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 operate an independent business coaching and consulting company she founded in the United States, offering AI-powered methodologies and certified entrepreneurial coaching programs to small and medium-sized businesses nationwide, with a focus on immigrant entrepreneurs, women founders, and professionals in transition.
Field: business consulting and coaching · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive
“none of the articles mention the Petitioner's company or otherwise speak to the potential prospective impact of her specific proposed endeavor.”
“she has not offered sufficient information and evidence to demonstrate that the prospective impact of her proposed endeavor rises to the level of national importance.”
“these projections are not supported by details showing their basis or an explanation of how they will be achieved.”
“the Petitioner has not shown that her proposed endeavor stands to sufficiently extend beyond her company and its clientele to impact her field”
“lack of supporting details and evidence detracts from the credibility and probative value of the Petitioner's claim regarding job creation and other substantial positive economic effects.”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- business plan · discounted
“these projections are not supported by details showing their basis or an explanation of how they will be achieved.”
AAO decision text - other · discounted
“none of the articles mention the Petitioner's company or otherwise speak to the potential prospective impact of her specific proposed endeavor.”
AAO decision text - recommendation letter · discounted
“The Petitioner's skills, knowledge, and prior work in her field, as well as interest from potential customers, relate to the second prong of the Dhanasar framework.”
AAO decision text - other · discounted
“does not demonstrate how the Petitioner's day-to-day management of her company's operations and its consulting services as contemplated by her proposed endeavor rises to a level of national importance.”
AAO decision text - contract revenue · discounted
“The Petitioner's skills, knowledge, and prior work in her field, as well as interest from potential customers, relate to the second prong of the Dhanasar framework.”
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
- Local, not national scope · p1 — impact confined to clients / a region
Notable
The AAO explicitly credited substantial merit (agreed with SCOPS that the endeavor has merit in the business/entrepreneurship space) but denied solely on national importance grounds. The expert opinion letter from an associate professor was specifically addressed and found insufficient for failing to identify specific companies or organizations that would be serviced in a manner indicative of broader implications. The AAO analogized to the teaching-activities example in Dhanasar itself to explain why the consulting activities lacked national importance. Prongs 2 and 3 were expressly reserved under Bagamasbad.
What this case teaches
Analyst reading of the decision text.
Impact did not extend beyond her own company and clientele; economic and job-creation projections carried no shown basis, and the submitted articles never mentioned her specific endeavor.
An economic or job-creation projection without a shown basis, and impact that stops at your own clients, does not establish national importance.
vague
economic_job_creation · economic_growth_generic
person_focused
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