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 18551–18560

EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

judging the work of others

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed the Petitioner submitted sufficient evidence of peer review participation to satisfy this criterion.

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AAO agreed the Petitioner submitted sufficient evidence of peer review participation to satisfy this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-30_01_B2203; source_row=19723
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

authorship of scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

AAO agreed the Petitioner's multiple published works in scholarly journals satisfied this criterion.

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's multiple published works in scholarly journals satisfied this criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-30_01_B2203; source_row=19725
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot pursuedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Biomedical / Life Sciences

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements

What the decision said

The Petitioner did not contest the Director's findings for this criterion on appeal, so AAO declined to review it.

Why this is useful

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The Petitioner did not contest the Director's findings for this criterion on appeal, so AAO declined to review it.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-30_01_B2203; source_row=19722
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner failed to show that his employer or the association requires outstanding achievements from all its members as judged by recognized national or international experts. The association's FAQ showed that minor league players and other non-major-league personnel are also eligible, undermining the claim that membership constitutes an outstanding achievement.…

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The Petitioner failed to show that his employer or the association requires outstanding achievements from all its members as judged by recognized national or international experts. The association's FAQ showed that minor league players and other non-major-league personnel are also eligible, undermining the claim that membership constitutes an outstanding achievement. The uniformed personnel status lacked documentation of the conferring entity or its selection criteria.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19717
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Published materialNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Published material

published material in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

Most articles focused on games or teams rather than the Petitioner; the Petitioner failed to challenge the Director's finding that articles were not about him, effectively abandoning that argument. The one newspaper that published an article about the Petitioner was not shown to be major media in 2006, and other publications were local in circulation.

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Most articles focused on games or teams rather than the Petitioner; the Petitioner failed to challenge the Director's finding that articles were not about him, effectively abandoning that argument. The one newspaper that published an article about the Petitioner was not shown to be major media in 2006, and other publications were local in circulation.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19718
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Leading / critical roleNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Leading / critical role

leading or critical role for distinguished organizations

Why AAO was not persuaded

The support letters praised the Petitioner's skills but did not discuss his impact on the team as a whole or how his role fits within the team's hierarchy. The Petitioner did not provide the referenced article about bullpen catchers, and the other reference letters contained only general praise without specific evidence of a leading or critical role.

Why this is useful

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The support letters praised the Petitioner's skills but did not discuss his impact on the team as a whole or how his role fits within the team's hierarchy. The Petitioner did not provide the referenced article about bullpen catchers, and the other reference letters contained only general praise without specific evidence of a leading or critical role.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19720
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

prizes or awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

The awards were largely received as an amateur baseball player in age-limited competitions, and the Petitioner provided insufficient evidence showing the prizes were nationally or internationally recognized outside the presenting entities. The newspaper article evidence was inadequate to show national circulation, and Wikipedia entries were given no evidentiary weight.

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The awards were largely received as an amateur baseball player in age-limited competitions, and the Petitioner provided insufficient evidence showing the prizes were nationally or internationally recognized outside the presenting entities. The newspaper article evidence was inadequate to show national circulation, and Wikipedia entries were given no evidentiary weight.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19716
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Final meritsReservedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Final merits

final merits determination

What the decision said

AAO explicitly declined to conduct the final merits determination because the Petitioner failed to meet the Step 1 threshold of three criteria, though it noted in the alternative that the record does not support the required level of expertise.

Why this is useful

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AAO explicitly declined to conduct the final merits determination because the Petitioner failed to meet the Step 1 threshold of three criteria, though it noted in the alternative that the record does not support the required level of expertise.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19721
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot pursuedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other2,006 papers

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

What the decision said

The Petitioner did not specifically challenge the Director's finding or assert this criterion on appeal, and therefore abandoned the issue.

Why this is useful

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

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The Petitioner did not specifically challenge the Director's finding or assert this criterion on appeal, and therefore abandoned the issue.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-28_01_B2203; source_row=19719
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceNot established

Case facts

Medicine / Clinical

Issue evaluated

NIW · Waiver on balance

national interest substantially greater than a U.S. worker

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that publications and presentations alone do not establish field-wide impact. The letters attested to the potential of the research but did not show findings being widely implemented or frequently cited by independent researchers. The cardiologist shortage argument was also rejected as irrelevant to the national interest waiver analysis, which does not consider availability of U.S. workers.

Why this is useful

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AAO found that publications and presentations alone do not establish field-wide impact. The letters attested to the potential of the research but did not show findings being widely implemented or frequently cited by independent researchers. The cardiologist shortage argument was also rejected as irrelevant to the national interest waiver analysis, which does not consider availability of U.S. workers.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2015-09-25_02_B5203; source_row=19715
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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