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 23611–23620

NIWNIW · National importanceEstablishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / Clinical

Issue evaluated

NIW · National importance

substantial intrinsic merit

Why the evidence was persuasive

The AAO did not dispute that the petitioner's area of research 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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The AAO did not dispute that the petitioner's area of research has substantial intrinsic merit.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_01_B5203; source_row=13906
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / Clinical

Issue evaluated

NIW · Waiver on balance

national interest served to a substantially greater degree than a U.S. worker with the same minimum qualifications

Why AAO was not persuaded

The AAO found that the petitioner's witness letters were from close collaborators who could not attest first-hand to impact outside their institutions, identified no concrete external effects from her work, and that the petitioner's own statements and the general importance of her field could not objectively establish the required national interest.…

Why this is useful

See which endeavor-specific facts mattered to the waiver analysis beyond a preference to self-petition.

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The AAO found that the petitioner's witness letters were from close collaborators who could not attest first-hand to impact outside their institutions, identified no concrete external effects from her work, and that the petitioner's own statements and the general importance of her field could not objectively establish the required national interest. The petitioner provided no persuasive objective evidence distinguishing her work from that of other qualified scholars.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_01_B5203; source_row=13908
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Totality of circumstances / Sonegawa factors

Why AAO was not persuaded

No facts analogous to Sonegawa were established; the petitioner submitted no evidence that the beneficiary was replacing a former employee, and the filing of over 400 petitions without demonstrating ability to pay across beneficiaries further undermined the realism of the job offer.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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No facts analogous to Sonegawa were established; the petitioner submitted no evidence that the beneficiary was replacing a former employee, and the filing of over 400 petitions without demonstrating ability to pay across beneficiaries further undermined the realism of the job offer.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_04_B5203; source_row=13912
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Net current assets sufficient to cover proffered wage

Why AAO was not persuaded

Net current assets from 2001 through 2005 ranged from $29,335 (2001) to -$101,780 (2003), all below the proffered wage; none of the years showed net current assets meeting or exceeding $61,180.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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Net current assets from 2001 through 2005 ranged from $29,335 (2001) to -$101,780 (2003), all below the proffered wage; none of the years showed net current assets meeting or exceeding $61,180.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_04_B5203; source_row=13910
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Net income sufficient to cover proffered wage

Why AAO was not persuaded

Net income from 2001 through 2005 (per Form 1120S) ranged from -$112,396 to $53,687, all below the proffered wage; CPA financials for 2006 ($54,906) and 2007 ($60,960.63) were also insufficient.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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Net income from 2001 through 2005 (per Form 1120S) ranged from -$112,396 to $53,687, all below the proffered wage; CPA financials for 2006 ($54,906) and 2007 ($60,960.63) were also insufficient.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_04_B5203; source_row=13909
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Bank account balances as alternate evidence of ability to pay

Why AAO was not persuaded

Bank statements are not among the three enumerated types of evidence under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(g)(2), the petitioner did not show why the specified documentation was inapplicable or unavailable, bank statements show only a point-in-time balance rather than sustainable paying ability, and no evidence connected the bank balances to funds not already reflected in the tax returns.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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Bank statements are not among the three enumerated types of evidence under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(g)(2), the petitioner did not show why the specified documentation was inapplicable or unavailable, bank statements show only a point-in-time balance rather than sustainable paying ability, and no evidence connected the bank balances to funds not already reflected in the tax returns.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_04_B5203; source_row=13911
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

other

Beneficiary possesses required education per labor certification

Why AAO was not persuaded

The offered position required a four-year BS in computer science, engineering, or related applied science, but the beneficiary only held a three-year Bachelor of Commerce degree, which did not meet the stated educational requirement.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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The offered position required a four-year BS in computer science, engineering, or related applied science, but the beneficiary only held a three-year Bachelor of Commerce degree, which did not meet the stated educational requirement.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_04_B5203; source_row=13913
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Electrical / Electronic Engineering

Issue evaluated

other

beneficiary meets labor certification education requirement

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Form 9089 requires a master's degree or foreign equivalent with no bachelor's-plus-experience alternative, and the beneficiary's French degree is only 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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The Form 9089 requires a master's degree or foreign equivalent with no bachelor's-plus-experience alternative, and the beneficiary's French degree is only comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-29_05_B5203; source_row=13915
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / Clinical

Issue evaluated

other

Net income from tax returns

Why AAO was not persuaded

The petitioner's net income was $5,656 in 2006 and $5,063 in 2007, both far below the wage gap needed; only in 2008 did net income ($96,740) suffice. Because 2006 and 2007 net income was insufficient, USCIS also examined net current assets.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

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The petitioner's net income was $5,656 in 2006 and $5,063 in 2007, both far below the wage gap needed; only in 2008 did net income ($96,740) suffice. Because 2006 and 2007 net income was insufficient, USCIS also examined net current assets.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-28_02_B5203; source_row=13892
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
NIWotherNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Medicine / Clinical

Issue evaluated

other

Officer compensation as discretionary funds

Why AAO was not persuaded

While officer compensation may in principle be viewed as a discretionary expense that could supplement ability to pay, the record lacked documentation on officer compensation for all relevant years, evidence that it was discretionary, or evidence that the owner would sacrifice roughly 25% of his wages to bridge the pay gap.

Why this is useful

Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.

View full reasoning +
While officer compensation may in principle be viewed as a discretionary expense that could supplement ability to pay, the record lacked documentation on officer compensation for all relevant years, evidence that it was discretionary, or evidence that the owner would sacrifice roughly 25% of his wages to bridge the pay gap.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2012-02-28_02_B5203; source_row=13895
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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