The Petitioner sought to launch and expand a U.S.-based manufacturing company producing eco-friendly custom wallpaper, posters, and point-of-purchase displays.

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

“that the Petitioner's proposed endeavor would primarily benefit his own company and its immediate customers and therefore lacks broader implications beyond”

“While the fact that an operation is part of a broader system might be one negligible factor in the bigger picture, it fails to demonstrate the "potential prospective impact" of his actual proposed work.”

“Routine or incremental contributions that merely add knowledge or other improvements to the field without broader implications are generally insufficient to satisfy Dhanasar's prong one requirements.”

AAO decision text

Where this case turned

• Employer-specific benefit · p1 — "work furthers my company's product" — value accrues to one firm
• Endeavor too vague · p1 — described as a job role, not a defined undertaking
• Local, not national scope · p1 — impact confined to clients / a region

Notable

The AAO adopted and affirmed the service center's decision in full (citing Matter of J-A-, Burbano, Ming Dai, and Giday on the propriety of adopt-and-affirm practice), then devoted most of the decision to an extended doctrinal discussion of what 'national importance' means under Dhanasar's first prong, using Dhanasar's own bifurcated research-vs-teaching endeavors as an illustrative contrast. No evidence types (letters, business plan, etc.) were substantively discussed beyond the endeavor description itself.

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
• 8 C.F.R. 103.5
• Matter of Y-B-

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