The Petitioner, an exercise trainer and group fitness instructor, sought to operate a fitness services and sports consulting company offering in-person and virtual functional training, body building, and labor gymnastics services to businesses and consumers, claiming public-health and economic benefits.

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

“any benefit or influence, such that it is, would apply mainly only to those businesses and individuals that work directly with the Petitioner.”

“it is not clear from the record how this job creation for the proposed endeavor itself would have a substantial prospective positive economic effect commensurate with national importance.”

“the letter overwhelmingly only discusses the importance of the Petitioner's field as well as the Petitioner's previous experiences.”

AAO decision text

Prong 2 — well positionednot established · dispositive

“the record does not reflect any progress to achieving the proposed endeavor other than registering their company.”

“The establishment of their company and engagement by clients and customers alone is not strong evidence of progress.”

“the recommendation letters the Petitioner submitted are not material, relevant, or probative evidence in the record of interest or support in the endeavor”

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

• recommendation letter · discounted

  “the letter overwhelmingly only discusses the importance of the Petitioner's field as well as the Petitioner's previous experiences.”

  AAO decision text
• business plan · discounted

  “the record does not adequately demonstrate the significance of these figures in the context of the economy it seeks to influence.”

  AAO decision text
• resume experience · discounted

  “The record as currently constituted would still not reflect how the Petitioner's prior performance of the duties described in the experience letters”

  AAO decision text
• other · discounted

  “It is not indicative of actual appropriations or spending by government agencies.”

  AAO decision text

Where this case turned

• 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
• Letters conclusory · p2 — letters praise skills in general terms without tracing specific impact
• No progress evidence · p2 — no documented movement toward the endeavor since filing
• Record of success insufficient · p2 — a claimed track record the documents do not establish

Notable

The decision contains an apparent drafting/template inconsistency: despite the endeavor being fitness training and sports consulting, the AAO at one point refers to 'the Petitioner's proposed financial management endeavor' and discusses business-plan language about empowering small/medium businesses to 'achieve financial efficiency,' suggesting boilerplate carried over from a different case template.

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
• Flores v. Garland
• Matter of Caron Int'l
• Matter of L-A-C-
• Matter of Y-B-

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