NIW Bearings
dismissedOCT312024_10B52032024-10-31 · 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, initially proposing to work as a nursing instructor, later revised her endeavor on RFE to founding and serving as CEO/COO of a Florida-based medical and healthcare training company offering courses to healthcare professionals.

Field: healthcare/nursing education · Read the decision (uscis.gov)

Prong 1 — national importancenot established · dispositive

we find that the Petitioner has materially changed her proposed endeavor from the time of submission to the RFE
these employment and revenue projections are not supported by details showing their basis
a national shortage of healthcare professionals is not, in and of itself, sufficient to establish the national importance of the Petitioner's endeavor
merely working in an important field or profession is insufficient to establish the national importance of the proposed endeavor
the Petitioner has not provided evidence that the area where her company intends to operate is economically depressed
It is insufficient to claim an endeavor has national importance or would create a broad impact without providing evidence to substantiate such claims

AAO decision text

How the evidence was treated

  • business plan · discounted
    these employment and revenue projections are not supported by details showing their basis
    AAO decision text
  • media · discounted
    a national shortage of healthcare professionals is not, in and of itself, sufficient to establish the national importance
    AAO decision text
  • recommendation letter · ignored

Where this case turned

  • Business plan speculative · p1projections without a documented basis or steps
  • Economic claims unsupported · p1job/revenue projections with no corroborating basis
  • Field importance conflated with endeavor · p1argues the field matters, not the specific endeavor
  • Local, not national scope · p1impact confined to clients / a region
  • Material change of endeavor · p1the endeavor described on appeal is not the one filed
  • Occupational shortage argument rejected · p1argues a labor shortage — the labor-certification question, not Dhanasar
1,312coded 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 first flagged an impermissible material change of proposed endeavor (from nursing instructor to business owner) under Matter of Izummi, but proceeded to substantively address prong one on the merits and dismissed on that basis rather than solely on the material-change ground.

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)
  • 8 C.F.R. 103.3
  • 8 C.F.R. 204.5(k)(2)
  • Flores v. Garland
  • Matter of Izummi
  • Matter of L-A-C-

Cases in adjacent profiles