EB-1AAgriculture and foodIndividualDecided December 2024Dismissed
Outcome: Dismissed
DEC202024_01B2203
Published materialMetAwardsNot metOriginal contributionsNot metScholarly articlesNot metLeading or critical roleClaimed, not analyzedFinal meritsNot reached / not discussed
Our summary
A CEO of an aquaculture company transitioning from decades in information technology claims extraordinary ability. He claimed four criteria, but the AAO held only one was satisfied. The decision ruled his IT accomplishments lack nexus to his stated aquaculture field and rejected his scholarly article as unrelated.
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
- Published material · Director found petitioner satisfied criterion for published material.
What was missing
- Awards · No major, internationally recognized award demonstrated.
- Original contributions · Contributions from IT career not in aquaculture field; lacks nexus to claimed field.
- Scholarly articles · 1998 article on structural materials lacks sufficient nexus to aquaculture field.
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
 Published material | Met | Director found petitioner satisfied criterion for published material. |
 Awards | Not met | No major, internationally recognized award demonstrated. |
 Original contributions | Not met | Contributions from IT career not in aquaculture field; lacks nexus to claimed field. |
 Scholarly articles | Not met | 1998 article on structural materials lacks sufficient nexus to aquaculture field. |
 Leading or critical role | Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed in decision. |
 Final merits | Not reached / not discussed | Failed to meet three criteria threshold; final merits not reached. |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.