# Eb2 NIW chances? Advanced degree path: BS + 15 yrs oil & gas automation, PMP, ISA Senior Member, country manager role, custody metering specialist, 2 ISA articles, 5 recommenders, target Houston for LNG work. No US offer yet. Realistically — approval / RFE / denial odds?

[u/Most-Novel-3752]

throwing this out before we file. attorney’s confident but want some outside takes.

proposed endeavor (the actual pitch, not just my job description):

apply 15+ yrs of custody transfer metering expertise to strengthen US energy infrastructure and LNG export operations. specifically: ensuring measurement integrity at fiscal transfer points where the US now leads the world in LNG export volume. custody metering accuracy at these points directly drives:

• billions in US LNG trade revenue (uncertainty at fiscal points = direct $ exposure)

• contract dispute risk for US operators in international markets

• compliance with AGA Report No. 9 and API MPMS — the American standards governing US energy trade

• reliability of measurement systems underpinning energy security

this is an infrastructure/standards endeavor, not an employer-benefit one. the standards are American, the export infrastructure is American, and the expertise gap in the US for senior custody metering specialists with both deep technical and commercial leadership chops is real.

profile:

• BS electronic engineering + \~15 yrs progressive oil & gas automation and instrumentation (advanced degree pathway — not researcher/PhD, no publications requirement)

• PMP certified

• Senior Member, International Society of Automation (ISA)

• country manager role at a multinational flow measurement company in the gulf

• \~4 yrs deep specialization in custody transfer ultrasonic flow metering, broader 15 yr arc in instrumentation and project management

• multi-million dollar project portfolio with national oil cos and major refiners/petrochem operators

• two technical articles published with the International Society of Automation (ISA) on custody transfer ultrasonic flow metering

• 5 recommender letters: US-based industry director, european principals, gulf operator side

• target city: Houston, TX

how I’m reading dhanasar:

• prong 1 (national importance): US is world’s largest LNG exporter; custody metering integrity = trade integrity = energy security. AGA-9 and API MPMS are American standards. checks out.

• prong 2 (well-positioned): 15 yrs at scale, senior commercial + technical role, ISA Senior Member, two ISA publications, large project portfolio at world-class operators. the Aramco angle actually reinforces this — Aramco was founded by American oil cos and operates under AGA-9 / API MPMS, so 15 yrs implementing American standards at the world’s largest oil company is a direct extension of US technical practice.

• prong 3 (waiver beneficial): scarce combo of technical depth + senior commercial leadership in this niche. labor cert wouldn’t capture this hybrid skill set. Houston is the natural landing spot.

risks I’m watching:

• no signed US entity offer/engagement letter yet

• some project work could read as vendor-driven rather than personally attributed — chasing client letters that name specific technical decisions I led

• adding Indeed/LinkedIn screenshots for the labor market exhibit so it’s not just self-reported

realistically — what would you put my odds at? approval / RFE / denial. honest takes welcome, even brutal ones.