Date: 06/02/2008
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: USCIS office, Callowhill St. Philadelphia PA
Just wanted to update everyone and say we had our interview this morning, scheduled for 8 AM in Atlanta. We got there at 7.55, checked in at 7.59 and were called at 8.02. Interview was all done in 10 minutes and we were out of the building at 8.15.
We won a case for a Ph.D. in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems – Geomatic Engineering. He had over eight years of teaching experience and ten years of research experience. His unique background landed him a position abroad as a critical member of a high-level research team.
We won a case for a Ph.D. in computer science/engineering who had over nine years of experience. The applicant held various positions at highly prestigious research institutes in the world. His expertise was considered a cut above the rest and therefore ranked as one of the top in his field. He was a noted author for several scientific journals and posted many conference publications, technical reports and book chapters. He was the recipient of notable awards for extraordinary achievement.
The news item and related documents are available here:
http://www.immigration.com/newslette...prmprocss.html
Please note, for now (June 2008), premium processing is only available if you meet ALL of the current requirements:
1. Your are currently on H-1;
2. Your H-1 status is expiring within 60 days when you apply for I-140 premium processing; and
3. You are not eligible to receive 1-year H-1 extensions because your labor certification was filed less than one year ago.
This issue has come up several times. Here is what USCIS says:
USCIS Considerations to expedite Cases
All expedite requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and are granted at the discretion of the Director. The criteria are as follows:
* Severe financial loss to company or individual
* Extreme emergent situation
* Humanitarian situation
* Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States
This morning, I was working on explaining to a client (whom I respect greatly), one of the foremost musicians from India, how EB1 (Extraordinary Ability) category applies to musicians and performers. As I was sending him the basic information on EB1 category, I thought I will share the general criteria with all of you. This information is for EA, generally and applies to all fields - not just music. See attached.
Regards to all. Rajiv.