AAO research
EB-1A awards — AAO decision MAY122022_01B2203: Appeal dismissed (p. 5). Review source status, procedural posture and the official USCIS PDF.
Decision summary: AAO decision MAY122022_01B2203: Appeal dismissed (p. 5). Only two initial criteria were established. Leading/critical role failed because company reputation and petitioner’s impact/role were not objectively established; salary/remuneration evidence based on purchase orders/invoices did not prove actual compensation relative to others. One-time award issue was waived. Final merits was not reached (pp. 2–5).
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 | MAY122022_01B2203 |
|---|---|
Decision date as printed | May 12, 2022 |
Classification / field stated in source | EB-1A extraordinary ability in arts; petitioner is a visual artist who markets designs/illustrations on paper and stationery products (p. 2). |
Procedural posture | Appeal of Texas Service Center denial; Director found published material and display criteria met; petitioner argued leading/critical role and high remuneration (pp. 1–2). |
Operative disposition | Appeal dismissed (p. 5). |
Final-merits status | Not coded in the normalized review fields |
What the AAO decision addressed
Only two initial criteria were established. Leading/critical role failed because company reputation and petitioner’s impact/role were not objectively established; salary/remuneration evidence based on purchase orders/invoices did not prove actual compensation relative to others. One-time award issue was waived. Final merits was not reached (pp. 2–5).
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 | waived |
Membership | Not coded — source PDF |
Published material about the person | met |
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 met |
High salary or remuneration | Not met — source PDF |
Commercial success in the performing arts | Not coded — source PDF |
Source holds and limits
"Source masks company and product details; no salary amounts should be inferred."
Source-cited findings recorded in review
p1: Appeal cover; artist and appeal dismissal.; p2: Two-step framework; published material/display met; role and salary claimed; awards waived.; p3: Leading/critical-role standard and company/role evidence analyzed.; p4: Role not established; salary criterion standard and payment evidence.; p5: Salary evidence insufficient; O-1 status not determinative; threshold and appeal dismissal.
How this record may be used in research
Comparison scope: Useful small-business/artist example distinguishing product sales/invoices from personal remuneration and showing company association is not enough for critical role. Eligible for a narrow case summary; state exactly two criteria met and final merits not reached.
Editorial use note: Eligible for a narrow case summary; state exactly two criteria met and final merits not reached.
Page-level source trail
Use the official PDF and the cited physical page numbers to check each statement.
PDF page 3 — Leading/critical-role standard and company/role evidence analyzed.
PDF page 4 — Role not established; salary criterion standard and payment evidence.
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
Published material about the person research
Leading or critical role research
Performance sector research
Final Merits research
Waiv research
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