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 university researcher/teacher, proposed to continue research on resilient systems and computational mechanics to improve disaster-resistant structural design and the repair/retrofit of aging infrastructure, including prototyping a novel alloy-based damper device.
Field: structural/civil engineering (applied mathematics, computational mechanics) · 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
- recommendation letter · credited
- citations publications · credited
- funding · credited
- degree · credited
- resume experience · credited
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Notable
AAO sustains the appeal in full, finding all three Dhanasar prongs satisfied and expressly withdrawing the Director's contrary determinations on prongs two and three; no failure codes apply.
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
- INA 203(b)(2)
- USCIS Policy Manual F.5(D)(2)
What this case teaches
Analyst reading of the decision text.
AAO reversed Director on prongs 2 and 3, finding strong STEM credentials, concrete progress/plan, citation impact, and NSF-funded research sufficed to show well-positioned status and net national benefit.
Pair a concrete technical endeavor with corroborated evidence of progress, citation impact, and funding to satisfy prongs 2-3 even if prong 1 magnitude is only implicit.
specific
stem_positive_factor · field_advancement · public_health · us_competitiveness
mixed
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