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
3 decisions
Outcomes in these results
- Dismissed
- Remanded
- Sustained
- EB-2 NIWLaw, policy, social scienceNov 2022Dismissed
Political scientist sought EB-2 national interest waiver after qualifying for advanced degree classification. Director found substantial merit but not national importance. AAO affirmed, holding petitioner failed to demonstrate specific prospective impact of Central Asian affairs research on field or U.S. economy at requisite level.
0 of 3 criteria metRead → - EB-2 NIWLaw, policy, social scienceAug 2022Dismissed
Legal analyst sought EB-2 national interest waiver. Director found petitioner qualified for underlying EB-2 classification but failed all three Dhanasar prongs. AAO affirmed, finding petitioner changed proposed endeavor from legal analyst to legal business analyst entrepreneur, preventing coherent Dhanasar analysis.
0 of 3 criteria metRead → - EB-2 NIWLaw, policy, social scienceMar 2022Dismissed
Research analyst with advanced degree sought NIW for EB-2 proposing research on preventing recidivism in juvenile detention facilities. AAO found beneficiary qualified for EB-2 but dismissed because proposed endeavor lacked sufficient evidence of national importance or broader field impact.
0 of 3 criteria metRead →
