microelectronics engineering

EB-2 National Interest Waiver — Merits Decision

2026-03-21·DISMISSED·IN RE: 41496462

Underlying petition: DENIED ·

Legal elements discussed — Matter of Dhanasar

Prong 1 — Substantial Merit & National Importance

PASS

Petitioner argued: The proposed endeavor has substantial merit and national importance.

Evidence type: letters of support, research articles, information about AI workloads and energy demands

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finding: ACCEPTED

The Petitioner has established, by a preponderance of the evidence, that he has met the first prong of the Dhanasar framework.

Decision PDF, p. 4Open source PDF

Prong 2 — Well Positioned to Advance the Endeavor

FAIL

Petitioner argued: The Petitioner is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor.

Evidence type: education, publications, citations, letters of support, personal statement

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

the evidence in the record does not demonstrate that the Petitioner is well positioned to advance the endeavor.

page not extractedOpen source PDF

Prong 3 — Balancing the Waiver's Benefits

FAIL

Petitioner argued: On balance, waiving the job offer requirement would benefit the United States.

Evidence type: advanced degree, published research, letters of support

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

For these reasons, the Petitioner has not established eligibility under the third prong of the Dhanasar analytical framework.

Decision PDF, p. 6Open source PDF

What this decision can’t tell you

This decision comes from a case that was denied and then appealed. Every case here is in that position — it cannot be used to estimate an overall approval rate, and it cannot predict the outcome of any individual case, including yours. USCIS officers exercise discretion on facts that are never fully captured in a written decision.

This decision turned on whether the person was well-positioned to advance the endeavor. Describe your own work and see which decisions discussed the same issue.

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Questions this raises for your lawyer

  • On Prong 2 (well positioned to advance the endeavor), USCIS found the petitioner's education, publications, citations, letters of support, personal statement insufficient to establish that the Petitioner is well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor.. What would make comparable evidence in my own case more persuasive?
  • On Prong 3 (balancing the waiver's benefits), USCIS found the petitioner's advanced degree, published research, letters of support insufficient to establish that on balance, waiving the job offer requirement would benefit the United States.. What would make comparable evidence in my own case more persuasive?
  • What in my own case most resembles the specific facts USCIS focused on in this decision?
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