The Petitioner, a clinical psychologist, proposed to manage and expand a psychology clinic in Florida, providing psychological care and overseeing other psychologists, with plans to open additional franchise clinics.

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

“the Petitioner has not demonstrated that her undertaking will have implications beyond her patients that rise to the level of national importance”

“It is insufficient to claim an endeavor has national importance or will create a broad impact without providing evidence to corroborate such claims”

“the Petitioner's revenue and staffing goals fail to demonstrate that her clinic would provide substantial economic benefits to Florida, the region, or the broader U.S. economy at a level commensurate with national importance”

“It is also important to note that the shortage of healthcare professionals does not render the Petitioner's proposed endeavor nationally important under the Dhanasar framework”

“the relevant question is not the importance of the industry or profession in which the individual will work”

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

• business plan · discounted

  “does not show how these revenue and employment projects, even if plausible, have significant potential to employ U.S. workers”

  AAO decision text
• recommendation letter · ignored
• other · discounted

  “such shortages of qualified workers are directly addressed by the U.S. Department of Labor through the labor certification process”

  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
• Occupational shortage argument rejected · p1 — argues a labor shortage — the labor-certification question, not Dhanasar

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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