Publication date: 19.06.2025
My name is Ismail T. Shakhtakhtinsky, I am the founder and lead attorney of the I.S. Law Firm, PLLC. My specialty is immigration law, commercial law, and personal injury cases. Prior to starting my own practice, I worked in law firms where I practiced civil law, and also served as a legal adviser for a company in New Orleans. Over the years, I have represented individuals, businesses, international corporations, and even foreign governments, both in Washington, D.C., and beyond. A separate area of my work is asylum cases. For more than 12 years, I have helped thousands of people from all over the world. In my practice, there have been cases when political dissidents from authoritarian countries had to resist falsified Interpol "red notices" issued for political reasons. I regularly speak at conferences and forums on immigration and international law, as well as human rights. I am also often invited as an expert to the American and foreign media, where I comment on changes and trends in US legislation. I am a member of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers (AILA) and am certified to practice international law. My law license is valid in the District of Columbia, as well as in the states of Virginia, Maryland and New York. I am fluent in Azerbaijani, Turkish and Russian.
EB-2 NIW for an Ecologist from Europe — The Path to a Green Card through a Climate Security Project
A professional legal strategy that transformed a scientific idea into a petition addressing U.S. national interests.
In 2023, a client — an ecologist and climate change researcher from Central Europe — approached me. She held a PhD, had scientific publications, and experience in international projects focused on reducing CO₂ emissions. The goal was to immigrate to the U.S. without an employer sponsor but with a real contribution to a field important to American society.
The key idea was to launch an analytical platform that helps U.S. municipalities monitor greenhouse gas levels in real-time and develop environmental action plans. The challenge was to demonstrate that this initiative aligns with the U.S. national interest.
What We Did Step by Step
- Analysis of NIW criteria and development of an individual strategy. We began by assessing the three main NIW criteria:
- High level of qualification: PhD, scientific publications, conference presentations.
- Project significance: combating climate change, supporting U.S. local governments.
- Advantage of self-petitioning for a green card over traditional employment-based immigration.
- Preparation of the evidence package: not just documents, but a convincing story. We prepared:
- A CV emphasizing impact: international research, grants, joint projects with EU governments.
- Support letters from professors at U.S. universities and climate experts.
- Project description: technical rationale, economic feasibility, environmental benefits.
- Expert opinions explaining why local-level emission monitoring is critical for achieving U.S. climate goals.
- Materials on U.S. environmental policy: clearly demonstrating how the client’s project integrates into national strategies (e.g., IRA 2022, local emission reduction initiatives).
- Formal part — precision in details. We submitted:
- Form I-140 (EB-2 NIW petition).
- Professionally prepared national interest justification.
- Supporting documents highlighting practical benefits to the U.S.
- Additionally, forms I-485, I-765, I-131 were filed concurrently (since the client was already in the U.S. on a J-1 visa).
Result: Successful Petition without RFE and Work Authorization during Green Card Processing
After 6.5 months, USCIS approved the petition without a Request for Evidence (RFE). The client received work authorization while waiting for her green card and already received collaboration offers from two research laboratories in California and Colorado.
Why This Case Worked
- The project aligns with real U.S. priorities — climate policy, environmental analytics, and digital management.
- All documents were supported by analytics and statistics, not just general statements.
- The petition was built as a legal argument, not just a list of achievements.
- The specificity of the American decision-making process was taken into account — with references to government sources, policy briefs, and laws.
What I Offer
- Individual assessment of NIW prospects — honest and realistic.
- Strategy development tailored to a specific idea or profile.
- Legal preparation of the I-140 petition with analytical justification of the national interest.
- Concurrent filing of I-485, I-765, I-131 if the client is already in the U.S.
- Explaining complex matters in plain language. No templates, only real work.
This case proves that an EB-2 NIW petition does not require a Nobel Prize or top-level position. What matters is properly presenting an idea that can genuinely benefit the U.S. — and doing it with legal expertise.
Secure professional legal support for your EB-2 NIW petition. Our experts will help make the process clear and successful.
