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.
10,847 decisions /36,849 findings
Showing 13951–13960
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established
Case facts
Materials Science
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Original contributions
original contributions of major significance
Why AAO was not persuaded
The AAO agreed with the Director that the letters lacked specific examples demonstrating contributions of major significance, and that citation counts without comparative context were insufficient. The AAO found that claimed impacts were described only in general terms without independent corroborating evidence.
Why this is useful
Distinguish original work from evidence that the contribution had major significance across the field.
View full reasoning +
The AAO agreed with the Director that the letters lacked specific examples demonstrating contributions of major significance, and that citation counts without comparative context were insufficient. The AAO found that claimed impacts were described only in general terms without independent corroborating evidence.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_04_B2203; source_row=24732 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO disagreed with the Director's reasoning to the extent that dues and experience requirements alone don't disqualify a membership, but agreed the record does not establish that CTA or CCDS require outstanding achievements judged by recognized experts. The CTA membership rules offered multiple alternative qualification paths, and 'substantial' is not synonymous with 'outstanding'.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
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AAO disagreed with the Director's reasoning to the extent that dues and experience requirements alone don't disqualify a membership, but agreed the record does not establish that CTA or CCDS require outstanding achievements judged by recognized experts. The CTA membership rules offered multiple alternative qualification paths, and 'substantial' is not synonymous with 'outstanding'.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_02_B2203; source_row=24721 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Other1,999 papers
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Published material
published material about the alien in major media
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found user-edited sources (Baidu, Wikipedia) entitled to no evidentiary weight, letters are not published materials, several articles were about productions rather than the Petitioner, one article post-dated filing, and the Top 100 list reflected government conformity rather than circulation/prominence and post-dated the publications. The articles indicated local rather than significant national distribution.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
AAO found user-edited sources (Baidu, Wikipedia) entitled to no evidentiary weight, letters are not published materials, several articles were about productions rather than the Petitioner, one article post-dated filing, and the Top 100 list reflected government conformity rather than circulation/prominence and post-dated the publications. The articles indicated local rather than significant national distribution.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_02_B2203; source_row=24722 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established
Case facts
Environment / Energy
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Original contributions
original contributions of major significance
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found that heavy citation alone does not establish the nature or significance of original contributions, the citation rate table was inapplicable and outdated, the Petitioner failed to identify specific contributions from his most-cited article, and the climate team proposal lacked evidence of concrete adoption or field impact.
Why this is useful
Distinguish original work from evidence that the contribution had major significance across the field.
View full reasoning +
AAO found that heavy citation alone does not establish the nature or significance of original contributions, the citation rate table was inapplicable and outdated, the Petitioner failed to identify specific contributions from his most-cited article, and the climate team proposal lacked evidence of concrete adoption or field impact.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_01_B2203; source_row=24717 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Other
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Original contributions
original contributions of major significance in the field
Why AAO was not persuaded
Twelve recommendation letters praised the Petitioner's talent but did not demonstrate impact beyond the specific projects she worked on. Having a unique skill set as an actor is not itself a contribution of major significance, and the letters lacked specific information about how her contributions influenced the field at large.
Why this is useful
Distinguish original work from evidence that the contribution had major significance across the field.
View full reasoning +
Twelve recommendation letters praised the Petitioner's talent but did not demonstrate impact beyond the specific projects she worked on. Having a unique skill set as an actor is not itself a contribution of major significance, and the letters lacked specific information about how her contributions influenced the field at large.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_05_B2203; source_row=24737 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Other
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Published material
published material in professional or major trade publications or other major media
Why AAO was not persuaded
The submitted evidence consisted of blogs and Facebook posts not shown to constitute professional or major trade publications or major media, and critically the articles were not about the Petitioner — they merely mentioned her name in passing or in a cast list.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
The submitted evidence consisted of blogs and Facebook posts not shown to constitute professional or major trade publications or major media, and critically the articles were not about the Petitioner — they merely mentioned her name in passing or in a cast list.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_05_B2203; source_row=24736 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Other
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · High remuneration
high salary or significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field
Why AAO was not persuaded
Key exhibits with wage comparison data were referenced but not actually submitted with the RFE response. No corroborating pay stubs or tax documentation were provided, and no published comparative salary data for similarly situated actors was in the record.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
Key exhibits with wage comparison data were referenced but not actually submitted with the RFE response. No corroborating pay stubs or tax documentation were provided, and no published comparative salary data for similarly situated actors was in the record.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_05_B2203; source_row=24740 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
leading or critical role for organizations or establishments with a distinguished reputation
Why AAO was not persuaded
While the Petitioner had lead roles in projects, she failed to show that films, television programs, plays, or commercials qualify as 'organizations or establishments' under the regulation. Additionally, testimonial evidence did not describe how her roles were leading or critical within the structure of any organization, and distinguished reputation of the relevant entities was not established.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
While the Petitioner had lead roles in projects, she failed to show that films, television programs, plays, or commercials qualify as 'organizations or establishments' under the regulation. Additionally, testimonial evidence did not describe how her roles were leading or critical within the structure of any organization, and distinguished reputation of the relevant entities was not established.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_05_B2203; source_row=24739 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialEstablishedAutomated 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 the evidence was persuasive
AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner satisfied this criterion. While not all published material was about the Petitioner or appeared in major media, the submission included some qualifying materials.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
AAO agreed with the Director that the Petitioner satisfied this criterion. While not all published material was about the Petitioner or appeared in major media, the submission included some qualifying materials.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_03_B2203; source_row=24726 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO disagreed with the Director's finding, noting that the letter was from December 2014 and the '2018 cohort' referred to the school's class of 2018 selected in 2014 for a four-year program. Thus the judging activity predated the petition's filing date.
Why this is useful
See how invitations, completed assignments, and the nature of judging were documented and weighed.
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AAO disagreed with the Director's finding, noting that the letter was from December 2014 and the '2018 cohort' referred to the school's class of 2018 selected in 2014 for a four-year program. Thus the judging activity predated the petition's filing date.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-11-21_03_B2203; source_row=24727 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c