EB-2 NIW Case Study: Approval for Clinical Psychologist from Ecuador Ecuador Clinical PsychologistColombo & Hurd secured approval of an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) petition for a clinical psychologist from Ecuador who specializes in sex education and sexual abuse prevention. USCIS approved the petition following the firm’s successful response to a Request for Evidence (RFE). Sexual abuse can affect people at any age, from young children in early education settings to older adults in care facilities. Prevention depends on the adults closest to them: parents, teachers, mental health providers, and caregivers who know how to recognize warning signs and step in safely. Few of these adults receive practical training on sexuality and abuse prevention. Our client’s programs give them that training and the accurate information behind it. She brings together psychology, education, and sexual therapy to create methods that promote a safe and positive view of sexuality and healthy relationships. Her proposed endeavor is to expand this work in the United States through educational programs that help families, professionals, and institutions prevent sexual abuse. Partner Salvatore Picataggio led the initial petition. Evaluate My Profile Client ProfileA Psychologist Who Trains the People Closest to Those at RiskEB-2 NIW VisaThe client holds a bachelor’s degree in communication, a master’s degree in clinical and health psychology, and a postgraduate certificate in couples and sexual therapy. Her career of more than 15 years began in the classroom as a psychology teacher. From there, she led a science department with a team of about 20 teachers, coordinated an international curriculum program, and trained new psychology teachers. Since 2021, the client has also run a private practice in adult and couples therapy, with a focus on sex therapy. Her work training psychology teachers has had a significant impact. Before her training sessions, 80% of the teachers’ psychology students preparing for an international certification scored below the world average; afterward, their scores rose above it. Beyond the classroom, her talk on sexuality in older adults at a national conference on aging reached more than a thousand caregivers, relatives, and professionals. She has also participated in workshops on sex education for children, abuse prevention sessions for parents, and regularly appeared in media on sexual health. The Challenge Showing a Training-Based Endeavor Reaches Far Beyond One Professional The petition needed to show how the client’s clinical training and her years of teaching experience come together in a single endeavor. She is a psychologist, but her contribution in the United States comes through her training program. The filing had to make clear that her training-based model serves a need across the country, and that her record positions her to carry it out. USCIS accepted that she holds an advanced degree, but issued an RFE seeking more detail on the three remaining points: substantial merit and national importance, her ability to advance the endeavor, and the benefit of waiving the job offer and labor certification requirements. The RFE also asked a practical question: in what capacity would she carry out the work, given that her plan involved running a consultancy and not a clinical practice. Strategic Response The Program Is the Endeavor, the Consultancy Is the Vehicle The initial petition centered on the client’s work itself: who she helps and what changes because of it. Her proposed endeavor statement described the programs she develops for caregivers of children and older adults, and letters of recommendation from professionals at several different institutions confirmed her training work and its results. The filing showed how her work supports the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Elder Justice Act, both federal efforts to prevent and respond to abuse. That foundation gave the petition a clear record to return to when USCIS asked for more. The RFE response addressed the question of her capacity first. An expanded endeavor statement and a more detailed plan laid out three tracks: training programs for caregivers of children, training programs for caregivers of older adults, and seminars for mental health providers so they can run their own prevention programs. That third track is what makes the work relevant at a national level, not just in individual clinics or offices. On national importance, the response added the CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education Program and its child abuse prevention strategies, both of which call for training the adults who interact with at-risk populations every day. On her ability to advance the endeavor, the response pointed to demand that already existed. A U.S. counseling organization serving children and families, many of whom had experienced abuse, submitted a letter of interest in her workshops and offered staffing support, financial assistance, and free services for families. Together with her record as a trainer, this letter showed that the program had a place to begin and people ready to use it. As Partner Salvatore Picataggio explained: “Think about what you can do for the profession, not only what you can do as one professional. Bringing these skills to other people and institutions is where the national benefit comes from.” See If You QualifyGet Your Free EB-2 NIW Visa Profile Evaluation Evaluate My Profile The Result EB-2 NIW Approval Following the RFE Response USCIS approved the EB-2 NIW petition on October 11, 2026. The decision followed the firm’s detailed RFE response, which clarified how the client would build on her experience as a psychologist and educator to carry out her proposed work in the United States. This approval lays the foundation for the client to pursue permanent residency. Once that step is complete, she will be able to bring her programs to the families and institutions that need them, and to train the professionals who carry that work into their own communities. Every caregiver she prepares becomes one more person who knows what to watch for and how to respond. Case Overview Category Details Visa Classification EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) Nationality Ecuador Professional Field Clinical Psychology Education Master’s in clinical and health psychology, bachelor’s in communication, postgraduate program in couples and sexual therapy Request for Evidence (RFE) Yes Attorney Partner Salvatore Picataggio Outcome I-140 petition approved Date of Approval October 11, 2026 This case was handled by Partner Salvatore Picataggio of Colombo & Hurd, a U.S. immigration law firm specializing in employment-based visas including EB-2 NIW and EB-1A petitions. The firm has secured over 10,000 successful visa and green card approvals for clients from more than 100 countries, including more than 2,500 approvals in EB-2 NIW and EB-1A categories since 2023.