Engineering — what the record shows
91 coded decisions · read for the reasons cases fail, not to score you
How cases like this are judged
Of the 89 decisions in this profile that reached the merits, here is where each Dhanasar prong was found not established. 2 more never reached the merits and are not counted below.
Prong 1 — national importancenot established in 24 of 77 (31%)
22 of those were the deciding prong.
Prong 2 — well positionednot established in 52 of 69 (75%)
49 of those were the deciding prong.
Prong 3 — balance of factorsnot established in 11 of 23 (48%)
11 of those were the deciding prong.
Where cases like this most often fail
What this profile cannot afford to skip
- ✓Citation counts alone are trained to be insufficient. Officers weigh a qualitative account of why the work matters. Show what the citing papers built on yours, not an h-index screenshot.
- ✓Under Prong 2, USCIS evaluates whether the person is well positioned to advance the endeavor. A record of success in related or similar efforts is a key factor, distinct from general qualifications.
- ✓Letters must name your specific endeavor and trace how your work shaped later work. Officers are trained that letters praising skills in general terms do not add value as evidence.
The appeal outcomes behind these numbers
Shareable finding
Engineering: "citations insufficient" cited in 52 of 91 coded decisions
91 coded decisions, 2016-2026 · citations insufficient in 52 · denial reversed in 8
Adjacent profiles
91coded decisions sit under this profile. A placement shows where yours would sit among them, not what it predicts.See where your profile sits — 90 seconds →
Statistics from the coded record (2016–2026). Methodology