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.

appeal sustainedMarketing20216 criteria counted

Public Relations

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 Public Relations (Marketing), 2021. The appeal was appeal sustained, and on the final-merits determination the petitioner met the standard. Of the regulatory criteria, 6 were counted: Awards, Published material about you, Judging, Original contribution, Leading role, High remuneration.

What this case shows

Bottom line: the appeal was sustained - a rare outcome in the appeals base. Of the 6 EB-1A criteria claimed, 6 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
Membershipnot claimed
Published material about youcounted
Judgingcounted
Original contributioncounted
Scholarly authorshipnot claimed
Exhibitionsnot claimed
Leading rolecounted
High remunerationcounted
Commercial successnot claimed
Comparable evidencenot claimed

The Marketing field in the database: 47 appeals

Outcomes in this field: 1 sustained, 12 remanded, 34 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	3 of 28 (11%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Published material about you	counted	10 of 32 (31%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Judging	counted	14 of 22 (64%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Original contribution	counted	4 of 23 (17%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
Leading role	counted	15 of 30 (50%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)
High remuneration	counted	4 of 21 (19%)	breakdowns for this criterion (7)

Counted over our base of published AAO decisions; all Marketing 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 a finding that the petitioner did not demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim and was not among the small percentage at the very top of his field. The appeal was sustained after a review of the totality of the evidence demonstrated sustained acclaim and a position at the top of the field.

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 April 12, 2021 (PDF, uscis.gov)AAO decisions archive on uscis.gov

FAQ on this case

Which EB-1A criteria were counted in this case?: Criteria claimed: 6, counted: 6 (Awards, Published material about you, Judging, Original contribution, Leading role, High remuneration).
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

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Same outcome in other fields

Talent visa for Marketing 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.