NIW Bearings
sustainedDEC062021_02B52032021-12-06 · 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, a research associate in electrical and computer engineering, proposed to continue research on robotics and applied engineering systems, including miniaturized agents to treat cardiovascular disease and floating devices for underwater monitoring and drone control.

Field: electrical and computer engineering · Read the decision (uscis.gov)

EB-2 threshold — addressed

Prong 1 — national importanceestablished

Prong 2 — well positionedestablished

Prong 3 — balance of factorsestablished

How the evidence was treated

  • degree · credited
  • citations publications · credited
  • funding · credited
  • recommendation letter · credited

This record is one of thousands, each coded for the reasons it turned. A placement shows where your profile sits in that record, not what it predicts. See where your profile sits — 90 seconds

Notable

AAO rejected Petitioner's argument that Dhanasar requires a one-to-one comparison of a petitioner's impact to that of Dr. Dhanasar himself, clarifying that precedent decisions establish frameworks, not benchmarks for individualized comparison.

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.

  • Poursina v. USCIS

What this case teaches

Analyst reading of the decision text.

Decisive factor

Petitioner's strong track record (first-author publications, NSF grant, expert letters detailing practical applications) satisfied prongs 2 and 3 after prong 1 was already conceded by the Director.

Transferable lesson

Once substantial merit/importance is conceded, build prongs 2-3 with concrete evidence of expertise, progress, and broad practical impact rather than disputing precedent comparisons.

Endeavor framing

specific

National-importance theory

field_advancement · public_health · critical_emerging_tech

Evidence targeting

mixed

Cases in adjacent profiles