Outcome: Dismissed
MAR172026_02B2203
Our summary
A cybersecurity engineer claiming extraordinary ability in EB-1A satisfied four of seven claimed criteria. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding that while regulatory criteria were met, the totality of evidence failed to demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim and placement among the very top in the field.
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
- High salary · Service center found petitioner commanded high salary in field
- Judging · Service center found petitioner participated as judge of others' work
- Leading or critical role · Service center found petitioner held leading or critical role for distinguished organizations
- Published material · Service center found criterion met; AAO did not disturb this finding
- Scholarly articles · Service center found criterion met; authorship of scholarly articles established
What was missing
- Final merits · Evidence does not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or top-tier status
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Met | Service center found petitioner commanded high salary in field | |
| Met | Service center found petitioner participated as judge of others' work | |
| Met | Service center found petitioner held leading or critical role for distinguished organizations | |
| Met | Service center found criterion met; AAO did not disturb this finding | |
| Met | Service center found criterion met; authorship of scholarly articles established | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed; decision does not address this criterion | |
| Claimed, not analyzed | Claimed but not analyzed as separate criterion in final determination | |
| Not met | Evidence does not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or top-tier status |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.
