The Petitioner proposed to continue operating and expanding his automobile detailing service and product retail company, including distribution of car care products, workforce training programs, and multi-state expansion to New Jersey and California.

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

“the record does not establish how the company's generalized plan to expand 'to the state of New Jersey' and 'to California' demonstrates whether the proposed endeavor may have national importance.”

“the record does not support the Petitioner's assertions on appeal that the training services his company would provide would 'foster[] a skilled workforce and support[] the overall advancement of the industry' on a level indicative of national importance.”

“the record indicates that the Petitioner's company would provide products and services similar to other automobile detailing companies already operating in the United States.”

“the business plan includes a passing-and unsubstantiated-reference to 63,490 'businesses' operating in the 'industry' in 2023.”

“Given the extent of the various inconsistencies and unsubstantiated assertions discussed above...its probative value is diminished and it undermines the reliability and sufficiency of the remainder of the record.”

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

• business plan · discounted

  “Given the extent of the various inconsistencies and unsubstantiated assertions discussed above...its probative value is diminished and it undermines the reliability and sufficiency of the remainder of the record.”

  AAO decision text
• other · discounted

  “the Petitioner does not elaborate on the referenced USCIS approvals, which in any event would not bind our decision”

  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 conducted an unusually detailed line-by-line critique of the business plan's financial projections, identifying specific internal inconsistencies such as flat shipping and supply costs despite tripling unit sales, uniform sales growth percentages across all categories, and travel expense figures that do not reflect multi-state expansion. SCOPS had found prong 2 satisfied but prong 3 not satisfied; the AAO reserved judgment on both prongs 2 and 3, deciding solely on prong 1 national importance. The petitioner's reliance on unspecified prior USCIS NIW approvals for similar training/workforce endeavors was explicitly rejected as non-binding.

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