TN VISA APPROVAL - STATISTICIAN (DATA SCIENTIST JOB, PHYSICS DEGREE, PREVIOUS DENIAL)
BACKGROUND:
The applicant, a citizen of Canada, had been offered a job as a Data Scientist. He applied for a TN under the Mathematician/Statistician TN category. The application he prepared was denied by USCBP because the officer did not think the job qualified for a TN.
I reviewed the position offered, and although the job title did not exactly match the TN visa category, based on the position’s job duties and supporting research, I believed the position could be classified under the Statistician TN category.
Additionally, while the applicant did not possess a degree in Statistics, I believed that he still could qualify under the Statistician TN visa category.
TN CATEGORY:
Statistician
JOB TITLE / DUTIES:
As the Data Scientist job title was not indicative of a Statistician role, in my cover letter to USCBP I described how Statisticians work in these types of roles, and I included extensive career and industry publications to support this claim.
I also highlighted that Statisticians went by different job titles including Data Scientist and similar variations.
EDUCATION:
The applicant possessed a PhD and Master's degree in Physics.
As with any case where the applicant does not possess a degree directly in the TN occupational category, it was imperative to establish how the applicant qualified under the Statistician TN visa category.
To establish eligibility, in my cover letter to USCBP I highlighted the applicant's Statistics and Math-related coursework completed during his degree programs and included his transcripts in the application.
I also included evidence of the applicant's post-doctoral training in Data Science, as well as his published research in the field.
I then supplemented the application with research establishing that a degree in Statistics was not required for a Statistician position, and that individuals with degrees in a related field such as Physics could also qualify.
FILING PROCESS:
TN visa status application applied at the U.S. Port-of-Entry in Buffalo, NY
PROCESSING TIME:
Approved same day as filed.
APPROVAL PERIOD:
3 years
Statements regarding prior application approvals our office has obtained are provided for informational purposes only. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.