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 14761–14770

EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsNot established

Case facts

Social Sciences60 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO noted no formal final merits determination was required given the failure to meet three criteria, but upon reviewing the record in its entirety concluded the evidence did not establish the requisite sustained national or international acclaim.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO noted no formal final merits determination was required given the failure to meet three criteria, but upon reviewing the record in its entirety concluded the evidence did not establish the requisite sustained national or international acclaim.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_01_B2203; source_row=23834
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalManager

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

Membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements (8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(ii))

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the academy membership did not demonstrate outstanding achievements already made, as the requirements were based on 'outstanding potential,' and lacked evidence of judging by recognized national or international experts. The hypnosis society's requirements focused on education and training, not outstanding achievements judged by experts.

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

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AAO found the academy membership did not demonstrate outstanding achievements already made, as the requirements were based on 'outstanding potential,' and lacked evidence of judging by recognized national or international experts. The hypnosis society's requirements focused on education and training, not outstanding achievements judged by experts.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_02_B2203; source_row=23837
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalManager

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

Leading or critical role for distinguished organizations (8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(viii))

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the Petitioner's role as clinical director of the mobile unit was just one component of a larger multi-clinic program, and she did not show her role was of significant importance to the outcome of the overall organization's activities. The student-run free clinic also lacked evidence of distinguished reputation or that her role was critically important.

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AAO found the Petitioner's role as clinical director of the mobile unit was just one component of a larger multi-clinic program, and she did not show her role was of significant importance to the outcome of the overall organization's activities. The student-run free clinic also lacked evidence of distinguished reputation or that her role was critically important.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_02_B2203; source_row=23840
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / ClinicalManager

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

Original contributions of major significance (8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(v))

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the evidence described local or organizational impact rather than impact on the field as a whole. Letters from colleagues that do not specifically identify contributions or detail how those contributions have influenced the field are insufficient. The Petitioner did not demonstrate that her contributions significantly impacted the field as a whole.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO found the evidence described local or organizational impact rather than impact on the field as a whole. Letters from colleagues that do not specifically identify contributions or detail how those contributions have influenced the field are insufficient. The Petitioner did not demonstrate that her contributions significantly impacted the field as a whole.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_02_B2203; source_row=23839
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleNot established

Case facts

Social Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

leading or critical role for organizations with a distinguished reputation

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the record lacked a letter from the employer detailing how her role was leading or critical, and that the evidence did not set the organization apart from others or reflect a distinguished reputation. A client's letter of gratitude did not show the role was leading or critical for the organization itself, and self-promotional website material cannot be relied upon.

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

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AAO found that the record lacked a letter from the employer detailing how her role was leading or critical, and that the evidence did not set the organization apart from others or reflect a distinguished reputation. A client's letter of gratitude did not show the role was leading or critical for the organization itself, and self-promotional website material cannot be relied upon.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_03_B2203; source_row=23845
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot established

Case facts

Social Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the bylaws permit membership by any person with professional interests in art who submits a written application, and that the Petitioner's '5B' rating as a 'formed professional artist' is not at the level of outstanding achievements, given that multiple higher rating levels exist above her rating.…

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AAO found that the bylaws permit membership by any person with professional interests in art who submits a written application, and that the Petitioner's '5B' rating as a 'formed professional artist' is not at the level of outstanding achievements, given that multiple higher rating levels exist above her rating. The record also failed to show that applicants' achievements are judged by recognized national or international experts.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_03_B2203; source_row=23842
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

Social Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance in the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the letters lacked sufficiently detailed information and the record lacked adequate corroborating documentation showing specific original contributions of major significance. The evidence did not show the Petitioner's art influenced other professionals, that her works are widely viewed as important, or that her educational programs influenced the field beyond the schools where she taught.

Why this is useful

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

View full reasoning +
AAO found the letters lacked sufficiently detailed information and the record lacked adequate corroborating documentation showing specific original contributions of major significance. The evidence did not show the Petitioner's art influenced other professionals, that her works are widely viewed as important, or that her educational programs influenced the field beyond the schools where she taught.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_03_B2203; source_row=23843
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot established

Case facts

Social Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

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

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that offering average wages across all organizations in Russia was not an appropriate comparison for the art design field, and the job vacancy data from msk.jobcareer.ru was limited to current openings rather than filled positions at the time she worked, making it an improper basis for comparison. The Petitioner also needed to show a high salary relative to others in her field, not merely above average.

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 offering average wages across all organizations in Russia was not an appropriate comparison for the art design field, and the job vacancy data from msk.jobcareer.ru was limited to current openings rather than filled positions at the time she worked, making it an improper basis for comparison. The Petitioner also needed to show a high salary relative to others in her field, not merely above average.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_03_B2203; source_row=23846
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Social Sciences60 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

authorship of scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO confirmed the Director's finding that the Petitioner met the scholarly articles criterion, noting articles published in journals including the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America and Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

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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AAO confirmed the Director's finding that the Petitioner met the scholarly articles criterion, noting articles published in journals including the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America and Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_01_B2203; source_row=23832
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Social Sciences60 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO confirmed the Director's finding that the Petitioner met the judging criterion, noting letters from IEEE/ACM Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing and the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research confirming reviewer service.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO confirmed the Director's finding that the Petitioner met the judging criterion, noting letters from IEEE/ACM Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing and the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research confirming reviewer service.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2019-04-16_01_B2203; source_row=23830
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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