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 13181–13190

EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

high salary or significantly high remuneration

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Salary Expert data showed that the average salary for a senior level blacksmith with at least eight years of experience is $62,722, and the Beneficiary has significantly more experience. His earnings are at most slightly above average and do not reflect significantly high remuneration.

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The Salary Expert data showed that the average salary for a senior level blacksmith with at least eight years of experience is $62,722, and the Beneficiary has significantly more experience. His earnings are at most slightly above average and do not reflect significantly high remuneration.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_19_B2203; source_row=25634
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 in major trade publications or other major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO withdrew the Director's finding. The Daily News Hungary article lacked supporting evidence that it qualifies as major media, was primarily about the company president rather than the Beneficiary, the Kozterkep article lacked a certified translation and author identification, and another article lacked the original foreign-language version, author, and date.

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AAO withdrew the Director's finding. The Daily News Hungary article lacked supporting evidence that it qualifies as major media, was primarily about the company president rather than the Beneficiary, the Kozterkep article lacked a certified translation and author identification, and another article lacked the original foreign-language version, author, and date.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_19_B2203; source_row=25630
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

PhysicsPhysician

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that while the Petitioner's expert letters, citation statistics, and citation records established productive research relied upon by others, they did not demonstrate that the Petitioner's contributions were of major significance in the field of physics. The expert letters lacked specificity about concrete impact, the citation comparisons lacked proper context, and citation rankings alone were insufficient.

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 while the Petitioner's expert letters, citation statistics, and citation records established productive research relied upon by others, they did not demonstrate that the Petitioner's contributions were of major significance in the field of physics. The expert letters lacked specificity about concrete impact, the citation comparisons lacked proper context, and citation rankings alone were insufficient.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_20_B2203; source_row=25638
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleNot established

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalFaculty

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

leading or critical role for distinguished organizations

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO disagreed with the Director's unexplained finding, concluding that editorial board duties were indistinguishable from routine peer review, the publishers' distinguished reputations were not established, committee chair evidence largely post-dated filing, and invitations for future roles do not satisfy the requirement to have already performed in a leading or critical role.

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AAO disagreed with the Director's unexplained finding, concluding that editorial board duties were indistinguishable from routine peer review, the publishers' distinguished reputations were not established, committee chair evidence largely post-dated filing, and invitations for future roles do not satisfy the requirement to have already performed in a leading or critical role.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_13_B2203; source_row=25600
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot established

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalFaculty

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

The CDC Champion Award was received nearly a year after the May 2018 petition filing date, so it cannot establish eligibility as of the time of filing.

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The CDC Champion Award was received nearly a year after the May 2018 petition filing date, so it cannot establish eligibility as of the time of filing.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_13_B2203; source_row=25596
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalFaculty

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO disagreed with the Director's unexplained finding, concluding that the Petitioner's citation figures, partial WHO documentation, low Altmetric score (55th percentile), and unsupported expert letters did not establish contributions of major significance.

Why this is useful

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

View full reasoning +
AAO disagreed with the Director's unexplained finding, concluding that the Petitioner's citation figures, partial WHO documentation, low Altmetric score (55th percentile), and unsupported expert letters did not establish contributions of major significance.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_13_B2203; source_row=25598
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 individual in major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

Several articles lacked identification of publication name or date, the American Ideals magazine was not shown to be major media, the book review was not about the Petitioner and not in qualifying media, and circulation claims for The Standard were sourced from Wikipedia and unsupported by probative evidence.

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Several articles lacked identification of publication name or date, the American Ideals magazine was not shown to be major media, the book review was not about the Petitioner and not in qualifying media, and circulation claims for The Standard were sourced from Wikipedia and unsupported by probative evidence.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_01_B2203; source_row=25530
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

While the award may be recognized within the Roman Catholic community, the record does not establish that it is awarded for excellence in the Petitioner's field of endeavor; submitted recipient biographies indicate the award is given for service to the Catholic Church rather than for excellence in any particular field.

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While the award may be recognized within the Roman Catholic community, the record does not establish that it is awarded for excellence in the Petitioner's field of endeavor; submitted recipient biographies indicate the award is given for service to the Catholic Church rather than for excellence in any particular field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_01_B2203; source_row=25529
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Major awardNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Major award

one-time major internationally recognized achievement

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner relied largely on Wikipedia, which is given no evidentiary weight, and failed to show the award is covered by international media, recognized by the general public, or comparable to awards like the Nobel Prize.

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The Petitioner relied largely on Wikipedia, which is given no evidentiary weight, and failed to show the award is covered by international media, recognized by the general public, or comparable to awards like the Nobel Prize.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_01_B2203; source_row=25528
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences16 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination — sustained national or international acclaim at the very top of the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the petitioner's limited peer review record, modest citation counts, single burst of media attention in 2014, and lack of broader field recognition from applied neuroscience work did not collectively establish the sustained acclaim and top-of-field standing required for EB-1A classification.

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AAO found that the petitioner's limited peer review record, modest citation counts, single burst of media attention in 2014, and lack of broader field recognition from applied neuroscience work did not collectively establish the sustained acclaim and top-of-field standing required for EB-1A classification.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-04-23_04_B2203; source_row=25551
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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