Source-backed decision research

Explore how AAO evaluates evidence.

Search a substantial collection of case-specific reasoning, then narrow it by petition, field, legal issue, or date.

This expanded collection favors source-backed access over perfect automated classification. Fields, labels, summaries, and relevance may contain errors; records marked ‘broader context’ need extra care. Review the cited source before relying on any record. These appeals and motions do not show approval odds or denial rates, and are not legal advice or a prediction.

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10,847 decisions / 36,849 findings

Showing 11491–11500

EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Materials Science45 papers13 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner authored scholarly articles in professional publications and met this criterion.

Why this is useful

See how AAO evaluated whether the work qualified as scholarly authorship and what it showed in the full record.

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AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner authored scholarly articles in professional publications and met this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-06-01_01_B2203; source_row=27711
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Materials Science45 papers13 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging the work of others

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner reviewed papers for journals and met this criterion.

Why this is useful

See how invitations, completed assignments, and the nature of judging were documented and weighed.

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AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner reviewed papers for journals and met this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-06-01_01_B2203; source_row=27710
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Chemistry / Chemical EngineeringPhD32 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging

Why the evidence was persuasive

Both the Director and AAO agreed the Petitioner satisfied the judging criterion. No further analysis was provided in the AAO decision for this criterion at step 1.

Why this is useful

See how invitations, completed assignments, and the nature of judging were documented and weighed.

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Both the Director and AAO agreed the Petitioner satisfied the judging criterion. No further analysis was provided in the AAO decision for this criterion at step 1.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-28_01_B2203; source_row=27706
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Chemistry / Chemical EngineeringPhD32 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the Petitioner did not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim. Scholarly articles and peer review are routine activities; citations are concentrated in three articles; her postdoctoral status suggests ongoing training; and expert letters do not establish a consensus of acclaim. No demand for her services commensurate with claimed reputation was shown.

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Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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AAO found the Petitioner did not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim. Scholarly articles and peer review are routine activities; citations are concentrated in three articles; her postdoctoral status suggests ongoing training; and expert letters do not establish a consensus of acclaim. No demand for her services commensurate with claimed reputation was shown.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-28_01_B2203; source_row=27709
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Chemistry / Chemical EngineeringPhD32 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO found the Petitioner's co-authorship of highly cited articles and the adoption of her detection/measurement techniques by other researchers established original contributions of major significance, reversing the Director's finding.

Why this is useful

Distinguish original work from evidence that the contribution had major significance across the field.

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AAO found the Petitioner's co-authorship of highly cited articles and the adoption of her detection/measurement techniques by other researchers established original contributions of major significance, reversing the Director's finding.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-28_01_B2203; source_row=27707
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

Substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner's personal statement focused on past accomplishments rather than the prospective impact of his proposed endeavor. He failed to explain how his management activities with the identified nonprofit organizations would advance his stated goal of promoting Korean culture and diversity at a national level, and did not show that his proposed activities would have broader implications in the field of nonprofit manage…

Why this is useful

Compare how the decision separates a broadly important field from the prospective impact of the applicant’s specific work.

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The Petitioner's personal statement focused on past accomplishments rather than the prospective impact of his proposed endeavor. He failed to explain how his management activities with the identified nonprofit organizations would advance his stated goal of promoting Korean culture and diversity at a national level, and did not show that his proposed activities would have broader implications in the field of nonprofit management.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-27_02_B5203; source_row=27695
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination – sustained national or international acclaim

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the record in aggregate did not support a finding of sustained national or international acclaim, noting that competing at professional European levels does not automatically satisfy the standard, that the Petitioner's acclaim was not widely reported in major media, and that his coaching contributions were not sufficiently corroborated or established.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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AAO found the record in aggregate did not support a finding of sustained national or international acclaim, noting that competing at professional European levels does not automatically satisfy the standard, that the Petitioner's acclaim was not widely reported in major media, and that his coaching contributions were not sufficiently corroborated or established.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-27_03_B2203; source_row=27705
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judge of the work of others

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that volleyball referee duties involve enforcing rules rather than judging the performance of players, and therefore the Petitioner's service as a referee did not satisfy this criterion.

Why this is useful

See how invitations, completed assignments, and the nature of judging were documented and weighed.

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AAO found that volleyball referee duties involve enforcing rules rather than judging the performance of players, and therefore the Petitioner's service as a referee did not satisfy this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-27_03_B2203; source_row=27701
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Published material

published material about the alien in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO agreed with the Director that none of the media outlets were established as professional or major trade publications or other major media, as the traffic metrics and marketing material were insufficient to show qualification.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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AAO agreed with the Director that none of the media outlets were established as professional or major trade publications or other major media, as the traffic metrics and marketing material were insufficient to show qualification.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-27_03_B2203; source_row=27700
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the federation president's letter did not identify specific benchmarks or explain how the selection criteria constituted outstanding achievements as judged by recognized experts, and was not corroborated by official rules or selection procedures.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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AAO found that the federation president's letter did not identify specific benchmarks or explain how the selection criteria constituted outstanding achievements as judged by recognized experts, and was not corroborated by official rules or selection procedures.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-27_03_B2203; source_row=27699
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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