Translator and Educator
Colombo & Hurd secured approval of an EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) I-140 petition for a translator and educator from Argentina. Her work focuses on improving access to bilingual education and addressing communication challenges in diverse communities.
As the United States grows more diverse, the demand for practical language development programs and reliable cross-cultural communication services continues to rise.
Our client trains educators and develops language learning programs for schools and underserved communities. Her proposed endeavor focuses on helping instructors apply practical teaching methods while creating more accessible learning environments.
The petition focused on the client’s long-term work in educator training and multicultural academic initiatives.
The EB-2 NIW case, led by Immigration Attorney Vivian Daher, was approved without a Request for Evidence (RFE), allowing her to move forward in the process toward permanent residence in the United States.
Client Profile
Advancing language access through education and community-based initiatives
Our client holds two master’s degrees, one in World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from a U.S. university, and one in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from a university in Spain. She also earned two bachelor’s degrees in Translation and English Teaching in Argentina.
She brought nearly 18 years of experience in language education and professional translation to her petition. That includes teaching English in Argentina, teaching Spanish in the United States, and more than 15 years as a working translator.
In the United States, she designed an internship program that placed students with legal aid organizations and non-profits in underserved areas and built service-learning into her translation courses so students could gain real experience while helping people who actually needed it.
She also collaborated with an international academic institution on translation projects and led inclusion initiatives at a university-based translation and interpretation office, expanding access to language resources for underserved communities.
Senior academics in her field recognized her work, and she published an article on her work developing bilingual professional programs through educator training and community partnerships.
The Challenge
Demonstrating the national impact
The central challenge in this case was not proving the client’s qualifications but demonstrating how her work meets the national importance standard.
Attorney Daher noted that the risk is that meaningful contributions in education or community-based work may be overlooked unless they are directly tied to national challenges.
Strategic Approach
Highlighting long-term work
The goal was to make the case that language education is infrastructure.
Attorney Daher documented the client’s long-term work in professional development for educators, translation, and bilingual academic initiatives.
As Attorney Daher explained, “National importance isn’t about the subject itself; it’s about what the work enables at scale.”
That meant connecting her work directly to federal priorities. The filing pointed to the U.S. Department of Education’s recognition that translators bridge cultural and linguistic gaps and the Department’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan, which calls for stronger educator development and equal access to education. Each one aligned with work the client had already been doing throughout her career.
The petition also showed a clear path forward. The client plans to start in the Washington, D.C. area, which includes 139 federally designated Opportunity Zones, and expand her programs nationally. Her plan includes training programs for educators, service-learning built into language courses, and both in-person and online options to reach communities that are often left out. Schools, universities, and community organizations had already expressed interest in partnering with her, showing that the work had real support behind it.
The evidence supported this at every level. She had already built an internship program that placed bilingual students with organizations serving communities that lacked access to professional translation services. Recommendation letters from educators and community leaders pointed to specific programs she led to expand bilingual access and support inclusion in academic settings.
The Result
EB-2 NIW I-140 Approval Without an RFE
USCIS approved the EB-2 NIW I-140 petition without issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE), reflecting the strength of the case from the initial filing.
The approval confirms that her work meets the standard for a National Interest Waiver. She can now move forward with the next steps toward permanent residence in the United States.
What This Approval Enables
This approval allows our client to move forward in the process toward permanent residence, while continuing to work with institutions and community organizations to support clearer communication and increased participation in academic and professional settings.
Case Overview
| Category | Details |
| Visa Classification | EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) |
| Nationality | Argentina |
| Professional Field | Translation and Education |
| Education | Master’s Degree in World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics |
| Request for Evidence (RFE) | No |
| Final Outcome | Approved |
| Premium Processing | No |
| Lead Attorneys | Vivian Daher |
Attorney’s perspective
“What made this case stand out is how we positioned language education and translation as infrastructure for access, not just an academic field. We showed how language barriers directly affect education outcomes, workforce participation, and access to essential services.
The client wasn’t operating in theory. She had already developed programs, trained students, and worked with institutions. That combination of real-world implementation and national relevance made the case significantly stronger than a typical humanities profile.”
