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
9 decisions
Outcomes in these results
- Dismissed
- Remanded
- Sustained
- EB-1ABusiness and managementNov 2020Dismissed
A finance minority business coach sought EB-1A. Met judging and leading critical role criteria. Additional claims for awards, membership, and published material rejected. Only two of three required criteria satisfied. No sustained national acclaim or top-field status demonstrated despite claimed contributions.
2 of 6 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and managementOct 2020Dismissed
Business executive and consulting company CEO seeking EB-1A extraordinary ability. Petitioner claimed four criteria beyond leading role already established by Director. AAO found only leading role criterion met, rejected awards and published material claims, and concluded insufficient evidence of placement among top of field.
1 of 11 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and managementApr 2020Dismissed
Entrepreneur and founder of luxury automobile club in China claiming extraordinary ability in business. Claimed three criteria on appeal: judging, original contributions, and others already met. AAO dismissed, finding only two criteria met, below the three required, and no sustained international acclaim or top percentile achievement.
2 of 6 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and managementMar 2020Dismissed
Vice president of talent acquisition sought EB-1A. Petitioner met two criteria (leading role, high salary) but AAO found insufficient for third required criterion. Award and membership claims rejected: inaugural conference award lacked established reputation, professional certification not equivalent to association membership. Appeal dismissed.
2 of 4 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and managementMar 2020Dismissed
A construction manager and vice president in China sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding the petitioner met only published material and leading role criteria but failed awards and original contributions claims due to factual inconsistencies and lack of field-wide impact.
1 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and managementMar 2020Dismissed
A fitness industry business consultant filed I-140 for extraordinary ability. He met judging and scholarly articles criteria but failed awards, published material, leading role, and high salary claims. AAO found only two criteria satisfied, below three minimum required.
2 of 6 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and management2020Dismissed
A business executive in China sought EB-1A extraordinary ability classification. She claimed six criteria and the AAO found three met. However, the decision rejected the final merits determination, holding she lacked sustained national or international acclaim and was not among the small percentage at the top of her field, though she held a high-ranking corporate position.
3 of 11 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and management2020Dismissed
Business executive in engineering innovations and industrial sales seeks EB-1A. Claimed to meet awards, published material, and judging criteria. AAO found certificate issued to employer not petitioner, advertisement about product not petitioner, and insufficient evidence of judging peers. Appeal dismissed.
0 of 4 criteria metRead → - EB-1ABusiness and management2020Dismissed
Administrative services manager seeking EB-1A extraordinary ability. Filed motion to reopen and reconsider after initial denial. AAO dismissed appeal on procedural grounds: previously-submitted certificates were not new evidence, and motion to reconsider lacked proper legal or factual support.
0 of 6 criteria metRead →
