Outstanding Linguistics Researcher Approved for EB-1
Posted Apr 25, 2000

In December 1999, the Law Office of Sheela Murthy was notified by the Texas Service Center of an approval in a case filed by our Office in April 1999, for a First-Preference (EB-1) Outstanding Professor / Researcher candidate. This approval came one month after answering an INS "Request for Evidence."

The Beneficiary holds a Ph.D. and teaches in the field of Communicative Disorders & Sciences, where his groundbreaking research holds great promise for improving clinical methods in the treatment of children with speech disorders. Scholars and researchers from many European countries and around the U.S. have attended his presentations. His innovations in the field, his prolific research, and his international acclaim have set him apart from others in the field in the U.S. and abroad.

The diverse nature of the population of the United States is of great importance to the framework used in the research style of this creative scientist. In contrast to the sizable body of literature on the narrative abilities of Caucasian children, there is an insufficient amount of research examining narrative abilities in children from other cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The scholar's innovative research is making great strides to bridge this knowledge gap in his field. His studies of the role of pauses in narrative styles have critical implications for understanding language differences among racially diverse populations. This research is particularly timely, as verbal narratives are increasingly being incorporated into school-based assessment processes.

Since the original Petition was filed, this candidate's continued contributions to the field of Speech and Language Pathology were further recognized with several national and international awards.

Moreover, his innovative research into the development of the moral reasoning of high school students has inspired new methods to enhance autonomous ethical development of students. He discovered significant relationships between the complexity of belief structures and maturity levels in moral reasoning in high school students. The more students believed that knowledge is complex and learning is gradual, the more maturity they demonstrated in resolving moral dilemmas.

In a society of escalating violence, it is now a national imperative to facilitate learning and to establish a foundation for ethical analysis at a critical stage of the child's development. This successful EB-1 candidate has applied his unique combination of knowledge of communicative disorders, psychology, and linguistics to enable children to flourish in different environments.

Although the candidate would probably have been eligible to file in both the National Interest Waiver (EB2) and the Outstanding Researcher (EB1) categories, the advantage of the priority dates being current in the EB1category for Indian nationals, was a significant factor for this particular beneficiary. The Law Office of Sheela Murthy, P.C. will continue to provide our readers with summaries of Special Category cases for those whose work continues to bring tremendous benefit to the U.S.