Outcome: Dismissed
AUG262025_01B2203
Our summary
A physics research professor sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. She established one criterion (scholarly articles) but failed to satisfy two others as judged. The AAO dismissed the appeal because she met fewer than three criteria, the threshold for final merits analysis.
Official PDF
Official PDF ↗Published by USCIS. The summary is ours, in our own words; the decision text is on uscis.gov.
What the AAO accepted
- Scholarly articles · Petitioner established authoring scholarly articles in professional and major trade publications
What was missing
- Awards · Certificates of recognition lack clear criteria: number of candidates, geographic scope, and winners
- High salary · Petitioner did not address insufficiencies; merely reasserted claim without corroboration
- Judging · Thesis jury member role reviewed bachelor's candidates, not peers in same or allied field
- Membership · No supporting documentation of ranking or association membership criteria judged by recognized experts
- Published material · Articles either lack mention of her work or were co-authored; uncorroborated social media claims insufficient
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Met | Petitioner established authoring scholarly articles in professional and major trade publications | |
| Not met | Certificates of recognition lack clear criteria: number of candidates, geographic scope, and winners | |
| Not met | Petitioner did not address insufficiencies; merely reasserted claim without corroboration | |
| Not met | Thesis jury member role reviewed bachelor's candidates, not peers in same or allied field | |
| Not met | No supporting documentation of ranking or association membership criteria judged by recognized experts | |
| Not met | Articles either lack mention of her work or were co-authored; uncorroborated social media claims insufficient | |
| Not reached / not discussed | Only one criterion clearly met; three minimum required so final merits not analyzed |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.
