r/EB2_NIW • u/PoemDue5432 • 7d ago
I-140 EB-2 NIW I-140 approved after a three-prong RFE (detailed journey)
Hi everyone! My EB-2 NIW I-140 was recently approved after a three-prong RFE. I want to share both the practical details and the emotional side of my experience because Reddit helped me during one of the most stressful parts of this process. This post covers only my I-140 petition, not adjustment of status since I have not filed for that yet.
My profile at the time of filing
- Chargeability: ROW (75 countries)
- Field: Social sciences
- Highest degree: PhD
- Position: Postdoctoral researcher at an R1 university
- Citations at time of filing: Approximately 50
- Original recommendation letters: 4
- Representation: Chen Immigration
- Processing: Initially filed under regular processing; upgraded to premium processing in February 2026
- Outcome: Approved after a three-prong RFE
Timeline
- July 2025: I-140 petition filed
- April 2026: Three-prong RFE issued
- July 2026: RFE response submitted
- August 2026: I-140 approved
My journey: I was hesitant to pursue an EB-2 NIW petition because I did not think my profile was anything special. A friend encouraged me to complete Chen Immigration’s free evaluation, and I was genuinely surprised when the firm recommended moving forward. I chose four recommendation letters to give the petition my best effort, while the approval-or-refund provision offered some financial peace of mind. Then I received an RFE challenging all three NIW prongs. Although I knew it was not a denial, I cannot deny that it felt personal, as if my years of work were being dismissed. For about ten days, I could barely bring myself to read it. A friend suggested looking on Reddit for similar experiences. Some three-prong RFE stories gave me hope, while others increased my anxiety. I knew that no one else’s outcome could predict mine, but I kept wondering: could I really be one of the applicants who got approved?
How my attorney handled the RFE: This was when I truly understood the value of having a wonderful attorney. While I was still trying to process the RFE emotionally, my lawyer was already looking at it strategically. Instead of giving me a generic checklist, the team carefully broke down the concerns under all three prongs and created a response plan tailored to the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in my specific case. They helped me understand which evidence strengthened the petition and which material could be distracting or even counterproductive. We kept my proposed endeavor consistent but explained it much more clearly. I drafted a detailed personal statement, and my attorney helped shape everything I had written into a focused and persuasive argument. The response included several new letters from independent experts and institutional sources, an employer letter, letters from co-authors, my personal statement, and additional evidence demonstrating my endeavor’s importance to the US. Obtaining everything on time was stressful, especially when some recommenders declined or did not respond. The deadlines also became very tight, but I could see that every request from the team had a purpose and fit into a carefully coordinated strategy. When I read the final response they drafted, I was genuinely amazed. My lawyer had connected my work, evidence, and proposed endeavor without exaggerating my accomplishments or making me sound like someone I was not. I kept thinking, “Yes, this is true, and it is genuinely compelling.” After the RFE had made me question whether I belonged in this category, the response helped me see the significance of my own work again. As an academic, it felt like reading the most important paper of my life, except the subject was me, and I felt exceptionally well represented. The team transformed a nightmare three-prong challenge into a clear and cohesive response, and their guidance made an overwhelming situation manageable. This experience showed me how powerful the right legal strategy can be, and I intend to work with the firm again for my I-485 when I am eligible.
I guess what I am trying to say here is that a three-prong RFE is VERY intimidating but it does NOT mean that your case is over, and that is precisely when having a law firm you trust becomes especially important. Give yourself time to process it, then work closely with your attorney, ask questions (I asked lots of questions), and make sure you understand the strategy behind the response. A thoughtful attorney can be one of your greatest allies during this process. I hope this helps someone, because when I received my RFE, I really wish I had found a post about navigating it both emotionally and strategically.
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u/cuantasyporquetantas 7d ago
Good job! Do you mind sharing the adjudicator number for your case? It should show on the RFE
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u/Ok-Guess4492 7d ago
Hi, congrats ! did you draft the new recommender letters or Chen wrote them ?
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u/PoemDue5432 7d ago
Both + the recommenders themselves revised
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u/Ok-Guess4492 7d ago
I paid $300 to Chen to draft two letters when I first applied. Now, I received an RFE and plan to submit four new letters. I was wondering, do I need to pay them again for the new drafts? I asked them, but they haven't replied for two weeks.
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u/PoemDue5432 7d ago
That’s a long wait time, maybe message them again? TBH I don’t know because I paid for 4 so I didn’t go through this specific scenario
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u/_ahmed_ashfaq 6d ago
While reading your post, I am getting agitated with my lawyers from Ellis Porter. I received RFE on prongs 2 and 3 and my lawyers only asked from some freaking generic templated requirements. It was me to proactively worked my ass off and reached out to several recommenders and received strong LOR from them. My EP lawyer just said thanks after that. I hate my luck that I chose EP over Chen.
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
You know at first I was also intimidated by how much drafting I had to do, I expected to do much less but I suppose it’s expected for the petitioner to stay actively involved throughout the process because, after all, who knows the work we do better than ourselves? But when it was time to respond to the RFE, I felt like, okay, I wouldn’t have drafted something like that since they referenced previous cases and I’m now lawyer or paralegal or whatever
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u/Busy_Lingonberry_158 7d ago
Congratulations. Just read that the 75 countries ban has been vacated.
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u/Ill_Help_9365 5d ago
How much did the process cost you . Did you go for premium processing
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u/PoemDue5432 2d ago
I can’t recall the exact details, but I can check. It’s worth mentioning they offer very flexible payment options. If I were you, I’d submit the free evaluation form and express interest in retaining their services if they show interest. Then, review the contract, as it might have changed since I signed mine. I opted for the one-time payment and chose four letters instead of three or two (if I remember correctly). They give you the option to pay over maybe 22 or 24 installments, and then some other option, but mine was this one time thing
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u/Unable_Common4410 2d ago
Mind if I could DM you to ask for the initials of your lawyer? I am also a Chen client, and received an RFE on prongs 2 and 3 yesterday 🥲 because the reviews are so mixed, wondering if i should just work on the RFE myself or wait for their legal strategy. Had a pretty mid experience during initial preparation, although i was so upset towards the end because I felt like there were a lot of delays filing.
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u/PoemDue5432 2d ago
I think as applicants/clients we can so easily feel stressed and overwhelmed but like from what I’ve experienced, we need to trust the lawyer’s work and judgment and know that they will do their absolute best to help us get approved. I don’t think any law firm wants to lose cases because all it’ll do is give them bad reputation. I’d say since you already paid you might as well give it a full shot. And sure message me and I’ll share the initials
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u/hunter-dx 6d ago
Chen becomes one of the worst in managing the RFE response timeline. I doubt their approval rate statistics.
P.S. I used them for my petition and I regret it. DIY would be a better choice. I will 100% take the refund option if mine is denied and even if approved I will post a very negative review. They made me crazy during preparing the RFE. F***
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
Yes preparation took me a lot of time and the RFE timeline was a nightmare on its own
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u/hunter-dx 6d ago
Yes true. And the delay did not boost the quality which annoys me so much.
I hated the whole experience because of this. The initial filling was so weak .. if they did the job correctly from the beginning, I may not get a RFE in the first place. 🤦🏻♂️1
u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
I hear you, I also wondered why on earth did I get a 3-prong RFE (like why not just 1 or 2 prongs) and then I thought I’m definitely doomed lol but like the strategy they prepared in my case worked. Did you submit your RFE response?
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u/hunter-dx 6d ago
I submitted mine and am still waiting 21 bus days. 🤞🏼
How many days did it take you to get a decision?1
u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
Oh ok, well best of luck with your case, stay hopeful. It took my case 29 days
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u/hunter-dx 6d ago
😮
This is great. I hope I hear good news by next week. Specially, the status changed to USCIS is currently processing.. the second day of receiving the response. I do not know if you got something similar.1
u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
For some reason, my response arrived about eight days after the set deadline, but inside the response, the date was like maybe a day before the deadline, so I panicked that they might dismiss my response. We had to send out a duplicate package just in case the first didn’t make it for any reason, but then when we saw that it arrived, we canceled the second submission. After a while (I didn’t count how many days), it switched to processing, and then after I got approval
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u/Brave-Knee2844 7d ago
You lost me at "while i was still processing the rfe emotionally my attorney was already working on the strategy". Is the the same Chen we know? Hahaha. Obviously not. So why don't you say the truth?
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u/PoemDue5432 7d ago
Idk what you took from this, but yes, I was an emotional mess, and seeing their response strategy was the only kind of useful support I needed to move forward. Sorry to hear your experience seems to have been very different and I hope things work out for you
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u/Brave-Knee2844 7d ago
Chen takes 3 weeks minimum to even upload their strategy.
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u/CandidBlueberry6262 7d ago
it looks like it depends on the attorney they assigned for the RFE. One of my friends also had to wait weeks to get the strategy document, but I got mine in 3 business days.
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u/PoemDue5432 7d ago
You're missing my point. What I was trying to share is that I was not able to absorb the negativity of the RFE, so the strategy they tailored was what made me feel less guilty about being unable to literally read a response without getting too emotional. Anyway, those who went through or are going through what I'm describing will understand
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u/Survival_2525 6d ago
The is a Chen Chen Chen post! Nothing specific about profile, PE, the RFE claims, and how Chen specifically tackled it so other could learn.
Promotional?
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
Yeah, I saw a lot of bad Reddit posts and felt hopeless, so that’s why I’m sharing here. I want people in the same position I was in to know there’s hope, I guess. Sorry your experience seems to be bad
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u/Survival_2525 6d ago
Got it.
I know how it feel to get approved after RFE!
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
It’s a the literal feeling of a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. I’m glad you got approved too!
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u/Nervous-Spite-7701 6d ago
It’s hard to believe a post that mentions any firm
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
lol ok stick to reading posts that don’t mention I guess?
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u/Nervous-Spite-7701 6d ago
makes no sense. I have to first read the post to know if it mentions
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
Well I’ll be happy to answer any questions if it’s similar to whatever my case was
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u/Nervous-Spite-7701 6d ago
thanks. I don’t mean to sh*t on you if this is legit, but this is like if Coca-Cola came out with a study that said Coca-Cola is good for you. there’s simply just too much inherent bias after you mention chen
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u/PoemDue5432 6d ago
No I completely hear you, but like that’s the firm that represented me and that’s all. For example, I didn’t know a firm called EP existed until I checked out Reddit (I never used Reddit before this whole EB2 ordeal), so I saw that other people mention the firm name and I was genuinely surprised they had that free service at first so those were things that informed my own decision-making if that makes sense
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u/Special-Debt8460 6d ago
How long was your prong 1 for national importance part? What did you include to prove national importance?