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 13471–13480

EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

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

Two articles were about the Beneficiary but the Petitioner failed to show that Business Insider or Yahoo Finance qualify as major media by not providing comparative circulation data. Two other articles merely quoted the Beneficiary and were not about him, which does not satisfy the criterion.

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Two articles were about the Beneficiary but the Petitioner failed to show that Business Insider or Yahoo Finance qualify as major media by not providing comparative circulation data. Two other articles merely quoted the Beneficiary and were not about him, which does not satisfy the criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_02_B2203; source_row=25291
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot established

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

The record contains inconsistent salary figures and does not establish the Beneficiary's actual base salary. Even if the salary were established, the Petitioner used DOL wage data for economists rather than for trade and diplomatic relations experts, failing to show the salary is high relative to others in the Beneficiary's actual field.

Why this is useful

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The record contains inconsistent salary figures and does not establish the Beneficiary's actual base salary. Even if the salary were established, the Petitioner used DOL wage data for economists rather than for trade and diplomatic relations experts, failing to show the salary is high relative to others in the Beneficiary's actual field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_02_B2203; source_row=25295
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

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that several submitted articles were not about the Petitioner, others lacked required author attribution, and the remaining articles were not shown to be published in professional, major trade, or major media outlets. SimilarWeb statistics for Independent.ie were insufficient to establish that site as a major medium.

Why this is useful

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AAO found that several submitted articles were not about the Petitioner, others lacked required author attribution, and the remaining articles were not shown to be published in professional, major trade, or major media outlets. SimilarWeb statistics for Independent.ie were insufficient to establish that site as a major medium.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_01_B2203; source_row=25285
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

OtherPhD

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO agreed with the Director that the evidence was insufficient. The Beneficiary's graduate research, modest citation record, performance review characterizing him as a developing new engineer, and employee awards did not collectively demonstrate a record of success in process engineering or that his work has been an impetus for progress in the field.…

Why this is useful

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AAO agreed with the Director that the evidence was insufficient. The Beneficiary's graduate research, modest citation record, performance review characterizing him as a developing new engineer, and employee awards did not collectively demonstrate a record of success in process engineering or that his work has been an impetus for progress in the field. Academic awards also lacked selection criteria and were in chemistry rather than process engineering.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_01_B5203; source_row=25289
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

OtherPhD

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO withdrew the Director's determination on this prong and conducted its own analysis, finding that while the Beneficiary's process engineering work may have substantial merit, the Petitioner failed to demonstrate its national importance.…

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 withdrew the Director's determination on this prong and conducted its own analysis, finding that while the Beneficiary's process engineering work may have substantial merit, the Petitioner failed to demonstrate its national importance. The Petitioner's evidence of the employer's overall economic impact did not show that those effects were attributable to the Beneficiary's specific proposed endeavor, and the record did not show broader implications for the manufacturing industry or original innovations beyond internal company work.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_01_B5203; source_row=25288
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceNot established

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial merit and national importance

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO agreed the endeavor has substantial merit but found it lacks national importance because its impact would be limited to the Petitioner's employer, clients, and stakeholders, with no evidence of broader implications to the field or substantial positive economic effects or U.S. job creation.

Why this is useful

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AAO agreed the endeavor has substantial merit but found it lacks national importance because its impact would be limited to the Petitioner's employer, clients, and stakeholders, with no evidence of broader implications to the field or substantial positive economic effects or U.S. job creation.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_02_B5203; source_row=25297
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 in the field, in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Why the evidence was persuasive

The record includes sufficient evidence that the Beneficiary's Brookings Institute book chapter and Atlantic Council policy report constitute scholarly articles in professional publications, satisfying this criterion.

Why this is useful

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The record includes sufficient evidence that the Beneficiary's Brookings Institute book chapter and Atlantic Council policy report constitute scholarly articles in professional publications, satisfying this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_02_B2203; source_row=25293
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / Management

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

leading or critical role for organizations or establishments with a distinguished reputation

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed with the Director that the Beneficiary satisfies the leading or critical role criterion based on his position.

Why this is useful

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AAO agreed with the Director that the Beneficiary satisfies the leading or critical role criterion based on his position.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_02_B2203; source_row=25294
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleReservedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

leading or critical role

What the decision said

AAO reserved the leading or critical role criterion without reaching it because the Petitioner could not satisfy the minimum three-criteria threshold regardless of the outcome on this criterion.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO reserved the leading or critical role criterion without reaching it because the Petitioner could not satisfy the minimum three-criteria threshold regardless of the outcome on this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_01_B2203; source_row=25287
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingReservedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging

What the decision said

AAO reserved the judging criterion without reaching it because the Petitioner could not satisfy the minimum three-criteria threshold regardless of the outcome on this criterion.

Why this is useful

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AAO reserved the judging criterion without reaching it because the Petitioner could not satisfy the minimum three-criteria threshold regardless of the outcome on this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2020-02-25_01_B2203; source_row=25286
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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