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 15351–15360
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingNot established
Case facts
Computer Science / AI
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Judging
judging the work of others
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO disagreed with the Director and found the criterion not met. The first letter showed the Petitioner organized competitions but did not mention judging. The second letter thanked him for judging startup selections but lacked detail about duties, entities judged, or criteria used, making it impossible to determine he judged work in the same or allied field.…
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AAO disagreed with the Director and found the criterion not met. The first letter showed the Petitioner organized competitions but did not mention judging. The second letter thanked him for judging startup selections but lacked detail about duties, entities judged, or criteria used, making it impossible to determine he judged work in the same or allied field. The third certificate showed participation in a roundtable, not judging.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-12_01_B2203; source_row=23168 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found the personal certificates were mere participation acknowledgments, not prizes or awards. The company awards could not be attributed to the Petitioner because the evidence did not show he was directly responsible or played an integral role, and even if attributed, the record did not establish they were nationally or internationally recognized awards for excellence in information technology.
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AAO found the personal certificates were mere participation acknowledgments, not prizes or awards. The company awards could not be attributed to the Petitioner because the evidence did not show he was directly responsible or played an integral role, and even if attributed, the record did not establish they were nationally or internationally recognized awards for excellence in information technology.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-12_01_B2203; source_row=23167 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Computer Science / AI
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Leading / critical role
leading or critical role for organizations with distinguished reputation
Why the evidence was persuasive
AAO agreed the criterion is met, but limited the basis to the Petitioner's role as technical deputy at one company that serves Iran's largest banks, where he leads all technical departments and is the highest paid employee. Evidence of his role at a prior employer was insufficient.
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AAO agreed the criterion is met, but limited the basis to the Petitioner's role as technical deputy at one company that serves Iran's largest banks, where he leads all technical departments and is the highest paid employee. Evidence of his role at a prior employer was insufficient.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-12_01_B2203; source_row=23169 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Computer Science / AI
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · High remuneration
high salary or significantly high remuneration
Why the evidence was persuasive
AAO disagreed with the Director and found the criterion met. The Petitioner's monthly salary of over 192 million IRR far exceeded the 80th percentile benchmark of 80 million IRR for senior managers in production/operations roles, and greatly exceeded the average monthly household income in Iran of 17 million IRR.
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AAO disagreed with the Director and found the criterion met. The Petitioner's monthly salary of over 192 million IRR far exceeded the 80th percentile benchmark of 80 million IRR for senior managers in production/operations roles, and greatly exceeded the average monthly household income in Iran of 17 million IRR.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-12_01_B2203; source_row=23170 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Labor certification supports advanced degree professional classification
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO agreed that the 'other' modifier in box H.14 went beyond standard Kellogg language, creating an undefined minimum requirement that could be satisfied with less than a single advanced degree, thereby disqualifying the position from EB-2 advanced degree professional classification.
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AAO agreed that the 'other' modifier in box H.14 went beyond standard Kellogg language, creating an undefined minimum requirement that could be satisfied with less than a single advanced degree, thereby disqualifying the position from EB-2 advanced degree professional classification.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-11_02_B5203; source_row=23165 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Ability to pay proffered wages for all I-140 beneficiaries
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO confirmed that the Petitioner did not provide information about three I-140 petitions, that the wages actually paid to the instant Beneficiary ($82,078 in 2016 and $88,777 in 2017) fell short of the $103,750 proffered wage, and that without a complete picture of all I-140 obligations it was impossible to determine whether net income or net current assets were sufficient.…
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AAO confirmed that the Petitioner did not provide information about three I-140 petitions, that the wages actually paid to the instant Beneficiary ($82,078 in 2016 and $88,777 in 2017) fell short of the $103,750 proffered wage, and that without a complete picture of all I-140 obligations it was impossible to determine whether net income or net current assets were sufficient. The totality-of-circumstances analysis also failed due to the incomplete information.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-11_02_B5203; source_row=23166 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Whether Director properly considered Petitioner's timely request to correct alleged clerical error in Form I-140 petition-type selection
What the decision said
AAO does not decide whether the box-check was actually a clerical error or whether the amendment should be permitted; it remands because the Director's reasoning was insufficient to support the rejection.
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AAO does not decide whether the box-check was actually a clerical error or whether the amendment should be permitted; it remands because the Director's reasoning was insufficient to support the rejection.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-11_01_B5203; source_row=23164 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
The profit-and-loss statement submitted is unaudited and thus does not qualify as an audited financial statement under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(g)(2). While the record lacks compliant evidence of ability to pay for 2017, the petitioner demonstrated the 2017 tax return was unavailable at the time of appeal due to a documented extension, warranting remand rather than outright denial.
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The profit-and-loss statement submitted is unaudited and thus does not qualify as an audited financial statement under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(g)(2). While the record lacks compliant evidence of ability to pay for 2017, the petitioner demonstrated the 2017 tax return was unavailable at the time of appeal due to a documented extension, warranting remand rather than outright denial.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-05_01_B5203; source_row=23163 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO agreed the endeavor has substantial merit in educational, cultural, and economic terms, but found the evidence did not show that the Beneficiary's work impacts the field of Chinese language instruction more broadly or has prospective impact beyond the petitioning institution, consistent with the Dhanasar precedent where similar teaching activities were found insufficient.
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AAO agreed the endeavor has substantial merit in educational, cultural, and economic terms, but found the evidence did not show that the Beneficiary's work impacts the field of Chinese language instruction more broadly or has prospective impact beyond the petitioning institution, consistent with the Dhanasar precedent where similar teaching activities were found insufficient.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-03_01_B5203; source_row=23160 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
NIWNIW · Well positionedEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Social Sciences
Issue evaluated
NIW · Well positioned
well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor
Why the evidence was persuasive
AAO found the Beneficiary well positioned based on her advanced academic credentials, teaching experience, development of the Chinese language program, and praise from colleagues and students reflecting her leadership and impact.
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AAO found the Beneficiary well positioned based on her advanced academic credentials, teaching experience, development of the Chinese language program, and praise from colleagues and students reflecting her leadership and impact.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2018-10-03_01_B5203; source_row=23161 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c