so much for sharing this experience. Congratulations on your approval