AAO research

AAO EB-1A decision SEP132021_01B2203: Judging the work of others

EB-1A judging the work of others — AAO decision SEP132021_01B2203: Appeal sustained; petitioner qualifies for extraordinary-ability classification. Review…

Decision summary: AAO decision SEP132021_01B2203: Appeal sustained; petitioner qualifies for extraordinary-ability classification. AAO sustained appeal, finding at least three criteria and final merits satisfied based on supported field-level scientific impact and sustained acclaim.

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_EB1A. This is a source-review label, not a legal conclusion.

Decision snapshot

Decision ID	SEP132021_01B2203
Decision date as printed	September 13, 2021
Classification / field stated in source	EB-1A appeal / non-precedent AAO decision
Procedural posture	Appeal of Texas Service Center denial; AAO de novo review sustains appeal.
Operative disposition	Appeal sustained; petitioner qualifies for extraordinary-ability classification.
Final-merits status	considered_and_favorable

What the AAO decision addressed

AAO sustained appeal, finding at least three criteria and final merits satisfied based on supported field-level scientific impact and sustained acclaim.

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	met — source PDF
Judging the work of others	met AAO agreed that peer review and thesis/dissertation committee work met criterion. — p. 2, p. 5
Original contributions of major significance	met — source PDF
Scholarly authorship	met Articles appeared in professional publications including Cell and Science. — p. 2, p. 5
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

Source holds and limits

"No source completeness/identity hold; redactions obscure employer/institution and technical targets, so avoid filling in hidden names."

Source-cited findings recorded in review

claim: The petitioner was an associate professor in biological sciences in South Korea at filing; peer-reviewed manuscripts and served on thesis/dissertation committees.; pages: 2
claim: AAO credited first-author Cell research, detailed independent expert explanation of field impact, high citations, downstream patents and reliance by other researchers.; pages: 3
claim: The final-merits discussion cites continued research, patents, commercialization, media coverage, funding, conferences, publication and review work as evidence of sustained acclaim.; pages: 4; 5

How this record may be used in research

Comparison scope: individual_case_comparison_eligible

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
Judging the work of others research
Scholarly authorship research
Medicine sector research
Final Merits research

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

Primary source

Official USCIS AAO decision PDF for SEP132021_01B2203