Outcome: Dismissed
JAN212026_02B2203
Our summary
A specialist in prevention and investigation of financial crimes and money laundering sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding petitioner failed to establish any of the claimed eight initial criteria and could not meet the three-criterion threshold; final merits determination also failed.
Official PDF
Official PDF ↗Published by USCIS. The summary is ours, in our own words; the decision text is on uscis.gov.
No criterion in the table was found met in this decision.
What was missing
- Awards · Award honored achievements in transportation sector, not prevention and investigation of financial crimes; insufficient evidence of national or international recognition.
- Judging · AAO withdrew SCOPS determination finding this criterion met; insufficient evidence on appeal.
- Leading or critical role · AAO withdrew SCOPS determination finding this criterion met; record does not support distinguished role.
- Membership · National Association of Federal Criminal Experts membership based on government vetting, not outstanding achievements judged by recognized experts as required.
- Final merits · Record does not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or career of acclaimed work; petitioner not among small percentage at top of field.
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Not met | Award honored achievements in transportation sector, not prevention and investigation of financial crimes; insufficient evidence of national or international recognition. | |
| Not met | AAO withdrew SCOPS determination finding this criterion met; insufficient evidence on appeal. | |
| Not met | AAO withdrew SCOPS determination finding this criterion met; record does not support distinguished role. | |
| Not met | National Association of Federal Criminal Experts membership based on government vetting, not outstanding achievements judged by recognized experts as required. | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not meaningfully analyzed. | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed in depth. | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed; decision focused on other criteria. | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed in depth. | |
| Not met | Record does not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or career of acclaimed work; petitioner not among small percentage at top of field. |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.
