NIW appeals in law and policy

55 of 3,701 NIW appeals decided under Matter of Dhanasar involved petitioners working in law and policy. Here is where they struggled and the objections the appeals office raised most often.

Every appeal here was a petition USCIS had already denied, so these numbers show where denied petitions struggled, not anyone's chance of approval. Tags are matched automatically from the decision text.

Appeals

decided on the merits

Sustained

0.0%: the petitioner won

Remanded

9.1%: sent back to USCIS

Dismissed

90.9%: the denial stood

Objections raised most often

Share of these 55 appeals. Open one for what it means and what has answered it.

Job creation or economic claims unsupported
73%
40 appeals
No broader implications shown
65%
36 appeals
Proposed endeavor too vague
60%
33 appeals
Argued the field's importance, not the endeavor's
25%
14 appeals
Plan or projections not corroborated
22%
12 appeals
Support letters generic or unsupported
22%
12 appeals
Relied on a labor shortage
20%
11 appeals
Did not show the waiver outweighs labor certification
16%
9 appeals

Which part of the test was not met

An appeal can fail more than one; many stop at the first

EB-2 eligibility
9%
5 appeals
Prong 1: merit and national importance
76%
42 appeals
Prong 2: well positioned
5%
3 appeals
Prong 3: balance of the waiver
5%
3 appeals

Appeals per year

Occupations in these appeals

As the decisions describe them

Recent appeals

Email me new appeals like these Search all 55

By field: other pages

General patterns from past decisions, not legal advice. A licensed immigration attorney can tell you how the law applies to your case.