NIW Bearings
dismissedAUG092023_03B52032023-08-09 · 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 architect, proposed to work for U.S. companies designing houses, office buildings, stadiums, and furniture with a focus on sustainability, including project management and construction quality oversight.

Field: architecture · Read the decision (uscis.gov)

EB-2 threshold — addressed

Record establishes EB-2 eligibility as advanced degree professional via bachelor's degree plus five years progressive experience under 8 C.F.R. 204.5(k)(2).

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

Beyond general descriptions of the Petitioner's intention to work with clients to plan, design, and oversee sustainable projects, the record does not contain documentation that specifically identifies or details her endeavor
The record does not show that the Petitioner's proposed endeavor would extend beyond providing services to her immediate clientele
she does not explain how the work of a single architect would alleviate a shortage at a nationally important level
the record does not contain probative evidence to support this statement and others in the record that claim the potential national importance

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

  • business plan · discounted
    These parts provide general descriptions of how the Petitioner will use her qualifications to undertake responsibilities and perform duties typically expected of architects
    AAO decision text
  • degree · credited
  • resume experience · credited

Where this case turned

  • Economic claims unsupported · p1job/revenue projections with no corroborating basis
  • Employer-specific benefit · p1"work furthers my company's product" — value accrues to one firm
  • Endeavor too vague · p1described as a job role, not a defined undertaking
  • Occupational shortage argument rejected · p1argues a labor shortage — the labor-certification question, not Dhanasar
2,501coded decisions carry the failure named in this record. A placement shows where your profile sits among them, not what it predicts.See where your profile sits — 90 seconds

Notable

The Petitioner's appeal brief was largely identical to the RFE response cover letter and did not specifically identify errors in the Director's decision, which the AAO noted as a procedural deficiency under 8 C.F.R. 103.3(a)(1)(v).

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.

  • 8 C.F.R. 103.3
  • 8 C.F.R. 103.5
  • 8 C.F.R. 204.5(k)(2)
  • Matter of L-A-C-
  • Poursina v. USCIS

Cases in adjacent profiles