Genius at Work

Genius at Work

IK is originally from Nigeria. She came to the United States as an international student on an F-1 visa to complete her master’s degree in public health and emerging infectious diseases. IK is one of very few people in the world with this type of specialized knowledge, as only a handful of universities worldwide teach this specialty.<

She already has and continues to contribute to the U.S. greatly. Some of her research and work has helped advance the prevention of women’s infertility caused by the infectious disease chlamydia. She is also making advances in the study of diseases such as Ebola, HIV and H1N1, focusing on prevention and avoiding pandemics.

 

IK came to us initially seeking an option to continue her important research in the United States. Even highly educated individuals cannot remain in the United States permanently if they do not have an employer who is willing to sponsor them. Research institutions are often hesitant to sponsor researchers like IK even if they are doing groundbreaking work. We determined that IK qualified for a National Interest Waiver, which allows a person to forego a job offer from an employer to sponsor her for permanent residence if she can demonstrate that the work she is doing is of substantial intrinsic merit and national in scope. IK was a good fit for a National Interest Waiver because the research she is doing will literally save lives.

  We filed a National Interest Waiver for IK, and we were delighted when we found out just this week that she has been approved! Now we are filing for her green card. With a green card she can continue to do her research and contribute to the country without having to worry about her immigration status.