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 5160

EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

OtherBachelor’s

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

The focus is on the award itself, not the awarding organization; evidence about the festivals' recognition did not demonstrate the awards received national or international recognition. The 2013 award was documented only by support letters of limited reliability, and online evidence listed the band—not the Petitioner—as winner. Award photographs from other festivals did not list the Petitioner as a recipient.

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

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The focus is on the award itself, not the awarding organization; evidence about the festivals' recognition did not demonstrate the awards received national or international recognition. The 2013 award was documented only by support letters of limited reliability, and online evidence listed the band—not the Petitioner—as winner. Award photographs from other festivals did not list the Petitioner as a recipient.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_02_B2203; source_row=45175
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · JudgingNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Judging

participation as a judge of the work of others in the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the competition was open to many industries and recognized disruptive work across numerous unrelated fields. The Petitioner's judging duties spanned topics from digital transformation to construction scheduling and banking, and the record did not confirm she judged the specific beauty product she claimed.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO found the competition was open to many industries and recognized disruptive work across numerous unrelated fields. The Petitioner's judging duties spanned topics from digital transformation to construction scheduling and banking, and the record did not confirm she judged the specific beauty product she claimed.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_06_B2203; source_row=45220
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the media coverage cited by the Petitioner discussed a different award category, and that the award appeared to be for entrepreneurship rather than makeup artistry excellence. The record did not list criteria for the award or support that it was nationally or internationally recognized.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO found the media coverage cited by the Petitioner discussed a different award category, and that the award appeared to be for entrepreneurship rather than makeup artistry excellence. The record did not list criteria for the award or support that it was nationally or internationally recognized.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_06_B2203; source_row=45219
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · High remunerationNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · High remuneration

commanded a high salary or significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the comparison evidence was insufficiently location- and currency-specific to reliably evaluate the Petitioner's UK-based remuneration against others in her field. The offer letter lacked specificity about working conditions, and the expert's opinion was based on too small a sample size to be reliably credited.

Why this is useful

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

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AAO found the comparison evidence was insufficiently location- and currency-specific to reliably evaluate the Petitioner's UK-based remuneration against others in her field. The offer letter lacked specificity about working conditions, and the expert's opinion was based on too small a sample size to be reliably credited.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_06_B2203; source_row=45224
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions of major significance in the field

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found that while the letters supported favorable reception of the adhesive-free eyelashes by salon professionals, the record did not demonstrate sufficient attention or commercialization at a level of major significance. The corroborating media articles did not probatively discuss the level of significance of the contribution to 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 while the letters supported favorable reception of the adhesive-free eyelashes by salon professionals, the record did not demonstrate sufficient attention or commercialization at a level of major significance. The corroborating media articles did not probatively discuss the level of significance of the contribution to the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_06_B2203; source_row=45221
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Other

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

authorship of scholarly articles in the field in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO found the article submitted was published approximately two months after the petition was filed, and a petitioner must establish eligibility at the time of filing. The panelist claim was also disregarded because a directly applicable criterion existed.

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 found the article submitted was published approximately two months after the petition was filed, and a petitioner must establish eligibility at the time of filing. The panelist claim was also disregarded because a directly applicable criterion existed.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_06_B2203; source_row=45222
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Scholarly authorshipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Scholarly authorship

authorship of scholarly articles

Why AAO was not persuaded

AAO withdrew SCOPS' conclusion that this criterion was met. The article was in Turkish without a full English translation as required by regulation. Furthermore, the printout did not clearly show publication in the claimed scientific journal, and no evidence of the journal's circulation, intended audience, or readership was provided.

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 withdrew SCOPS' conclusion that this criterion was met. The article was in Turkish without a full English translation as required by regulation. Furthermore, the printout did not clearly show publication in the claimed scientific journal, and no evidence of the journal's circulation, intended audience, or readership was provided.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_03_B2203; source_row=45193
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · MembershipNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Membership

memberships

Why AAO was not persuaded

The incubation cohort documentation did not detail the selection process or establish that judges were nationally or internationally recognized experts. The senior membership in the professional association did not require outstanding achievements, as criteria such as years of experience and reference letters do not rise to that level. The fellowship membership post-dated the petition filing and thus could not be considered.

Why this is useful

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

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The incubation cohort documentation did not detail the selection process or establish that judges were nationally or internationally recognized experts. The senior membership in the professional association did not require outstanding achievements, as criteria such as years of experience and reference letters do not rise to that level. The fellowship membership post-dated the petition filing and thus could not be considered.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_03_B2203; source_row=45190
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · AwardsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Awards

awards

Why AAO was not persuaded

The venture capital funding and awards were received by the Petitioner's company, not by the Petitioner personally as required by the regulation. Additionally, the Petitioner did not establish that receiving venture capital qualifies as a prize or award, nor that the specific funding was nationally or internationally recognized for excellence in the field.

Why this is useful

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

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The venture capital funding and awards were received by the Petitioner's company, not by the Petitioner personally as required by the regulation. Additionally, the Petitioner did not establish that receiving venture capital qualifies as a prize or award, nor that the specific funding was nationally or internationally recognized for excellence in the field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_03_B2203; source_row=45189
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
EB-1AEB-1A · Original contributionsNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context

Case facts

Computer Science / AI

Issue evaluated

EB-1A · Original contributions

original contributions

Why AAO was not persuaded

The Petitioner's name was not on the patent. Evidence of companies using the Petitioner's services showed commercial adoption but not field-wide major significance. Articles about other companies adopting similar models did not mention the Petitioner. Support letters limited the significance of contributions to his employer rather than the broader field.

Why this is useful

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

View full reasoning +
The Petitioner's name was not on the patent. Evidence of companies using the Petitioner's services showed commercial adoption but not field-wide major significance. Articles about other companies adopting similar models did not mention the Petitioner. Support letters limited the significance of contributions to his employer rather than the broader field.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2026-03-25_03_B2203; source_row=45192
Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Open source dataset ↗
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