Published AAO appeal decisions

An employer-sponsored EB-1A petition for a beneficiary failed. The petitioner abandoned the judging criterion on appeal. The exhibitions criterion did not apply as beneficiary performed, not visual arts. The petitioner did not establish three qualifying criteria, failing the basic regulatory requirement for extraordinary ability classification.

An employer-sponsored EB-1A petition for a tabla player was denied. The petitioner failed to establish the awards criterion, with credibility questions raised over a graded artist designation. The petitioner improperly invoked comparable evidence when ten regulatory criteria apply to the beneficiary's occupation. The failure to meet three criteria resulted in dismissal.

Self-petitioner, academic researcher, sought EB-1A classification claiming awards and original contributions. AAO dismissed appeal, finding scholarships were not nationally recognized awards, impact claims lacked field-wide evidence, petitioner met only two criteria, and failed to establish extraordinary ability at highest level.

A scientist filed an EB-1A petition claiming extraordinary ability through original contributions, judging, and exhibitions. The AAO dismissed the appeal, finding publications and conference presentations alone insufficient without evidence of major significance, and that the petitioner failed to meet the required three regulatory criteria.