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 12841–12850

EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Published material

published material about the alien

Why AAO was not persuaded

The article focused on Petitioner's experience as a working mother rather than her work as an administrative manager, and there was no evidence Working Mom was a professional or major trade publication or major medium.

Why this is useful

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

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The article focused on Petitioner's experience as a working mother rather than her work as an administrative manager, and there was no evidence Working Mom was a professional or major trade publication or major medium.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-22_02_B2203; source_row=26041
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot established

Case facts

Finance

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that while the record established substantial merit for the Petitioner's work as a financial analyst, his proposed endeavor lacked national importance because it would not impact the financial services industry or U.S. economy more broadly beyond his own employer and clientele, and he failed to demonstrate significant potential for U.S. job creation or substantial positive economic effects.

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 found that while the record established substantial merit for the Petitioner's work as a financial analyst, his proposed endeavor lacked national importance because it would not impact the financial services industry or U.S. economy more broadly beyond his own employer and clientele, and he failed to demonstrate significant potential for U.S. job creation or substantial positive economic effects.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_02_B5203; source_row=26023
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AIEngineerPhD4 citations

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that while the Petitioner has conducted, published, and presented research, he has not shown that his work constitutes a record of success or progress in his field, has served as an impetus for progress in aerospace engineering, or has generated substantial positive discourse in the engineering community.…

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 while the Petitioner has conducted, published, and presented research, he has not shown that his work constitutes a record of success or progress in his field, has served as an impetus for progress in aerospace engineering, or has generated substantial positive discourse in the engineering community. His citation counts were low, self-citations were unaccounted for, peer review was limited, and letters of support did not demonstrate adoption of his work by others.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_06_B5203; source_row=26036
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that while the record demonstrated substantial merit in the Petitioner's proposed entrepreneurial work, the evidence was insufficient to show that the prospective impact of his specific real estate and business projects would extend broadly enough to reach national importance. The Petitioner did not demonstrate significant potential to employ U.S.…

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 found that while the record demonstrated substantial merit in the Petitioner's proposed entrepreneurial work, the evidence was insufficient to show that the prospective impact of his specific real estate and business projects would extend broadly enough to reach national importance. The Petitioner did not demonstrate significant potential to employ U.S. workers, substantial positive economic effects, or that his development activity represented a significant share of the Florida or U.S. real estate market.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_03_B5203; source_row=26026
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot established

Case facts

Environment / Energy10 citations

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that although the Petitioner published and presented research, the evidence did not show his work served as an impetus for progress in the field, generated substantial positive discourse, or constituted a record of success. Citation evidence was insufficiently contextualized, peer review activity was occasional, funding attribution was unclear, and no published research since 2014 was documented.

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 although the Petitioner published and presented research, the evidence did not show his work served as an impetus for progress in the field, generated substantial positive discourse, or constituted a record of success. Citation evidence was insufficiently contextualized, peer review activity was occasional, funding attribution was unclear, and no published research since 2014 was documented.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_05_B5203; source_row=26033
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot established

Case facts

Social SciencesBachelor’s

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

While the proposed endeavor has substantial merit, it lacks national importance because the Petitioner's instructional activities at a single preschool do not have broader implications for the field or the U.S. economy. A reported teacher shortage does not by itself establish national importance, and the Petitioner has not shown her work has significant potential to employ U.S.…

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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While the proposed endeavor has substantial merit, it lacks national importance because the Petitioner's instructional activities at a single preschool do not have broader implications for the field or the U.S. economy. A reported teacher shortage does not by itself establish national importance, and the Petitioner has not shown her work has significant potential to employ U.S. workers or generate substantial positive economic effects.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_01_B5203; source_row=26015
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · EB-2 baselineNot established

Case facts

Social SciencesBachelor’s

Issue evaluated

NIW · EB-2 baseline

advanced degree or equivalent qualification

Why AAO was not persuaded

No credential evaluation was provided to establish equivalency of foreign credentials to a U.S. advanced degree. Even assuming the bachelor's degree equaled a U.S. baccalaureate, the Petitioner lacked the required five years of post-baccalaureate experience at the time of filing.

Why this is useful

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

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No credential evaluation was provided to establish equivalency of foreign credentials to a U.S. advanced degree. Even assuming the bachelor's degree equaled a U.S. baccalaureate, the Petitioner lacked the required five years of post-baccalaureate experience at the time of filing.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_01_B5203; source_row=26008
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWexceptional ability otherNot established

Case facts

Social SciencesBachelor’s

Issue evaluated

exceptional ability other

salary or remuneration demonstrating exceptional ability

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner did not provide salary comparisons from the same time period as her earnings documentation, so there is no basis to determine her earnings are indicative of exceptional ability relative to others in the field.

Why this is useful

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

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The Petitioner did not provide salary comparisons from the same time period as her earnings documentation, so there is no basis to determine her earnings are indicative of exceptional ability relative to others in the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_01_B5203; source_row=26012
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that reference letters speculated on future potential rather than demonstrating current major significance, publication and presentation alone are insufficient, and citations were too modest and uncontextualized to show major significance.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO found that reference letters speculated on future potential rather than demonstrating current major significance, publication and presentation alone are insufficient, and citations were too modest and uncontextualized to show major significance.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_01_B2203; source_row=26004
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot established

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that neither ACM-CWC's scholarships committee nor ACM-CBCBHI's program committee demonstrated that membership requires outstanding achievements judged by recognized national or international experts. The IEEE Senior membership claim was rejected because it post-dated the petition filing by one year.

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 neither ACM-CWC's scholarships committee nor ACM-CBCBHI's program committee demonstrated that membership requires outstanding achievements judged by recognized national or international experts. The IEEE Senior membership claim was rejected because it post-dated the petition filing by one year.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-07-21_01_B2203; source_row=26002
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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