Pasha is a Russian PhD student in SMART manufacturing engineering in North Carolina. Even before graduating as a Doctor he decided to pursue an EB2 NIW green card by himself, without a lawyer, so he and his wife can continue his American life without having to worry too much about their immigration status.
He suceeded and in this article we summarize the conversation I had with him for my YouTube channel “Oscar’s Green Card”. (Note: at the time the interview was recorded Pasha had not defended his PhD, but he has done so succesfully since then; congrats to him!)
Who is Pasha professionally?
Before coming to the USA Pasha obtained a masters in the same area in 2013. He worked as a design engineer for a train company initially and then transitioned to a job in a shipyard, both in Russia. In 2019 he moved to the US for a PhD. He got accepted in a couple of schools but ended up in North Carolina State University in Raleigh (in the Research Triangle Park area). When we recorded the interview for YouTube Pasha was about to defend his PhD dissertation and at the time I’m writing this summary his is already a Doctor in Engineering.
Prong 1: Proposed Endeavor, Substantial Merit and National Importance
The United States is trying to bring manufacturing back to the country after decades of outsourcing. Some legislative and executive initiatives have been directed to achieving that goal. An example of that is the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 or the National Strategy for Advanced Manufacturing. This last document was heavily used by Pasha to craft his endeavor and to argue that his professional mission to advance smart manufacturing through reserach was important for the nation.
Just a few months before submitting his EB2 NIW package to USCIS, Pasha went to a professional conference where he met some of the experts that had served as committee members for White House initiatives in SMART manufacturing. He was then able to secure letters of recommendation to help him argue that his endeavor was indeed aligned with the government priorities.
When he laid out his proposed endeavor as a research in advanced manufacturing he highlighted the following benefits to the US:
- Help the US competitiveness in the world in Smart Manufacturing, a STEM area.
- Enhance national Security by reducing the dependency on external manufacturing
- Reduce cybersecurity threats that cause millions of dollars in losses every year.
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Prong 2: Well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor
Pasha showed how he had secured an internship that paid a six figure salary, which he argued was due to his superior skills and specialized knowledge. He had two publications at the time, with one citation, showing the incipient influence in the field. Pasha also presented his professional experience in the field as a strength, and his involvement in the research and professional community attending and presenting at conferences.
Additionally, he obtained merit-based scholarships from professional societies he belonged to, another proof of his exceptional profile. At the University in the US he was President of the chapter for his professional organization, and during his tenure the group won a medal in a competition, which he also showed as further evidence of his success.
Of course, he also obtained 6 letters of recommendation from experts, three of them were subjective and 3 were independent or objective. The subjective letters were from his advisor, from another professor at NC State, and from a previous manager. The three independent expert opinions were from reputable scientists he met at conferences: a professor in West Virginia, a resarcher from a National laboratory, and Director of a non profit called Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute.
Timeline for EB2 NIW approval
Pasha did not use Premium Processing but his I-140 was adjudicated really fast! Below you can read about his NIW timeline:
- Learned about EB2 NIW: Early 2023
- Started preparation: April 2023
- I-140 submission: October 2023
- I-140 approval: January 2024