AAO research
EB-1A three-criterion threshold — AAO decision AUG142024_01B2203: Appeal dismissed. Review source status, procedural posture and the official USCIS PDF.
Decision summary: AAO decision AUG142024_01B2203: Appeal dismissed. The review record does not provide a normalized explanation of the disposition. Consult the cited source pages.
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.
Decision snapshot
Decision ID | AUG142024_01B2203 |
|---|---|
Decision date as printed | 2024-08-14 |
Classification / field stated in source | EB-1A petition by a video-game production business for an environment concept art lead. |
Procedural posture | Appeal from Nebraska Service Center denial, de novo review; modern two-stage framework described at pp. 1–2. |
Operative disposition | Appeal dismissed. |
Final-merits status | caveat: AAO says it need not provide the type of final-merits determination because the three-criterion threshold failed, while p. 8–9 separately contains aggregate acclaim/top-of-field language. Describe this as threshold failure with aggregate discussion, not a completed separate final-merits step.; formal_kazarian_determination_reached: |
What the AAO decision addressed
The review record does not provide a normalized explanation of the disposition. Consult the cited source pages.
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 coded — source PDF |
Membership | Not coded — source PDF |
Published material about the person | Not coded — source PDF |
Judging the work of others | Not coded — source PDF |
Original contributions of major significance | Not coded — source PDF |
Scholarly authorship | Not coded — source PDF |
Artistic display or showcases | Not coded — source PDF |
Leading or critical role | Not coded — source PDF |
High salary or remuneration | Not coded — source PDF |
Commercial success in the performing arts | Not coded — source PDF |
How this record may be used in research
Comparison scope: Strong post-Kazarian threshold-failure case with concrete personal-award, media-standing, judging-participation and role-matched salary issues. Make the original-contributions criterion “not reached” and distinguish the aggregate p. 8–9 commentary from a formal final-merits step. [{'fact': 'Director found one criterion, leading/critical role; AAO says beneficiary must meet at least three absent a major award.', 'pages': [2]}, {'fact': 'The employer’s video-game awards were not shown to have been received by or bestowed on the beneficiary personally; AAO therefore did not need to decide award recognition level.', 'pages': [2, 3]}, {'fact': 'Publication site rankings were asserted without evidence of standing, audience, circulation, or readership; criterion not established.', 'pages': [3, 4]}, {'fact': 'Master classes, critiques, presentations, and portfolio advice did not document participation as a judge of others’ work, with specificity about who/when/what judged.', 'pages': [4, 5]}, {'fact': 'Pay evidence lacked comparisons to other environment concept art leads; comparators for concept artists/animators did not match the beneficiary’s lead occupation.', 'pages': [5, 6]}, {'fact': 'AAO said the original-contributions issue did not need to be reached and reserved any formal final merits determination after the threshold failed.', 'pages': [8, 9]}]
Page-level source trail
Use the official PDF and the cited physical page numbers to check each statement.
Open the official USCIS decision PDF. Page-specific citations were not available in the normalized row.
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.
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