Blog Post

The Law Office of Akintunde F. Adeyemo, PLLC has successfully represented a client from Africa. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) delivered the Approval Notice to the firm’s address yesterday.

Having shared this life-changing news with our super-excited client — a highly creative and innovative artificial intelligence researcher and civil engineer with a proven history of advancing research in data and transportation engineering at two national agencies and one whose contributions led to being honored with the Innovative Policy Contribution Award by a federal agency — the firm would like to provide more insights into this case.

This case, which the firm filed on July 30, 2024 (USCIS confirmed receipt on August 01, 2024), was expedited using the premium processing option (USCIS charges a separate fee to adjudicate a case within 45 days). The quick adjudication has no bearing on the outcome of the case, so think twice before making that expensive decision. Have this discussion with your attorney.

EB-2 (NIW) is an employment-based second preference (EB-2) - National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition, and it is one of the statutorily approved ways for qualified foreigners to become permanent residents in the U.S., and, subsequently, become U.S. citizens. For EB-2 (NIW), your location is irrelevant (the ultimate question is: can you satisfy the requirements under the Matter of Dhanasar, inter alia)? For our client who is in the U.S., as in the case at hand, his Green Card will be processed in the U.S. via the Adjustment of Status filing.

Our client — whose highest level of education at the time of filing was a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Data Science from of the best universities in the United States (he previously earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the second-best university in his home country) — is developing autonomous vehicle AI models that can comprehend complex scenes involving human interactions. In fact, the firm provided verifiable evidence showing that his proposed endeavor will potentially safeguard the lives of American pedestrians, drivers, and all road users, aligning with the imperative of developing smart infrastructure and transportation safety and mobility. In drafting the legal brief, we specifically focused on his demonstrable unique skills and accomplishments in the intersectional areas of emerging technologies and smart transportation engineering.

Inter alia, documenting his progressive accomplishments, which he accumulated abroad and America, and connecting that to the national interest of the United States, the brief survived all the three prongs. The firm provided evidence showing that our client is actively contributing to a project being undertaken by the Artificial Intelligence Department of a well-known entity. Building on the novel methodologies and groundbreaking results of their Diverse Naturalistic Edge Driving Scene (DivNEDS) Dataset, our client has initiated research to develop a quantized vision transformer model trained on this meticulously curated dataset, with the aim of achieving interpretable autonomous vehicle scene understanding within a shorter time window, a critical requirement for safe and efficient operation in dynamic environments.

The brief argued, inter alia, that his proposed endeavor — conducting and advancing research in the intersectional areas of emerging technologies and smart transportation engineering, with a specific focus on developing autonomous vehicle artificial intelligence (AI) models, which can comprehend complex scenes involving human interactions, for the enhancement of autonomous vehicle navigation safety — will lead to projected future contributions by addressing issues that the United States has deemed to be of substantial merit and national importance: improving public safety, reducing traffic accidents, and advancing the nation’s leadership in innovative transportation technologies.

With his other verifiable track record of successfully executing (and currently involved in contributing to the responsible innovation necessary to make this technology safer and more reliable) pertinent projects in the United States, as corroborated by distinguished professors and industry leaders with first-hand knowledge of his contributions, our client is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor, the brief argued.

In drafting this brief, the firm had multiple touchpoints with the client. Understanding what the client does is very critical to filing an NIW brief. Moreover, by providing verifiable evidence, the brief argued that the client — who is actively working in a field that will undeniably shape the future of transportation and have far-reaching implications for the nation's economic competitiveness and technological leadership — is the kind of talent that will advance the national interest of the United States. Based on our understanding of the client’s work, the brief focused on these key areas — emerging technologies and smart transportation. Leveraging verifiable evidence, the brief explained that our client’s past and current accomplishments are clearly indicative of his future contributions. The brief also showed that our client has maintained a relentless commitment to developing truly robust and safe autonomous vehicle (AV) systems.

Furthermore, our client's proposed endeavor, which is within the areas of emerging technologies and smart transportation engineering, is at the interface of science and technology; therefore, his proposed endeavor should be viewed through the lens of contributing to the advancements of technological innovations and development in the United States, the brief argued. The brief further argued, among other things, that his proposed endeavor will address a critical challenge in transportation engineering. The brief highlighted the implications of his proposed endeavor, which will, among other things, overcome the currents limitations and advance the field of autonomous vehicle vision systems.

Additionally, the carefully written 45-page brief cited, as well as analyzed, different applicable laws, regulations, and pertinent evidence to corroborate the assertions. NIW cases are tricky, so you need to consider hiring a law firm/lawyer that understands all the nuances of the law. Before drafting every brief, we do comprehensive research on the AAO’s website, as well as review the Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook: NIW cases are won on the merit of the argument. Factual and legal arguments. In fact, it is an evidence-based petition. As in the case at hand, the firm submitted verifiable evidence showing that our client possesses an impressive record of success in his field of specialty. To support this brief, the firm submitted 77 exhibits, including corroborating evidence to show that his work addresses a critical gap in the field of autonomous vehicles by providing a diverse and comprehensive dataset, coupled with an innovative captioning strategy. This rare blend of domain expertise in transportation engineering and advanced data science capabilities is exceptionally valuable in the field of autonomous vehicle vision systems, the brief concluded.

As a matter of fact, there was no RFE request, for the legal brief survived all the three prongs of the analytical framework in the precedent decision Matter of Dhanasar, 26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016): (1) that his proposed endeavor has both substantial merit and national importance; (2) that he is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor; and (3) that, on balance, it would be beneficial to the United States to waive the requirements of a job offer and thus of a labor certification. And the brief established that he satisfied each eligibility requirement of the benefit sought by a preponderance of the evidence. Matter of Chawathe, 25 I& N Dec. 369, 375-76 (AAO 2010).

To satisfy the third prong of Dhanasar, relating to the question of whether it would be beneficial to the United States to waive the requirements of a job offer, and thus of a labor certification, the brief argued, inter alia, that his contributions to the field will undoubtedly benefit the United States. This is the trickiest legal analysis under the Matter of Dhanasar. There are lots of denied cases via the Administrative Appeals Office, so the firm usually considers the third prong as equally important as the first two prongs. Here, the legal analysis focused on three of the factors enumerated by the Dhanasar Court: (1) whether, in light of the nature of our client’s qualifications or proposed endeavor, it would be impractical either for our client to secure a job offer or for him to obtain a labor certification; (2) whether, even assuming that other qualified U.S. workers are available, the United States would still benefit from our client’s contributions; and (3) whether the national interest in our client’s contributions is sufficiently urgent to warrant forgoing the labor certification process. This analysis is critical to winning an NIW case. You can read more about the Matter of Dhanasar on the firm’s website: www.akinalaw.com.

With this crucial phase now over, and while waiting for the priority/final action date to kick in, our client will continue his work in the areas implicated in the proposed endeavor. This is a big win for the amazing Team at the firm. Most importantly, this is a big win for our client: a step closer to the American dream.

Again, congratulations to our client!

The Law Office of Akintunde F. Adeyemo, PLLC is now accepting new clients in the areas of EB-2 (NIW) and EB-1A.

To read more about EB-2 (NIW), visit: https://www.akinalaw.com/blog/11/a-permanent-residency-option-for-foreigners

To read more about EB-1A, visit: https://www.akinalaw.com/blog/18/eb-1a-frequently-asked-questions

For a free (100%) case evaluation for EB-1A/EB-2 (NIW), contact the attorney-in-charge of The Law Office of Akintunde F Adeyemo, PLLC:

Akintunde F. Adeyemo, Esq.

Attorney, Counselor & Solicitor

734-318-7053 (Call, Text, Including WhatsApp)

Website: www.akinalaw.com

Email address: info@akinalaw.com

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***FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. PAST SUCCESS DOES NOT INDICATE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN ANY FUTURE LEGAL REPRESENTATION***

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