EB-1AFinance and economicsEmployerDecided March 2020Dismissed
Outcome: Dismissed
MAR192020_01B2203
Leading or critical roleMetHigh salaryNot metMembershipNot metOriginal contributionsNot metFinal meritsNot met
Our summary
Software development executive in financial technology claimed extraordinary ability via membership, original contributions, critical role, and salary. AAO found only critical role criterion met, disagreed with director on salary, rejected membership and contributions as insufficient. Dismissed for failing three-criterion threshold.
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
- Leading or critical role · Reference letters established critical role implementing important initiatives at distinguished organization
What was missing
- High salary · Base salary above average but geographically inappropriate comparison data shows not significantly high
- Membership · CFA credential requires minimum qualifications and dues payment, not outstanding achievements
- Original contributions · Contributed to employer growth but not shown to be of major significance beyond internal operations
- Final merits · Only one criterion met; insufficient sustained acclaim and top tier status in financial technology field
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
 Leading or critical role | Met | Reference letters established critical role implementing important initiatives at distinguished organization |
 High salary | Not met | Base salary above average but geographically inappropriate comparison data shows not significantly high |
 Membership | Not met | CFA credential requires minimum qualifications and dues payment, not outstanding achievements |
 Original contributions | Not met | Contributed to employer growth but not shown to be of major significance beyond internal operations |
 Final merits | Not met | Only one criterion met; insufficient sustained acclaim and top tier status in financial technology field |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.