dismissedDEC272024_01B52032024-12-27 · appeal · Nebraska 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 film and animation director, proposed to establish a U.S. branch of his Taiwanese production company to create culturally enriching films and TV series in collaboration with U.S. media and educational partners.
Field: film and animation directing · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive
“he has not offered sufficient infonnation and evidence to demonstrate that the prospective impact of his proposed endeavor rises to the level of national importance”
“the record does not contain sufficient supporting evidence”
“he did not elaborate on this projection or provide evidence supporting the need for these personnel”
“the issue here is not the national importance of the field, industry, or profession in which the individual will work”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- business plan · discounted
“it is not supported by details indicating how the project will be funded”
AAO decision text - recommendation letter · discounted
“does not contain sufficient information and explanation, nor does the record include adequate corroborating evidence”
AAO decision text - contract revenue · discounted
“has not provided evidence demonstrating that his proposed projects would affect U.S. cultural interests on such a scale as to rise to a level of national importance”
AAO decision text - resume experience · discounted
“relates to the second prong of the Dhanasar framework, which shifts the focus from the proposed endeavor to the foreign national”
AAO decision text
Where this case turned
- Business plan speculative · p1 — projections without a documented basis or steps
- Economic claims unsupported · p1 — job/revenue projections with no corroborating basis
- Endeavor too vague · p1 — described as a job role, not a defined undertaking
- Field importance conflated with endeavor · p1 — argues the field matters, not the specific endeavor
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Notable
AAO rejected an expert letter's attempt to tie national importance to the field's alignment with a Biden Administration Executive Order on the Arts, reiterating that field-level importance cannot substitute for endeavor-specific evidence.
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
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