That is such BS. I was gonna try (I have some publications and stuff) but that's about it. Now I feel like I am rotting away here.
It really a luck thing. And if you have to go premium. You will find out sooner!
But if the case is really strong, and the petition is really strong - it's possible that you might get lucky and they might approve it.
It depends on which officer did you get, which side of the bed they woke up and did they have a fight with their spouse recently!
It really sucks!
Also depends on the company and the leverage you have with the manager in the company. Plenty of people from India have gotten GCs in that category in months after arriving to US.
So yeah, Its luck by most means. Life is unfair, if its any consolation, think about this aspect of luck. There are likely more merit people in India who haven't even gotten as far as you. Is it unfair for them and their lives to be compared to you.
Don't get too disparaged by this example. It depends a lot on the individual reviewer. Yes, that sucks, but it also means that in many cases it's not as hard as the in the quoted case.