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 17401–17410

EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other59 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the Petitioner's judging was routine peer review without evidence of distinction; her three-article publication record had limited citation impact (only one article cited 59 times, others uncited); her high salary was only compared to other fellows rather than established radiation oncologists; and her overall record does not reflect a career of acclaimed work placing her at the top of her field.

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AAO found that the Petitioner's judging was routine peer review without evidence of distinction; her three-article publication record had limited citation impact (only one article cited 59 times, others uncited); her high salary was only compared to other fellows rather than established radiation oncologists; and her overall record does not reflect a career of acclaimed work placing her at the top of her field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-06_01_B2203; source_row=20936
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other59 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging

Why the evidence was persuasive

The Director and AAO both credited the judging criterion based on the Petitioner's co-editing and book review activities.

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

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The Director and AAO both credited the judging criterion based on the Petitioner's co-editing and book review activities.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-06_01_B2203; source_row=20931
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other59 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

The Petitioner published three articles in professional journals and had conference presentations, satisfying the scholarly articles criterion.

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See how AAO evaluated whether the work qualified as scholarly authorship and what it showed in the full record.

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The Petitioner published three articles in professional journals and had conference presentations, satisfying the scholarly articles criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-06_01_B2203; source_row=20933
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other59 citations

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

high salary

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO found the criterion met because the Petitioner established her salary as a radiology fellow was high in relation to other radiology fellows, disagreeing with the Director's finding.

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AAO found the criterion met because the Petitioner established her salary as a radiology fellow was high in relation to other radiology fellows, disagreeing with the Director's finding.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-06_01_B2203; source_row=20935
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

other

Possession of required educational credentials (bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent)

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Beneficiary possesses a 3-year bachelor of commerce degree that her own evaluator acknowledges equates to only 3 years of U.S. university study, not a full U.S. bachelor's degree. The labor certification requires a U.S. bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent with no alternate combination accepted. The Act and its legislative history preclude combining educational credentials to meet the bachelor's degree requirement.…

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The Beneficiary possesses a 3-year bachelor of commerce degree that her own evaluator acknowledges equates to only 3 years of U.S. university study, not a full U.S. bachelor's degree. The labor certification requires a U.S. bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent with no alternate combination accepted. The Act and its legislative history preclude combining educational credentials to meet the bachelor's degree requirement. The Petitioner's 'single source' exception has no legal authority.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-05_01_B5203; source_row=20928
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · Waiver on balance

serving the national interest to a substantially greater degree than an available U.S. worker

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the supervisor letters described the Petitioner's chemistry job duties and prospective teaching potential but did not show past influence on the field; teaching credentials and a tentative job offer likewise did not establish influence on education. Worker shortages and unique skills are matters for the labor certification process.

Why this is useful

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AAO found that the supervisor letters described the Petitioner's chemistry job duties and prospective teaching potential but did not show past influence on the field; teaching credentials and a tentative job offer likewise did not establish influence on education. Worker shortages and unique skills are matters for the labor certification process.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-02_02_B5203; source_row=20927
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · Well positioned

national in scope

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO agreed that the impact of a single schoolteacher would not extend beyond the students and school district, and that general arguments about STEM importance and teacher shortages address intrinsic merit, not national scope.

Why this is useful

Identify the progress, resources, outside interest, or record-to-plan connection that AAO expected to see.

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AAO agreed that the impact of a single schoolteacher would not extend beyond the students and school district, and that general arguments about STEM importance and teacher shortages address intrinsic merit, not national scope.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-02_02_B5203; source_row=20926
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · National importanceEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial intrinsic merit

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO did not disturb the Director's finding that teaching has substantial intrinsic merit.

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 did not disturb the Director's finding that teaching has substantial intrinsic merit.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-02_02_B5203; source_row=20925
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Ability to pay combined proffered wages of all pending petitions

Why AAO was not persuaded

Even though the Petitioner's disclosed 2015 net income of $322,532 exceeded the $142,917.60 shortfall between combined proffered wages and wages paid for the identified petitions, the Petitioner omitted four additional petitions from its list that USCIS records showed remained pending.…

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Even though the Petitioner's disclosed 2015 net income of $322,532 exceeded the $142,917.60 shortfall between combined proffered wages and wages paid for the identified petitions, the Petitioner omitted four additional petitions from its list that USCIS records showed remained pending. Without their proffered wages and payment data, the record could not establish the Petitioner's ability to pay all applicable combined proffered wages.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-02_01_B5203; source_row=20924
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Beneficiary possession of required educational credentials

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO found that the Beneficiary's 3-year polytechnical diploma allowed lateral entry into the second year of the 4-year bachelor's program, making his bachelor's degree equivalent to a 4-year U.S. degree. EDGE confirmed that a 3-year Indian engineering diploma equates to one year of U.S. university credit, and that an Indian bachelor of engineering/technology is comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree.

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 the Beneficiary's 3-year polytechnical diploma allowed lateral entry into the second year of the 4-year bachelor's program, making his bachelor's degree equivalent to a 4-year U.S. degree. EDGE confirmed that a 3-year Indian engineering diploma equates to one year of U.S. university credit, and that an Indian bachelor of engineering/technology is comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2016-12-02_01_B5203; source_row=20923
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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