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AAO EB-1A decision MAR092016_01B2203: Awards

AAO EB-1A decision MAR092016_01B2203: Awards

EB-1A awards — AAO decision MAR092016_01B2203: sustained. Review source status, procedural posture and the official USCIS PDF.

Decision summary: AAO decision MAR092016_01B2203: sustained. Three initial criteria were met and the totality established extraordinary ability; the record also showed the petitioner would continue in the area of expertise through coaching.

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: Complete AAO decision addressing an EB-1A Form I-140 extraordinary-ability petition.. This is a source-review label, not a legal conclusion.

Decision snapshot

Decision ID

MAR092016_01B2203

Decision date as printed

2016-03-09

Classification / field stated in source

AAO EB-1A extraordinary-ability petition decision or motion proceeding

Procedural posture

Appeal of Texas Service Center denial of a Form I-140 EB-1A petition; appeal sustained after three criteria and final merits were established, with continued-work nexus addressed.

Operative disposition

sustained

Final-merits status

The AAO found sustained national/international acclaim and top-of-field standing in a final-merits determination.

What the AAO decision addressed

Three initial criteria were met and the totality established extraordinary ability; the record also showed the petitioner would continue in the area of expertise through coaching.

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

met — p. 2

Membership

met — p. 3

Published material about the person

met — p. 3

Judging the work of others

Not considered — source PDF

Original contributions of major significance

Not considered — source PDF

Scholarly authorship

Not considered — source PDF

Artistic display or showcases

Not considered — source PDF

Leading or critical role

Not considered — source PDF

High salary or remuneration

Not considered — source PDF

Commercial success in the performing arts

Not considered — source PDF

Source-cited findings recorded in review

  • claim: The Director found only two of ten criteria; the AAO found three criteria satisfied: internationally recognized judo awards, published material about the petitioner, and membership on Korea’s national judo team as an association requiring outstanding achievements. (pp. 2–3); pages: 2; 3

  • claim: At final merits the AAO credited a sustained record of international competition and recognition, including national-team service and prominent results; it found extraordinary ability as a judo athlete. (pp. 4–6); pages: 4; 5; 6

  • claim: The AAO found a sufficient nexus between the petitioner’s athletic ability and intended U.S. coaching work, and sustained the appeal. (pp. 5–7); pages: 5; 6; 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

  • Athletics sector research

  • Final Merits research

  • Remand research

Browse the AAO decision index · Read EB-1A evidence guides · Review source and correction methodology.

Primary source

Official USCIS AAO decision PDF for MAR092016_01B2203