A Path to Residency: Seminar to Outline Immigration Options for Renowned Scientists

Rockville's place as a hub for health care and bioscience makes it fertile ground for medical and scientific researchers from around the world to compete for jobs requiring specialized skills and experience—and often visas.

On Tuesday, at the Universities at Shady Grove, immigration law firm Taylor & Ryan, LLC will host a two-hour session on the immigration options available to workers seeking permanent resident status—aka green cards—for themselves and their families.

“These are people who may qualify for permanent residence for their significant contributions in the fields of science and medicine,” said Mary Ryan of Taylor & Ryan. “They’re already here and on Tuesday we’ll be talking to people who might want to consider these routes.”

The ability to petition the government for permanent residency is an important tool for workers looking to remain in the U.S.—and for the industries looking to retain them.

"We need to retain our leadership in scientific research," Ryan said. "The folks that want to be here and conduct research here are key to that."

Individuals can petition for permanent residence under one of several preference categories. Those with “extraordinary ability” fall under the EB-1 provisions. Theses are “people who can prove that they are at the very top of their field" by presenting their professional accomplishments, Ryan said.

Such accomplishments could include nationally- or internationally-recognized awards or prizes, membership in associations requiring high achievement for entry and articles in industry publications about the individual's work.

"They will be of international repute," Ryan said.

The EB-2 provides a way for those with “exceptional ability” to petition for permanent residence if they can prove they’re working on a project in the national interest, Ryan said. With a National Interest Waiver, an individual sometimes can sponsor him or herself rather than have a business or institute sponsor them.

“They must have an advanced degree. Then have the NIW, too," Ryan said.

In the case of a researcher, it’s possible to attain an NIW even if they do not have a degree, Ryan said. “They might prove exceptional if they don’t have a degree but have a great deal of experience,” she said.

National interest waiver cases are favorites of Ryan.

“I’ve been doing these for about 20 years," she said. "I was at a big firm in the Labor Department and an immigration attorney joined our firm and asked me to do some work for him. My first case was for a scientist at the [National Institutes of Health]. I just fell in love with these types of cases. I get to write about amazing people.”

Taylor & Ryan, LLC is a full-service immigration firm located in Baltimore. They work with many medical and scientific researchers each year.

The seminar will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Universities at Shady Grove, Building 2, Potomac Room, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, in Rockville.

To register for this free seminar, please contact cfitzgerald@taylor-ryan.com or 410-412-3465.