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 11571–11580

EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Published material

published material about the alien in major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

The submitted articles were about a seminar in which the Petitioner participated as a panelist, not about the Petitioner herself. Additionally, none of the articles was accompanied by supporting evidence demonstrating publication in professional or major trade publications or major media.

Why this is useful

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

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The submitted articles were about a seminar in which the Petitioner participated as a panelist, not about the Petitioner herself. Additionally, none of the articles was accompanied by supporting evidence demonstrating publication in professional or major trade publications or major media.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27614
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

high salary or significantly high remuneration

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner failed to demonstrate a high salary relative to others in her field because the comparison data showed only average salaries, not salaries of those at the top of the field. The data was national in scope and did not allow comparison to others in the same occupation and geographic area in Taiwan. Even comparing to average professor salaries, the Petitioner's wages did not appear to be at the higher end.

Why this is useful

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

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The Petitioner failed to demonstrate a high salary relative to others in her field because the comparison data showed only average salaries, not salaries of those at the top of the field. The data was national in scope and did not allow comparison to others in the same occupation and geographic area in Taiwan. Even comparing to average professor salaries, the Petitioner's wages did not appear to be at the higher end.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27618
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why AAO was not persuaded

The reference letters were largely conclusory, contained identical language across some letters suggesting lack of independent authorship, and did not explain how the Petitioner's work was widely implemented or influenced the field.…

Why this is useful

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

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The reference letters were largely conclusory, contained identical language across some letters suggesting lack of independent authorship, and did not explain how the Petitioner's work was widely implemented or influenced the field. Citation statistics alone were insufficient without context showing major significance, journal impact factors reflect the publication's overall rate not the individual author's impact, and citing articles did not distinguish or highlight the Petitioner's work as authoritative.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27616
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

authorship of scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

The AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner fulfilled the scholarly articles 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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The AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner fulfilled the scholarly articles criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27617
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging the work of others

Why the evidence was persuasive

The AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner fulfilled the judging criterion based on her manuscript review and thesis examiner service.

Why this is useful

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

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The AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner fulfilled the judging criterion based on her manuscript review and thesis examiner service.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27615
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot pursuedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievement

What the decision said

The Petitioner did not contest the Director's finding on the membership criterion on appeal, so AAO deemed it waived.

Why this is useful

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The Petitioner did not contest the Director's finding on the membership criterion on appeal, so AAO deemed it waived.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-21_01_B2203; source_row=27613
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalResearcher

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the Petitioner's citation counts were insufficient to show a record of success or substantial interest from relevant parties; his peer review work was not documented as sufficiently prestigious; his employer letter showed he would be spread across disparate projects with unclear time devoted to the proposed research; and his prior research projects were not shown to connect to or position him to advance his p…

Why this is useful

Identify the progress, resources, outside interest, or record-to-plan connection that AAO expected to see.

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AAO found that the Petitioner's citation counts were insufficient to show a record of success or substantial interest from relevant parties; his peer review work was not documented as sufficiently prestigious; his employer letter showed he would be spread across disparate projects with unclear time devoted to the proposed research; and his prior research projects were not shown to connect to or position him to advance his proposed cancer research.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-20_02_B5203; source_row=27610
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalResearcher

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed with the Director that the proposed research endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, noting the record included information about the benefits of the research, growing demand for complementary and alternative medicine, and letters of support about the research's potential to advance the field.

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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AAO agreed with the Director that the proposed research endeavor has substantial merit and national importance, noting the record included information about the benefits of the research, growing demand for complementary and alternative medicine, and letters of support about the research's potential to advance the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-20_02_B5203; source_row=27609
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceReservedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · Waiver on balance

on balance, beneficial to waive job offer and labor certification

What the decision said

AAO declined to reach prong three because the Petitioner failed to establish prong two, making further discussion of the balancing factors serve no meaningful purpose.

Why this is useful

See which endeavor-specific facts mattered to the waiver analysis beyond a preference to self-petition.

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AAO declined to reach prong three because the Petitioner failed to establish prong two, making further discussion of the balancing factors serve no meaningful purpose.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-20_01_B5203; source_row=27608
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

well-positioned to advance the proposed endeavor

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO withdrew the Director's finding, concluding that while the Petitioner is a capable and respected researcher, the record did not establish that she is well-positioned to advance her proposed endeavor.…

Why this is useful

Identify the progress, resources, outside interest, or record-to-plan connection that AAO expected to see.

View full reasoning +
AAO withdrew the Director's finding, concluding that while the Petitioner is a capable and respected researcher, the record did not establish that she is well-positioned to advance her proposed endeavor. Her citations did not distinguish her work, her peer-review service lacked evidence of selection criteria, her letters of recommendation did not show concrete impact on diagnostic or treatment protocols, and she did not demonstrate that she (rather than her supervisor) was primarily responsible for securing research funding.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2021-05-20_01_B5203; source_row=27607
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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