Outcome: Dismissed
JAN302026_01B5203
Our summary
An employer petitioned for an EB-2 national interest waiver for a machine learning engineer developing deep learning and NLP models. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding the petitioner established substantial merit but failed to demonstrate that the specific proposed endeavor had national importance despite evidence of AI field importance.
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
- Merit and national importance · Petitioner established substantial merit but failed to demonstrate national importance of specific machine learning endeavor; evidence addressed field importance, not specific project impact
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Not met | Petitioner established substantial merit but failed to demonstrate national importance of specific machine learning endeavor; evidence addressed field importance, not specific project impact | |
| Not reached / not discussed | First prong failed; second prong not reached | |
| Not reached / not discussed | First prong failed; third prong not reached |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.
