Step-by-step process to prepare  EB-1 and National Interest Waiver petition

If you are interested in filing this EB-1 or NIW petition or you believe that you are qualified to meet either of them, followings are our firm’s detailed process:

1. Initial Contact: contact our offices, via email your resume/cv to whchao@chaolaw.com, phone (713) 271-0852, fax to (713) 271-0853, or mail to 8807 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, Texas 77036 for free initial evaluation;

2. Free Initial Evaluation: Chao Law Firm will evaluate your credentials and estimate the feasibility to file the petition for you; we will email you our evaluation; you are encouraged and welcomed to communicate with us either via email or over the phone for your questions or concerns during this stage;

3. Options: We will inform you other options if, in our judgment and experience, this kind of petition is not your best interest; we will not take a case which we, in our experience, do think chance to get approved being minimal;

4. Informed Decision: In order to facilitate you to select a lawyer, please check here before you make any decision;

5. Retainer Agreement: If you are fully aware of your options and decide to retain our firm as your representative for legal services, a retainer agreement will be emailed to you for your review;

6. Full Understanding: If you decide to retain us, please review the retainer agreement thoroughly; please assure you fully understand the content of agreement, and scope of legal services, and attorney fees; if you have anything not clear, you are encouraged to ask and we are happy to explain to you;

7. Attorney-client Relationship: Once you agree, sign the retainer agreement, and mail with initial attorney fee back to us, attorney-client relationship is established; until then, attorney, in all professional functions, will zealously pursue your best interests within the bounds of the law; we will maintain communication with you concerning the representation; we will keep in confidence information relating to your representation except disclosure is required or permitted by law, court order, or state disciplinary rules of professional conduct;   

8. Commencement of your Case: After we receive your signed retainer agreement and initial payment, we will send you a copy of the agreement and a set of questionnaires for your petition to commence work on your case;

9. Reference Letters: We will email you sample of reference letters; you need to contact potential recommenders (your advisor, boss, colleague, and independent experts); in most circumstance, recommenders ask you to provide them the letter; then you will finish first draft of reference letters and email back to us to revise; we will revise and email back to you until finalizing letters; you will forward final reference letters to recommenders for review, approval and signature; further revision of letters may be required if recommenders sometimes may make such request;

10. Document Preparation: Oftentimes in preparing reference letters, we will prepare forms, organize your supporting documents, analyze your credentials as index exhibits, and prepare legal summary and argument to USCIS;

11. Submission of Petition: Once recommenders sign reference letters, you will mail all signed letters and forms we prepared back to us; after we receive your documents, we will make a final review and organize all supporting documents, and submit the petition package to USCIS via USPS, UPS, or FedEx based on client’s specification;

12. Case Number: After filing your package, attorney will email, fax or mail a copy of USCIS official receipt to client once available, which is normally around 2 weeks; while attorney always monitors client's petition by setting an email account online with USCIS, client may also want to check his/her case status online with USCIS website from time to time;

13. Adjudication: When USCIS adjudicates your petition, USCIS either directly approves client's petition or requests additional further evidence (RFE); while it is possible, USCIS rarely denies your petition right away without RFE;

14. RFE: If RFE is required, attorney will immediately notify client and instruct client to prepare further documents and respond to USCIS in a timely manner; we will draft reference letters and legal argument to respond RFE;

15. Approval: When we receive approval notice from USCIS, attorney will immediately notify client; you will need mail the payment contingent on approval to us; we will mail original approval notice to client; as soon as USCIS ultimately adjudicates your petition, attorney's representation is finished and completed unless other services requested;

16. Denial: In case of unlikely denial of your petition by USCIS, attorney will evaluate reasons of denial and advise client any available relief or options; then client may make a decision based on his or her specific situation.  

Chao Law Firm offers our clients with unlimited inquiries during the period of representation. Attorney will always contact client in a reasonable and prompt fashion regarding any progress of client's application.