How often is the “Awards” criterion counted?

Of the 677 appeals that argued this criterion, AAO counted it in 129 (19%) and rejected it in 548. Even when it was counted, only 13% of those cases passed the final-merits determination. This is an appeal sample skewed toward denials: the numbers show how AAO assesses the criterion, not visa approval odds.

In which fields is it counted more often?

Most cases arguing this criterion come from: Arts (counted 44 of 236, 19%); Sports (counted 52 of 105, 50%); Other (counted 14 of 103, 14%). The differences reflect the kinds of evidence typically submitted, not how “easy” a field is.

All EB-1A appeals

EB-1A appeals on “Awards”: 677 AAO decisions

677 real anonymized AAO decisions on the EB-1A talent visa in which the petitioner relied on the “Awards” criterion: AAO counted it in 129 cases and rejected it in 548. These are appeal lessons (mostly denials), not approval odds: a base for seeing which evidence for this criterion is accepted and which is discarded.

677cases argued it

19%counted when argued

13%passed final merits when counted

By field

Field	Counted	Not counted	%
Arts	44	192	19%
Sports	52	53	50%
Other	14	89	14%
Business	3	64	4%
Science	4	50	7%
Engineering	5	35	13%
Marketing	3	25	11%
IT	2	20	9%
Education	1	12	8%
Beauty	1	8	11%

What the decisions show

Counted when the award shows national/international reach: rules, jury makeup, scale of the competition.
Awards not nationally/internationally recognized

Counted (129)

Newest first. A counted criterion does not mean approval - check the case outcome.

69 more cases are not listed here - all of them are reachable through the field archives.

Not counted (548)

Newest first. The most useful part of the archive: exactly why AAO discarded the evidence.

488 more cases are not listed here - all of them are reachable through the field archives.

FAQ

How often is the “Awards” criterion counted?: Of the 677 appeals that argued this criterion, AAO counted it in 129 (19%) and rejected it in 548. Even when it was counted, only 13% of those cases passed the final-merits determination. This is an appeal sample skewed toward denials: the numbers show how AAO assesses the criterion, not visa approval odds.
In which fields is it counted more often?: Most cases arguing this criterion come from: Arts (counted 44 of 236, 19%); Sports (counted 52 of 105, 50%); Other (counted 14 of 103, 14%). The differences reflect the kinds of evidence typically submitted, not how “easy” a field is.

The “Awards” criterion: what to prove RFE on “Awards”Community questions: Awards What is the US talent visa

Other criteria

Membership Published material about you Judging Original contribution Scholarly authorship Exhibitions Leading role High remuneration Commercial success Comparable evidence

Decisions by field

Based on: 1,242 AAO EB-1A appeal decisions · issued Jan 2020 - Feb 2025 · USCIS: AAO non-precedent decisions · all decisions

Sources

Public anonymized AAO decisions. Reference information, not legal advice; the appeal sample skews toward denials and does not reflect approval odds.