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
212 decisions
Outcomes in these results
- Dismissed
- Remanded
- Sustained
- EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2013Dismissed
An industrial engineer's employer-sponsored EB-1A petition met judging criterion but failed original contributions criterion. AAO found petitioner's time and motion analysis, though valuable to employers, did not constitute major significance in the field. Did not meet threshold for extraordinary ability. Appeal dismissed.
1 of 4 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2012Dismissed
Petroleum engineer claiming extraordinary ability as deepwater well specialist. Petitioner claimed awards and association membership. AAO found internal company recognition insufficient and membership requirement not met. Final merits determination found achievements did not demonstrate sustained acclaim at top of field.
0 of 3 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2009Dismissed
An engineer and power plant chief of operations sought EB-1A classification claiming membership, published material, original contributions, and commercial success. The AAO found the beneficiary failed all criteria: no qualifying membership, no published material about him, letters alone cannot establish original contributions of major significance, and no evidence he drove company revenue. Appeal dismissed.
0 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2008Dismissed
Self-petitioner engineer of alpaca fleece equipment seeks extraordinary ability classification. AAO dismissed appeal, noting petitioner submitted minimal documentation unrelated to any criterion, single newspaper article insufficient, no patent documentation despite design role, and failure to demonstrate sustained national acclaim.
0 of 2 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2006Dismissed
Mechanical engineering researcher self-petitioner claimed EB-1A extraordinary ability through membership, judging, original contributions, and publications. AAO dismissed the appeal, finding no criterion met and no sustained national or international acclaim demonstrating placement at the very top of the field.
0 of 6 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2006Dismissed
Aerospace engineer claimed extraordinary ability in sciences. Submitted evidence of scholarship award, professional membership, authored works, publications, organizational role, and salary. AAO found petitioner failed to meet three required criteria; scholarship had multiple winners, membership lacked outstanding achievement requirement, scholarly work not documented, salary not shown as high. Appeal dismissed.
0 of 7 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
A mechanical engineer researcher claimed extraordinary ability through awards and memberships. The AAO rejected both criteria and the overall petition because the evidence did not demonstrate the petitioner achieved sustained national or international acclaim placing him among the very top in the field.
0 of 3 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
Mechanical engineer researcher claiming EB-1A extraordinary ability. Counsel argued petitioner's important research should qualify despite criterion requirements. AAO found evidence shows talent but fails to demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or placement among top of field, dismissing appeal.
0 of 3 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
Mechanical engineer claimed extraordinary ability through membership, published materials on political issues, judging service, and scholarly articles. AAO found published materials concerned politics not engineering, judging service lacked evidence of selectivity, and scholarly articles lacked evidence of influence. Appeal dismissed for failing to meet three required criteria.
0 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
Marine propeller repair and tuning instructor claimed extraordinary ability but submitted no documentation of any regulatory criteria. Petitioner asserted beneficiary brings value to industry without evidence. AAO found no evidence of sustained national or international acclaim or distinction at top of field.
0 of 1 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
Counsel-represented industrial engineer claims extraordinary ability through awards, judging, and publications. AAO found Honda grant lacked recognition as excellence award, judging routine without exceptional scope, and publications with expert letters insufficient. Overall evidence demonstrated talent but not sustained top-tier professional status.
0 of 5 criteria metRead → - EB-1AMechanical and aerospace engineering2005Dismissed
Industrial engineer appealed EB-1A denial, claiming award, judging, and publication criteria. AAO found no nationally recognized prize, peer review routine without distinction, and expert letters insufficient. Overall evidence demonstrates talent but not elite status required.
0 of 5 criteria metRead →
