AAO Decisions Explorer · Free
Published AAO appeal decisions
Search the decisions the Administrative Appeals Office has published, narrow them by visa, criterion, field and year, and read our summary of each one with a link to the official PDF.

Decisions in the library
6,586
6,586 classified
Visa types
3
Years covered
2005-2026
Latest decision
Aug 31, 2026
Filters
7 decisions
Outcomes in these results
- Dismissed
- Remanded
- Sustained
- EB-1ALife sciences and medicineNov 2022Sustained
Researcher in life sciences with doctoral degree from Chile sought EB-1A extraordinary ability. AAO found three criteria met: scholarly articles, original contributions, and judging. Final merits determination confirmed sustained national acclaim and revolutionary research impact on medical practice, warranting extraordinary ability classification.
4 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1AArts, design, architectureMar 2021Sustained
Art museum as employer-sponsor for curator beneficiary seeking extraordinary ability classification. Met judging, published material, and leading critical role criteria. Final merits determination sustained: beneficiary demonstrated sustained acclaim and recognition at top of field. Appeal sustained.
4 of 4 criteria metRead → - EB-1APhysics and astronomyMar 2021Sustained
Company president and scientific instrumentation developer demonstrated extraordinary ability through peer review work, scholarly articles, leading roles with distinguished company, and original marine geology contributions. AAO sustained appeal finding sustained acclaim at very top of field.
5 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1ALife sciences and medicine2019Sustained
A radiology and radiological science researcher sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. The AAO sustained the appeal, finding she met four initial criteria and demonstrated sustained national and international acclaim through published work, high citations, innovative contributions to cancer research, and field recognition consistent with being among the very top.
5 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABiotech and pharma2019Sustained
A senior director in project management for a pharmaceutical company met three required criteria: judging, scholarly articles, and high salary. The AAO affirmed on final merits that his sustained international acclaim, conference presentations, R&D facility design, and field recognition demonstrate he is among the very top.
4 of 11 criteria metRead → - EB-1ALife sciences and medicine2018Sustained
A neuroscience postdoctoral researcher sought EB-1A classification, meeting three initial criteria: judging, original contributions, and scholarly articles. The AAO sustained the appeal, finding the totality of evidence demonstrates sustained national and international acclaim and established that the petitioner is among the very top of the field through high citation rates and widespread research implementation.
4 of 4 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and management2018Sustained
An assistant research professor in business met three criteria: judging, scholarly articles, and critical role. The AAO sustained on final merits, finding high citation impact, sustained publications, widespread software use, significant patents, and innovation demonstrate he ranks among the very top in his field.
4 of 11 criteria metRead →
