NIW Bearings
dismissedOCT202021_02B52032021-10-20 · appeal · Texas Service Center

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, a nurse and nursing coordinator, proposed to work with U.S. hospitals and clinics to coordinate, train, and guide nurses and medical staff, and to provide direct clinical care as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Field: nursing coordination · Read the decision (uscis.gov)

EB-2 threshold — addressed

The Director found, and AAO did not dispute, that the Petitioner qualifies as a member of the professions holding an advanced degree.

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

the record does not establish how the endeavor would have broader implications in terms of significant potential to employ U.S. workers or have substantial positive economic effects, beyond the Petitioner's employer and patients
the Petitioner's focus on appeal on the importance of the fields of nursing and healthcare, and generalized shortages, do not address aspects of the specific endeavor
the relevant question is not the importance of the industry, field, or profession in which an individual will work

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

  • other · discounted
    References in the record to the COVID-19 pandemic, arising after the petition filing date, relate to a new set of facts that did not exist as of the petition filing date.
    AAO decision text
  • resume experience · discounted
    The Petitioner's statements on appeal regarding her expertise and prior career accomplishments do not address how the proposed endeavor has broader implications
    AAO decision text

Where this case turned

  • Employer-specific benefit · p1"work furthers my company's product" — value accrues to one firm
  • Field importance conflated with endeavor · p1argues the field matters, not the specific endeavor
  • Local, not national scope · p1impact confined to clients / a region
  • Occupational shortage argument rejected · p1argues a labor shortage — the labor-certification question, not Dhanasar
746coded decisions carry the failure named in this record. A placement shows where your profile sits among them, not what it predicts.See where your profile sits — 90 seconds

Notable

AAO applied the eligibility-at-filing rule to exclude the Petitioner's post-filing COVID-19 pandemic arguments, noting the petition was filed in March 2018, well before the pandemic.

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. 103.2(b)(1)
  • INA 203(b)(2)
  • INA 291

Cases in adjacent profiles