Which EB-1A criteria were counted in this case?

Criteria claimed: 4, counted: 4 (Awards, Membership, Published material about you, Leading role).

How did this appeal end?

The appeal was sustained - the denial was overturned in the petitioner's favor. A rare outcome: about 3% of our base.

Did the case reach the final-merits stage?

Yes, and on the totality assessment the petitioner met the extraordinary-ability standard.

All EB-1A appeals

appeal sustainedSports20204 criteria counted

Athletics (Track and Field)

AAO appeal decision on the EB-1A talent visa

Updated: September 10, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

This is a real, anonymized AAO appeal decision on the EB-1A immigrant visa, in the field of Athletics (Track and Field) (Sports), 2020. The appeal was appeal sustained, and on the final-merits determination the petitioner met the standard. Of the regulatory criteria, 4 were counted: Awards, Membership, Published material about you, Leading role.

What this case shows

Bottom line: the appeal was sustained - a rare outcome in the appeals base. Of the 4 EB-1A criteria claimed, 4 were counted. The petitioner also passed the final-merits totality assessment - both the criteria and the overall extraordinary-ability standard.

EB-1A criteria in this case

Awardscounted
Membershipcounted
Published material about youcounted
Judgingnot claimed
Original contributionnot claimed
Scholarly authorshipnot claimed
Exhibitionsnot claimed
Leading rolecounted
High remunerationnot claimed
Commercial successnot claimed
Comparable evidencenot claimed

The Sports field in the database: 133 appeals

Outcomes in this field: 3 sustained, 17 remanded, 113 dismissed. How the AAO ruled in this field on the criteria argued in this case:

Criterion	In this case	Counted in the field	How objections were answered
Awards	counted	52 of 105 (50%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Membership	counted	18 of 94 (19%)	breakdowns for this criterion (6)
Published material about you	counted	30 of 102 (29%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Leading role	counted	21 of 68 (31%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)

Counted over our base of published AAO decisions; all Sports appeals.

How to read this case

No claimed criterion here is marked "not counted", and the petitioner passed the final-merits totality assessment - one of the rare winning outcomes in the base (AAO appeals are sustained in roughly 3% of cases). Study which criteria were counted and compare them with your own evidence set.

From the AAO decision (source, EN)

The initial denial was based on the petitioner not meeting at least three of the evidentiary criteria. The AAO found that the petitioner did meet the criteria for prizes, memberships, published material, and leading/critical role, and that the totality of evidence demonstrated extraordinary ability.

The quote summarizes a fragment of the decision; the table above reflects the FINAL status of the criteria across all stages of the case (including ones conceded before the appeal), so the wording may not match one-to-one.

Full AAO decision of October 14, 2020 (PDF, uscis.gov)AAO decisions archive on uscis.gov

FAQ on this case

Which EB-1A criteria were counted in this case?: Criteria claimed: 4, counted: 4 (Awards, Membership, Published material about you, Leading role).
How did this appeal end?: The appeal was sustained - the denial was overturned in the petitioner's favor. A rare outcome: about 3% of our base.
Did the case reach the final-merits stage?: Yes, and on the totality assessment the petitioner met the extraordinary-ability standard.

Terms in this case:RFE (request for evidence)final merits AAO (appeals office)

All EB-1A appeals O-1 / EB-1A criteria Analyze my case Which visa fits

Similar appeals

Same outcome in other fields

Talent visa for Sports What is the US talent visa

This is an anonymized public decision of the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), shown for reference. Not legal advice and not a guarantee of your own outcome; every case is decided on its own facts.