AAO research
EB-1A membership — AAO decision NOV162005_03B2203: Appeal dismissed. Review source status, procedural posture and the official USCIS PDF.
Decision summary: AAO decision NOV162005_03B2203: Appeal dismissed. AAO found that membership, display, salary and commercial-success evidence failed to demonstrate sustained acclaim or three criteria. Local/regional organizations were not shown to require outstanding achievements; photographs of performances were not qualifying exhibitions; income did not establish comparative high salary or sales.
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: In scope; verified in source review. This is a source-review label, not a legal conclusion.
Decision snapshot
Decision ID | NOV162005_03B2203 |
|---|---|
Decision date as printed | November 16, 2005 |
Classification / field stated in source | EB-1A extraordinary ability; field claimed: musical performance / Chinese opera. |
Procedural posture | Appeal from Vermont Service Center denial. |
Operative disposition | Appeal dismissed. |
Final-merits status | "Threshold not met; AAO also expressly found sustained acclaim/top-of-field not established." |
What the AAO decision addressed
AAO found that membership, display, salary and commercial-success evidence failed to demonstrate sustained acclaim or three criteria. Local/regional organizations were not shown to require outstanding achievements; photographs of performances were not qualifying exhibitions; income did not establish comparative high salary or sales.
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 met |
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 met |
Commercial success in the performing arts | not met |
Source-cited findings recorded in review
pp. 2–5; membership/display p. 3, compensation/sales/final analysis p. 4, order p. 5.
How this record may be used in research
Comparison scope: Negative comparator for distinguishing ordinary performances from exhibitions, and membership from qualifying selective associations; dated, fact-specific. eligible_for_editorial_review_with_citations
Editorial use note: eligible_for_editorial_review_with_citations
Page-level source trail
Use the official PDF and the cited physical page numbers to check each statement.
PDF page 1 — Cover; Vermont Service Center decision and date.
PDF page 2 — Identifies Chinese musical performer and denial/appeal posture.
PDF page 3 — Analyzes membership and performance/display evidence; criteria not established.
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
Membership research
High salary or remuneration research
Commercial success in the performing arts research
Performance sector research
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