EB-1AFinance and economicsEmployerDecided March 2020Dismissed
Outcome: Dismissed
MAR302020_03B2203
High salaryMetLeading or critical roleMetOriginal contributionsNot metScholarly articlesNot metFinal meritsNot reached / not discussed
Our summary
A quantitative analyst and vice president at a financial firm sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding the petitioner met only leading role and high salary criteria, but failed on scholarly articles lacking major publication venues and original contributions lacking field-wide impact.
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 · Director found criterion met; AAO agreed with this finding.
- Leading or critical role · Director found criterion met; AAO agreed with this finding.
What was missing
- Original contributions · Work significant to employer and clients; no specific evidence of field-wide impact demonstrated.
- Scholarly articles · Articles written for platform audience; not published in professional or major trade publications.
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
 High salary | Met | Director found criterion met; AAO agreed with this finding. |
 Leading or critical role | Met | Director found criterion met; AAO agreed with this finding. |
 Original contributions | Not met | Work significant to employer and clients; no specific evidence of field-wide impact demonstrated. |
 Scholarly articles | Not met | Articles written for platform audience; not published in professional or major trade publications. |
 Final merits | Not reached / not discussed | Failed initial three-criterion requirement; final merits determination not needed per Kazarian. |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.