At the end of last year the Washington Post reported on the noted short story writer (whose work had appeared in the New Yorker and the Paris Review before being collected in book format last fall) and her bid for permanent residency under the "alien of extraordinary ability" statute -- a bid that had been denied. Well, the paper follows up with word about how Li's appeal went, and the news isn't any better:

"While the facts presented in this case are especially sympathetic and compelling," the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services informed Li in its denial of her petition, "at the time of this filing the petitioner had not met the very high standard set by Congress" to establish her "extraordinary ability."

The biggest problem is that Li filed her petition before A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS was published by Random House last September. Furthermore, the fact that she won the Frank O'Connor Award might fall under what Title 8, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 204.5(h)(3) calls "sustained national or international acclaim through evidence of a one-time achevement (that is, a major, internationally recognized award."

Long story short: Li will likely re-file her petition soon, taking into account her recent achievements.