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 21341–21350

NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

bona fide job offer

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO agrees the petitioner failed to establish a bona fide job offer; the petitioner did not respond to AAO's NOID/NDI and the record (including a guilty plea) shows the Iowa office was a virtual office unable to support a software engineer position.

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AAO agrees the petitioner failed to establish a bona fide job offer; the petitioner did not respond to AAO's NOID/NDI and the record (including a guilty plea) shows the Iowa office was a virtual office unable to support a software engineer position.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-17_01_B5203; source_row=16603
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot established

Case facts

Environment / Energy

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance

Why AAO was not persuaded

The AAO found that the petitioner's citation counts were moderate and not reflective of major significance; post-filing citation evidence could not be considered; recommendation letters made general assertions without specific examples of impact; and conference presentations and download statistics did not establish that the work had been widely applied or highly influential in the field.

Why this is useful

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

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The AAO found that the petitioner's citation counts were moderate and not reflective of major significance; post-filing citation evidence could not be considered; recommendation letters made general assertions without specific examples of impact; and conference presentations and download statistics did not establish that the work had been widely applied or highly influential in the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-14_01_B2203; source_row=16598
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Finance

Issue evaluated

other

Continuing ability to pay the proffered wage from the priority date

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO confirmed the petitioner's inability to pay in 2008 and 2009 through wages paid, net income (negative both years), and net current assets (both years insufficient to cover the deficiency). The amended tax returns were rejected for lack of IRS certification and because the Schedule L changes appeared to be impermissible material post-hoc alterations.…

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AAO confirmed the petitioner's inability to pay in 2008 and 2009 through wages paid, net income (negative both years), and net current assets (both years insufficient to cover the deficiency). The amended tax returns were rejected for lack of IRS certification and because the Schedule L changes appeared to be impermissible material post-hoc alterations. The Sonegawa totality-of-circumstances analysis did not rescue the petitioner because no uncharacteristic business losses were demonstrated.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-14_02_B5203; source_row=16602
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWprocedural or otherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

OtherMaster’s

Issue evaluated

procedural or other

response to Notice of Intent to Dismiss

Why AAO was not persuaded

Petitioner did not respond to the AAO's NOID requesting evidence of the accreditation of the institution that issued the beneficiary's master's degree, warranting summary dismissal as abandoned.

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Petitioner did not respond to the AAO's NOID requesting evidence of the accreditation of the institution that issued the beneficiary's master's degree, warranting summary dismissal as abandoned.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-14_01_B5203; source_row=16601
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Environment / Energy

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

scholarly articles

Why the evidence was persuasive

The petitioner submitted sufficient documentation establishing that he meets the plain language of the scholarly articles 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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The petitioner submitted sufficient documentation establishing that he meets the plain language of the scholarly articles criterion.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-14_01_B2203; source_row=16599
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / ManagementMaster’s

Issue evaluated

other

Beneficiary possesses foreign equivalent of U.S. bachelor's degree in computer science

Why AAO was not persuaded

EDGE, a reliable peer-reviewed source, establishes that the beneficiary's three-year Bachelor of Commerce equals three years of U.S. university study; the Master of Commerce equals a U.S. bachelor's in business, not computer science; and the master's diploma in software engineering was not shown to be from an AICTE/DOEACC-accredited institution that qualifies as a college or university.…

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EDGE, a reliable peer-reviewed source, establishes that the beneficiary's three-year Bachelor of Commerce equals three years of U.S. university study; the Master of Commerce equals a U.S. bachelor's in business, not computer science; and the master's diploma in software engineering was not shown to be from an AICTE/DOEACC-accredited institution that qualifies as a college or university. Submitted evaluations were inconsistent and not supported by objective documentary evidence.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-13_01_B5203; source_row=16593
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Business / ManagementMaster’s

Issue evaluated

other

Commerce/business administration is a related field to computer science under the labor certification

Why AAO was not persuaded

The AAO was not persuaded that business administration is a field of study related to computer science. The beneficiary's commerce transcripts contained no computer science coursework, and the petitioner failed to demonstrate the relationship between computer science and business coursework at the university level.

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The AAO was not persuaded that business administration is a field of study related to computer science. The beneficiary's commerce transcripts contained no computer science coursework, and the petitioner failed to demonstrate the relationship between computer science and business coursework at the university level.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-13_01_B5203; source_row=16594
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

other

continuing ability to pay proffered wage from priority date onward

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that in 2008 and 2009 net income was insufficient, and in 2009 net current assets were also insufficient. The petitioner also failed to account for multiple simultaneously pending I-140 petitions for other beneficiaries. Bank statements were not permissible evidence under the regulation, and the subcontractor-replacement theory was unsupported. The totality of circumstances did not establish ability to pay.

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AAO found that in 2008 and 2009 net income was insufficient, and in 2009 net current assets were also insufficient. The petitioner also failed to account for multiple simultaneously pending I-140 petitions for other beneficiaries. Bank statements were not permissible evidence under the regulation, and the subcontractor-replacement theory was unsupported. The totality of circumstances did not establish ability to pay.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-13_02_B5203; source_row=16596
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

other

beneficiary meets minimum education requirement on labor certification

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the translations of the Polish documents contained inconsistencies that undermined their reliability, and that AACRAO's EDGE database — given significant weight — indicated the 'dyplom tytul magister' is equivalent only to a U.S. bachelor's degree, not a master's degree.…

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AAO found the translations of the Polish documents contained inconsistencies that undermined their reliability, and that AACRAO's EDGE database — given significant weight — indicated the 'dyplom tytul magister' is equivalent only to a U.S. bachelor's degree, not a master's degree. The petitioner's credential evaluations were discounted because the evaluator may have relied on the inaccurate abridged translations, and EDGE's conclusions were supported by federal court precedent. Without a master's degree or a bachelor's plus five years of progressive experience (which the labor cert did not allow as an alternative), the beneficiary failed to qualify.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-13_02_B5203; source_row=16595
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceNot established

Case facts

Social SciencesBachelor’s

Issue evaluated

NIW · Waiver on balance

national interest substantially greater than available U.S. worker

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that the petitioner's approved labor certification demonstrated that the labor certification process could and did address the demand for credentialed special education teachers. The key NYSDOT requirement is a record of influence on the field as a whole, and the petitioner's evidence did not establish this. The NCLBA did not create or imply any blanket waiver for teachers.

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AAO found that the petitioner's approved labor certification demonstrated that the labor certification process could and did address the demand for credentialed special education teachers. The key NYSDOT requirement is a record of influence on the field as a whole, and the petitioner's evidence did not establish this. The NCLBA did not create or imply any blanket waiver for teachers.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2013-06-11_06_B5203; source_row=16592
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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