dismissedMAY282025_03B52032025-05-28 · appeal
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 sought to establish and serve as CEO of a consulting company providing business strategy, process improvement, and productivity consulting services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States.
Field: business consulting / SME process improvement · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive
“We concur with SCOPS that the Petitioner did not establish the national importance of her endeavor.”
“the Petitioner has not established her endeavor stands to sufficiently extend beyond her clients to impact the larger field of SMEs more broadly”
“the business plan does not provide sufficient explanation for the basis of these employment projections”
“the Petitioner has not shown how the economic activity directly relating to her company and its operations would rise to the level of national importance contemplated by Dhanasar”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- business plan · discounted
“the business plan does not provide sufficient explanation for the basis of these employment projections”
AAO decision text - contract revenue · discounted
“the Petitioner has not established her endeavor stands to sufficiently extend beyond her clients to impact the larger field of SMEs more broadly”
AAO decision text - recommendation letter · discounted
- media · discounted
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
- Local, not national scope · p1 — impact confined to clients / a region
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Notable
SCOPS had found the Petitioner well-positioned (prong 2) and that the endeavor had substantial merit, but denied solely on national importance/prong 1 scope; AAO adopted and affirmed SCOPS' decision under Matter of Burbano rather than conducting fully independent analysis, and declined to reach prongs 2 and 3.
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
- Matter of L-A-C-
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