dismissedFEB012024_02B52032024-02-01 · 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 proposed to establish and serve as CEO of a Florida-based financial technology consulting firm advising small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs on decentralized finance and digital transformation, including cross-border fiscal trade with Latin America and the Caribbean.
Field: financial consulting / decentralized finance · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive
“the record does not contain supporting documents or sufficient explanation to demonstrate the basis for the business plan's financial and staffing projections”
“the record does not establish that the business plan's financial and staffing projections are substantial enough to demonstrate national importance through job creation, revenue, and other economic benefits”
“the Petitioner has not established how these activities would have broader implications in her field that reach beyond her clients and employees”
“pursuing employment or operating a business in an area that is adjacent to or aligned with the subject of national initiatives is not sufficient”
“they do not discuss her specific proposed endeavor or speak to the potential broader implications of her work”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- business plan · discounted
“the record does not contain supporting documents or sufficient explanation to demonstrate the basis for the business plan's financial and staffing projections”
AAO decision text - contract revenue · discounted
“the record does not establish that the business plan's financial and staffing projections are substantial enough to demonstrate national importance”
AAO decision text - recommendation letter · discounted
“they do not discuss her specific proposed endeavor or speak to the potential broader implications of her work”
AAO decision text - other · discounted
“the record does not support the business plan's statements that the Petitioner's firm would be 'introducing' decentralized finance solutions to the U.S. market”
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
- 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
AAO relied on internal inconsistency in the business plan's own job-multiplier calculations (RIMS II projecting 296 indirect jobs vs. EPI projecting 14) to discredit the economic projections without needing to resolve which was correct.
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
- Matter of L-A-C-
- Poursina v. USCIS
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