AAO research
EB-1A original contributions of major significance — AAO decision APR212021_03B2203: Appeal dismissed. Review source status, procedural posture and the…
Decision summary: The AAO Appeal dismissed The initial three-criterion threshold was met, but AAO found the full record did not establish sustained national/international acclaim or that the beneficiary was among the small percentage at the very top of the field.
Source reviewed: This page summarizes the specific AAO source and posture recorded in the completed source-review tracker. It does not turn a nonprecedent decision into a general rule.
Scope classification from review: Cover and discussion identify an EB-1A Form I-140 petition under INA §203(b)(1)(A).. This is a source-review label, not a legal conclusion.
Decision snapshot
Decision ID | APR212021_03B2203 |
|---|---|
Decision date as printed | 2021-04-21 |
Classification / field stated in source | EB-1A extraordinary ability in sciences |
Procedural posture | AAO appeal of Nebraska Service Center denial; appeal dismissed after an unfavorable formal final-merits determination. Threshold criteria accepted: scholarly authorship, leading/critical role, and high salary. |
Operative disposition | Appeal dismissed |
Final-merits status | Strong case for an individually cited final-merits example in engineering: distinguish initial criterion acceptance from the later totality analysis and avoid generalizing client-specific evidence. |
What the AAO decision addressed
The initial three-criterion threshold was met, but AAO found the full record did not establish sustained national/international acclaim or that the beneficiary was among the small percentage at the very top of the field.
Criterion-by-criterion status in this source
These labels reproduce the source-review record. “Not considered,” “not reached,” and “not coded” do not mean the criterion failed. A Director finding recited as background is not an AAO holding unless the decision says so.
Criterion | Source-review status |
|---|---|
Awards | Not considered — source PDF |
Membership | Not considered — source PDF |
Published material about the person | Not considered — source PDF |
Judging the work of others | Not considered — source PDF |
Original contributions of major significance | |
Scholarly authorship | |
Artistic display or showcases | Not considered — source PDF |
Leading or critical role | |
High salary or remuneration | |
Commercial success in the performing arts | Not considered — source PDF |
Source-cited findings recorded in review
claim: The cover identifies In Re 14442636, April 21, 2021, Form I-140, and an engineering beneficiary; AAO dismisses the appeal.; pages: 1
claim: AAO records that the Director found three initial criteria met: scholarly authorship, leading/critical role, and high salary; AAO accepted the initial threshold and proceeded to final merits.; pages: 2; 3
claim: The six articles and limited citation counts, conference presentations, and expert letters did not show publication impact or sustained acclaim at the top of the field.; pages: 4; 5
claim: Letters describe engineering solutions for clients and structural-dynamics projects, but AAO found no evidence of widespread adoption or influence beyond client-specific work; the leading-role narrative likewise did not demonstrate field-wide acclaim.; pages: 5; 6
claim: The record did not compare salary sufficiently to demonstrate top-of-field recognition; AAO’s totality found no sustained acclaim/top standing.; pages: 7
claim: Operative order dismisses appeal.; pages: 7
How this record may be used in research
Comparison scope: Eligible for individual case discussion
Page-level source trail
Use the official PDF and the cited physical page numbers to check each statement.
How to use this record
This is a historical, nonprecedent AAO decision about its own administrative record. It is not a prediction, success rate, or current filing instruction. Compare the issue and procedural stage before drawing an analogy. The current framework is in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 6, Part F, Chapter 2.
Related corpus research
Full-corpus research index
Awards research
Membership research
Published material about the person research
Judging the work of others research
Original contributions of major significance research
Scholarly authorship research
Artistic display or showcases research
Leading or critical role research
High salary or remuneration research
Commercial success in the performing arts research
Computing sector research
Threshold research
Final Merits research
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