AAO research

AAO EB-1A decision Apr022009_02B2203: material science and published-material evidence pitfalls for eb-1a

An EB-1A petition must provide independent, objective evidence that any award is nationally or internationally recognized, and salary comparisons must be made to the correct occupational median; vague internal letters and inappropriate wage benchmarks are insufficient. Independent, objective documen

Decision Snapshot

Field Value --- --- Decision ID Apr022009_02B2203 Decision date 2009-04-02 Outcome dismissed Field or occupation material science Final merits discussed Yes

Criteria Discussed

  • awards

  • high_salary

  • judging

  • leading_critical_role

  • original_contributions

  • scholarly_articles

Criteria Accepted

Not stated in the extracted decision plan.

Criteria Rejected

  • awards

  • high_salary

  • leading_critical_role

  • original_contributions

  • scholarly_articles

Core Lesson

An EB-1A petition must provide independent, objective evidence that any award is nationally or internationally recognized, and salary comparisons must be made to the correct occupational median; vague internal letters and inappropriate wage benchmarks are insufficient.

Evidence Issue

  • Independent, objective documentation showing the award’s national/international recognition (e.g., press coverage, award criteria, list of past recipients).

  • Salary comparison to the correct occupational median and supporting wage data.

  • Specific evidence of a leading or critical role (e.g., organizational charts, letters describing responsibilities).

  • Proof of original contributions with measurable impact (patents, citation metrics, commercial success).

  • Adequate citation evidence for publications (number of citations, impact factor, expert testimony).

How This Connects

This decision is part of Extraordinary's AAO EB-1A corpus. It is exposed as a structured decision card so readers, search engines, and AI search systems can connect the decision to broader EB-1A evidence patterns.

Source Note

Non-precedent AAO decisions are used as evidence examples. They are not binding authority and do not predict any individual case.