EB-2 NIW Green Card Case Study: Approval for Data Analytics and AI Professional from Costa Rica Costa Rica Data Analytics and AI ProfessionalsColombo & Hurd secured an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) green card approval for a data analytics and artificial intelligence professional from Costa Rica. USCIS approved the EB-2 NIW petition within 5 months of filing, and the client is now a permanent resident of the United States. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the engine of the American economy, accounting for nearly half of all private-sector jobs, yet many still operate without access to data analytics or artificial intelligence. Large corporations invest heavily in the people and tools needed to understand their customers and optimize their operations. For smaller businesses, those capabilities remain largely out of reach. Our client’s proposed endeavor is focused on closing that gap. He plans to help SMBs use data analytics and AI to improve their financial, marketing, and operational decisions. Senior Immigration Attorney Mandy Nease led the initial filing with premium processing. Once the petition was approved after a successful response to a Request for Evidence (RFE), our legal team guided the client through the Adjustment of Status (AOS) process, resulting in his green card. Evaluate My Profile Client ProfileA Career Spent Turning Data into Business Results EB-2 NIW VisaOur client holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Digital Transformation and Business Development from a European institution. For over twenty years, he worked with some of the world’s largest corporations, watching how access to data changed everything. Large companies could forecast demand, identify risk early, respond to market shifts in real time, and make decisions backed by hard evidence. Our client saw who was left out: small businesses. These businesses were making the same kinds of decisions with none of the same tools, because no one had ever made them accessible at that scale. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that gap became impossible to ignore. Our client developed a predictive model to identify which customers were at financial risk, classifying them by their likelihood of facing payment difficulties. The tool helped business leaders intervene earlier, protect customer relationships, and make more informed decisions before a problem became a crisis. The model became a core decision-making tool during one of the most uncertain periods in recent business history. That experience shaped our client’s consulting practice that brings the same quality of data-driven decision-making to SMBs that have always deserved it but never had access to it. The Challenge Demonstrating the Broader Impact of Helping Small Businesses The central challenge was to prove that one person’s consulting practice, focused on small businesses in one region, could matter at a national level. The petition showed that the gap between what large corporations can do with data and what small businesses have access to is not just a business problem. It is an economic one, with consequences that reach well beyond any individual company. When USCIS issued an RFE challenging national importance and the client’s positioning, our legal team responded directly to each point and provided additional context to help USCIS fully evaluate the petition. As with many EB-2 NIW cases, an RFE is simply a request for more information, not necessarily an indication of where the case is headed. We responded to each point raised and submitted a stronger, more complete record. Strategic Approach Building a Strong Case The response addressed what our client was proposing to do and why it mattered at a national level, and included the evidence to back it up. On the first point, the response clarified that the proposed endeavor was not simply working in data analytics but bringing practical AI tools to small businesses that have never had access to them. It connected that work to active federal priorities, including the Executive Order on AI development. On the second point, the response highlighted where our client planned to work. His expansion plan focused on rural counties and neighboring states where household incomes are well below the national average. To support these points, the response introduced a detailed business plan with financial projections and a hiring roadmap. A university researcher also invited our client to collaborate in his AI research laboratory. Together, that evidence gave USCIS a complete and consistent picture of what our client was building and why it mattered. The Result EB-2 NIW Approved Within Five Months USCIS approved the EB-2 NIW petition 5 months with premium processing after initial filing, including the time needed to review and respond to the RFE. The approval allows our client to continue expanding his work with small businesses in the United States and move forward with his long-term plans. Green Card Approved and Permanent Residency Granted After the I-140 approval, the client filed to adjust his status from within the United States, and the Colombo & Hurd legal team guided him through that process. USCIS approved his adjustment of status in 78 days, and he is now a lawful permanent resident of the United States. What this Approval Enables Giving Small Businesses the Tools to Compete As a permanent resident, our client can now build his consulting practice in the United States without the constraints of employer sponsorship or visa timelines. He will work with small business owners across industries to implement data-driven tools that help them understand their customers. He will also expand into rural and economically distressed communities where the need is greatest and access to these resources has historically been lowest. The businesses in those areas do not have data science teams or enterprise consulting budgets. What they need is someone willing to understand their specific challenges and put practical technology to work for them. Permanent residency gives our client the foundation to do exactly that. Case Overview Category Details Visa Classification EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) Nationality Costa Rican Professional Field Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Education Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering; MBA with Finance Concentration; Master’s in Digital Transformation Request for Evidence (RFE) Yes Premium Processing Yes I-140 Processing Time Approximately 5 months Lead Attorney Senior Immigration Attorney Mandy Nease Final Outcome Green card approved (lawful permanent residency granted) Attorney’s Perspective Mandy NeaseSenior Immigration Attorney & Director of Professional DevelopmentRead More “This is an example of a talented industry professional qualifying for an EB-2 National Interest Waiver. He had an advanced degree, a well-developed plan, progress toward that plan, continuing education consistent with a technical professional, and internal recognition of his work. And now he is a permanent resident!” Evaluate My Profile This case was led by Senior Immigration Attorney Mandy Nease of Colombo & Hurd, a U.S. immigration law firm specializing in employment-based green cards including EB-2 NIW and EB-1A petitions. The firm has secured over more than 2,500 approvals in EB-2 NIW and EB-1A categories since 2023.