AAO research
EB-1A awards — AAO decision FEB272018_04B2203: Appeal dismissed. Review source status, procedural posture and the official USCIS PDF.
Decision summary: AAO decision FEB272018_04B2203: Appeal dismissed. The AAO found none of the three claimed criteria established: awards lacked evidence of qualifying recognition; blade preparation benefited a limited team rather than showing field-wide original contributions of major significance; and the record did not adequately establish a qualifying leading or critical role for distinguished organizations. The initial threshold was not met. The decision includes an aggregate adverse observation, but no separate formal final-merits determination was necessary.
Source limitation: The review record contains a source hold or limitation. Read the limitation below before relying on any case detail; unresolved facts are not treated as findings.
Scope classification from review: In scope; verified in source review. This is a source-review label, not a legal conclusion.
Decision snapshot
Decision ID | FEB272018_04B2203 |
|---|---|
Decision date as printed | February 27, 2018 |
Classification / field stated in source | EB-1A extraordinary ability; field: speed skater and coach. |
Procedural posture | Appeal from denial of an EB-1A petition; AAO de novo review. |
Operative disposition | Appeal dismissed. |
Final-merits status | not reached; AAO adds an adverse aggregate observation but does not conduct a separate final-merits determination. |
What the AAO decision addressed
The AAO found none of the three claimed criteria established: awards lacked evidence of qualifying recognition; blade preparation benefited a limited team rather than showing field-wide original contributions of major significance; and the record did not adequately establish a qualifying leading or critical role for distinguished organizations. The initial threshold was not met. The decision includes an aggregate adverse observation, but no separate formal final-merits determination was necessary.
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 met — 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 met — source PDF |
Scholarly authorship | Not coded — source PDF |
Artistic display or showcases | Not coded — source PDF |
Leading or critical role | not met — source PDF |
High salary or remuneration | Not coded — source PDF |
Commercial success in the performing arts | Not coded — source PDF |
Source holds and limits
"No source hold; document complete. Aggregate adverse language should not be mislabeled as a formal final-merits holding."
Source-cited findings recorded in review
PDF p. 1: Cover identifies nonprecedent appeal, date, and petitioner as speed skater/coach; denial and appeal posture stated.
PDF p. 2: Awards criterion fails: evidence does not establish a major internationally recognized award or qualifying lesser awards.
PDF p. 3: Original-contributions analysis: skate-blade preparation is described as team-specific and not shown to have major significance in the field; role analysis begins.
PDF p. 4: Leading/critical role lacks sufficient evidence; appeal dismissed. AAO states the total record does not support the claimed expertise, without a separate formal final-merits analysis.
How this record may be used in research
Comparison scope: Narrow comparison for evidentiary limits on awards, field-wide significance of contributions, and proof of role. Do not generalize from a specialized speed-skating record.
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
Original contributions of major significance research
Leading or critical role research
Athletics sector research
Threshold research
Major Significance research
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