AAO research

AAO EB-1A decision APR282020_01B2203: ballroom dancer and artistic display evidence pitfalls for eb‑1a

Generic certificates, vague recommendation letters, and employment records do not satisfy EB-1A criteria; petitioners must provide concrete, verifiable evidence of nationally recognized awards, high salary, original contributions, and qualified memberships. Verifiable evidence of nationally or inter

Decision Snapshot

Field Value --- --- Decision ID APR282020_01B2203 Decision date 2020-04-28 Outcome dismissed Field or occupation ballroom dancer Final merits discussed No / not stated

Criteria Discussed

  • awards

  • high_salary

  • judging

  • leading_critical_role

  • membership

  • original_contributions

  • published_material

Criteria Accepted

Not stated in the extracted decision plan.

Criteria Rejected

  • awards

  • high_salary

  • membership

  • original_contributions

  • published_material

Core Lesson

Generic certificates, vague recommendation letters, and employment records do not satisfy EB-1A criteria; petitioners must provide concrete, verifiable evidence of nationally recognized awards, high salary, original contributions, and qualified memberships.

Evidence Issue

  • Verifiable evidence of nationally or internationally recognized awards.

  • Concrete documentation of a high salary compared to others in the field.

  • Specific, detailed proof of original contributions of major significance.

  • Evidence that membership requires outstanding achievement judged by recognized experts.

  • Published material demonstrating major professional standing.

How This Connects

This decision is part of Extraordinary's AAO EB-1A corpus. It is exposed as a structured decision card so readers, search engines, and AI search systems can connect the decision to broader EB-1A evidence patterns.

Source Note

Non-precedent AAO decisions are used as evidence examples. They are not binding authority and do not predict any individual case.