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.
10,847 decisions /36,849 findings
Showing 9521–9530
NIWNIW · National importanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Social Sciences
Issue evaluated
NIW · National importance
substantial merit and national importance
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO agreed substantial merit existed but found neither the freelance database engineering work nor the online school proposal established national importance. The freelance work lacked evidence of significant economic impact such as job creation or revenue, while the online school's internet availability alone does not confer national importance and the Petitioner had not shown specific activities would impact STEM educatio…
Why this is useful
Compare how the decision separates a broadly important field from the prospective impact of the applicant’s specific work.
View full reasoning +
AAO agreed substantial merit existed but found neither the freelance database engineering work nor the online school proposal established national importance. The freelance work lacked evidence of significant economic impact such as job creation or revenue, while the online school's internet availability alone does not confer national importance and the Petitioner had not shown specific activities would impact STEM education or the workforce broadly.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_03_B5203; source_row=30336 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
NIWNIW · Waiver on balanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Social Sciences
Issue evaluated
NIW · Waiver on balance
on balance beneficial to waive job offer requirement
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found that a labor shortage alone does not tilt the balance in the Petitioner's favor, as labor certification is itself the appropriate mechanism for addressing labor shortages. Because the Petitioner had not established national importance or that he is well positioned to advance his online school, it would not be in the national interest to grant a waiver.
Why this is useful
See which endeavor-specific facts mattered to the waiver analysis beyond a preference to self-petition.
View full reasoning +
AAO found that a labor shortage alone does not tilt the balance in the Petitioner's favor, as labor certification is itself the appropriate mechanism for addressing labor shortages. Because the Petitioner had not established national importance or that he is well positioned to advance his online school, it would not be in the national interest to grant a waiver.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_03_B5203; source_row=30338 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
NIWNIW · Well positionedNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
Social Sciences
Issue evaluated
NIW · Well positioned
well positioned to advance the proposed endeavor
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found the Petitioner well positioned for his freelance database engineering work given his education, skills, and experience, but not for his online school proposal due to lack of investor interest, insufficient evidence of progress, and absence of potential client interest. The lack of funding, progress, and potential clients offset his experience as an IT professional and entrepreneur.
Why this is useful
Identify the progress, resources, outside interest, or record-to-plan connection that AAO expected to see.
View full reasoning +
AAO found the Petitioner well positioned for his freelance database engineering work given his education, skills, and experience, but not for his online school proposal due to lack of investor interest, insufficient evidence of progress, and absence of potential client interest. The lack of funding, progress, and potential clients offset his experience as an IT professional and entrepreneur.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_03_B5203; source_row=30337 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
Degree and licensure are basic credentials possessed by most members of the field, and the recognition letters from former co-workers carry less weight than contemporaneous formal recognition. The totality of evidence does not show expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
Degree and licensure are basic credentials possessed by most members of the field, and the recognition letters from former co-workers carry less weight than contemporaneous formal recognition. The totality of evidence does not show expertise significantly above that ordinarily encountered.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_02_B5203; source_row=30332 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
AAO agreed with the Director that the proposed endeavor lacks national importance. Petitioner offered generalized information about the importance of transportation engineering rather than specifics about his own endeavor, and his post-filing hotel renovation work cannot be credited as a material expansion of the endeavor.
Why this is useful
Compare how the decision separates a broadly important field from the prospective impact of the applicant’s specific work.
View full reasoning +
AAO agreed with the Director that the proposed endeavor lacks national importance. Petitioner offered generalized information about the importance of transportation engineering rather than specifics about his own endeavor, and his post-filing hotel renovation work cannot be credited as a material expansion of the endeavor.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_02_B5203; source_row=30333 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
NIWNIW · National importanceNot establishedAutomated extraction · broader context
Case facts
OtherBachelor’s
Issue evaluated
NIW · National importance
substantial merit and national importance
Why AAO was not persuaded
AAO found that the Petitioner's evidence of job creation and economic impact was either unsubstantiated, methodologically flawed, or based on post-filing circumstances. The economic impact assessment's '32 new jobs' figure was an unverified assumption, letters from customers contained identical boilerplate language undermining their probative value, and actual financial performance did not approach the scale required for na…
Why this is useful
Compare how the decision separates a broadly important field from the prospective impact of the applicant’s specific work.
View full reasoning +
AAO found that the Petitioner's evidence of job creation and economic impact was either unsubstantiated, methodologically flawed, or based on post-filing circumstances. The economic impact assessment's '32 new jobs' figure was an unverified assumption, letters from customers contained identical boilerplate language undermining their probative value, and actual financial performance did not approach the scale required for national importance.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_01_B5203; source_row=30327 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c
advanced degree or bachelor's plus five years progressive experience
Why AAO was not persuaded
Pre-2002 traffic-operator work cannot count as professional engineering experience because Petitioner did not yet hold engineering credentials, and the documented traffic-manager tenure (April 2008 to June 2012) is only slightly more than four years. The newly claimed 2002-2008 employment was uncorroborated and inconsistent with prior submissions.
Why this is useful
Use the reasoning to identify the specific factual or documentary gap AAO considered material.
View full reasoning +
Pre-2002 traffic-operator work cannot count as professional engineering experience because Petitioner did not yet hold engineering credentials, and the documented traffic-manager tenure (April 2008 to June 2012) is only slightly more than four years. The newly claimed 2002-2008 employment was uncorroborated and inconsistent with prior submissions.
Exact record locator: findings_long.parquet filename_stem=2022-11-02_02_B5203; source_row=30330 Revision: 081d2cac29dcadfec88fdd675d7a0c4294d72b3c