dismissedAPR282025_06B52032025-04-28 · appeal · Texas Service Center
This is an AAO appeal decision — a case denied once and appealed. It shows how the framework is applied; it is not the filing population.
The petitioner, an assistant professor of criminology, proposed to research and identify practical strategies to help law enforcement combat human trafficking, including studying digital-age trafficking, procedural justice, and publishing findings in peer-reviewed venues.
Field: criminology · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive
“the record does not show it has national importance”
“the relevant question is not the importance of the field, industry, or profession in which a petitioner may work”
“the letter does not explain how the research would have broader implications for our country”
“the recommendation letters repeat the arguments addressed above pertaining to the Petitioner's research and efforts in combating human trafficking”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- recommendation letter · discounted
“the letter does not explain how the research would have broader implications for our country”
AAO decision text - citations publications · ignored
Where this case turned
- Field importance conflated with endeavor · p1 — argues the field matters, not the specific endeavor
- Letters conclusory · p1 — letters praise skills in general terms without tracing specific impact
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Notable
The AAO relied on Flores v. Garland (5th Cir. 2023) to characterize NIW adjudication as discretionary, and emphasized that a national policy initiative's importance (e.g., a cited national anti-trafficking plan) cannot substitute for demonstrating the specific proposed endeavor's own national importance.
Authorities this decision leans on
From the doctrinal survivor set — 187 authority tests across 47 distinct authorities cleared the differential-lift gates. Only those appear here.
- Flores v. Garland
- Matter of E-M-
- Matter of L-A-C-
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