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 17341–17350
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot established
Case facts
Medicine / Clinical
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · High remuneration
high salary
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found the translations non-compliant with 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(3) (not full certified English translations), and further found that the Petitioner compared his salary to physicians generally rather than to other medical directors, which is the proper comparator group for his position.
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AAO found the translations non-compliant with 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(3) (not full certified English translations), and further found that the Petitioner compared his salary to physicians generally rather than to other medical directors, which is the proper comparator group for his position.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20992 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established
Case facts
Medicine / Clinical
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Original contributions
original contributions
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found that conference presentations and publications were not shown to be of major significance—no evidence of frequent citation or field-wide impact. Recommendation letters were largely conclusory and did not provide specific examples of how contributions influenced the field.
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 conference presentations and publications were not shown to be of major significance—no evidence of frequent citation or field-wide impact. Recommendation letters were largely conclusory and did not provide specific examples of how contributions influenced the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20990 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO found that neither association demonstrated its membership requires outstanding achievements as an essential condition, nor that membership decisions are made by recognized national or international experts. Membership based on education, experience, or peer recommendations does not rise to outstanding achievements.
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AAO found that neither association demonstrated its membership requires outstanding achievements as an essential condition, nor that membership decisions are made by recognized national or international experts. Membership based on education, experience, or peer recommendations does not rise to outstanding achievements.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20988 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO withdrew the Director's finding, holding that serving as a thesis or faculty advisor does not constitute serving as 'a judge' in a formal judging capacity as required by the plain language of the criterion. Not every review of others' work as part of one's job duties qualifies.
Why this is useful
See how invitations, completed assignments, and the nature of judging were documented and weighed.
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AAO withdrew the Director's finding, holding that serving as a thesis or faculty advisor does not constitute serving as 'a judge' in a formal judging capacity as required by the plain language of the criterion. Not every review of others' work as part of one's job duties qualifies.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20989 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Ability to pay via actual wages paid to beneficiary
Why AAO was not persuaded
The Beneficiary's W-2s for 2014 and 2015 showed wages of $17,499.99 and $67,499.99 respectively, both below the proffered wage of $79,643, so prima facie proof via wages paid was not established.
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Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
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The Beneficiary's W-2s for 2014 and 2015 showed wages of $17,499.99 and $67,499.99 respectively, both below the proffered wage of $79,643, so prima facie proof via wages paid was not established.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B5203; source_row=20997 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Ability to pay via overall magnitude of business activities (Sonegawa)
Why AAO was not persuaded
The record lacked evidence of consistent growth over the Petitioner's history or industry leadership. Claims about its website's uniqueness and user traffic were unsupported by documentary evidence, and a two-year snapshot of increasing gross income was insufficient to establish a consistent pattern of financial growth.
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Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
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The record lacked evidence of consistent growth over the Petitioner's history or industry leadership. Claims about its website's uniqueness and user traffic were unsupported by documentary evidence, and a two-year snapshot of increasing gross income was insufficient to establish a consistent pattern of financial growth.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B5203; source_row=20999 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Ability to pay via net income or net current assets
Why AAO was not persuaded
The tax returns contained internal inconsistencies (mismatched Schedule L beginning/ending balances, unexplained accounts payable on a cash-basis return) rendering them not credible. Even crediting them, the combined proffered wage deficit in 2014 ($186,676.19) exceeded net income of $100,821 and net current assets of $0; in 2015 the deficit ($196,485.44) exceeded net income of $76,138 and net current assets of $144,484.…
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The tax returns contained internal inconsistencies (mismatched Schedule L beginning/ending balances, unexplained accounts payable on a cash-basis return) rendering them not credible. Even crediting them, the combined proffered wage deficit in 2014 ($186,676.19) exceeded net income of $100,821 and net current assets of $0; in 2015 the deficit ($196,485.44) exceeded net income of $76,138 and net current assets of $144,484. Prorating of proffered wages was unavailable because the Petitioner did not submit sub-annual income or wage records.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B5203; source_row=20998 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO agreed the Petitioner satisfied this criterion, finding the record supports the Director's conclusion that he authored scholarly articles in professional publications.
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 agreed the Petitioner satisfied this criterion, finding the record supports the Director's conclusion that he authored scholarly articles in professional publications.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20991 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsReservedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Medicine / Clinical
Issue evaluated
EB-1A · Final merits
final merits determination
What the decision said
AAO reserved the full final merits determination because the Petitioner failed to satisfy the step-1 threshold of at least three criteria, but noted in passing that the aggregate record would not support eligibility.
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AAO reserved the full final merits determination because the Petitioner failed to satisfy the step-1 threshold of at least three criteria, but noted in passing that the aggregate record would not support eligibility.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-05_01_B2203; source_row=20996 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
NIWNIW · Well positionedEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Biomedical / Life SciencesPostdoctoral ResearcherPhD
Issue evaluated
NIW · Well positioned
well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor
Why the evidence was persuasive
The petitioner's PhD, leadership of multi-institutional projects (including a 13-site initiative), grant funding, peer-reviewed publications, citations by independent experts, and unique technical skills demonstrate he is well positioned to advance the endeavor.
Why this is useful
Identify the progress, resources, outside interest, or record-to-plan connection that AAO expected to see.
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The petitioner's PhD, leadership of multi-institutional projects (including a 13-site initiative), grant funding, peer-reviewed publications, citations by independent experts, and unique technical skills demonstrate he is well positioned to advance the endeavor.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2017-01-04_01_B5203; source_row=20986 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c