Stats and trends
Updated: Author: Alina Kanametova
Which criteria USCIS challenges most, the main reasons for RFEs/denials, and a snapshot of successful community cases. Source - real AAO decisions and anonymized cases.
Official USCIS figures, FY2026, first 3 quarters
Share of decisions that were denials, by category. From USCIS quarterly case-status releases - the agency’s own data, not our sample.
| Category | Approved | Denied | Denial share | Earlier: FY2024 · FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1A, extraordinary ability | 5,232 | 7,620 | 59.3% | 27.8% → 33.1% |
| EB-1B, outstanding professor or researcher | 4,279 | 281 | 6.2% | 2.0% → 2.2% |
| EB-1C, multinational executive or manager | 9,421 | 275 | 2.8% | 3.8% → 2.9% |
| EB-2 NIW, national interest waiver | 9,238 | 9,585 | 50.9% | 29.0% → 44.8% |
| EB-2, advanced degree | 38,835 | 1,258 | 3.1% | 3.5% → 2.1% |
| All I-140 categories | 132,869 | 20,695 | 13.5% | 11.2% → 14.0% |
Read this carefully: approvals and denials are counted in the quarter the decision was issued, not the quarter the petition was filed - adjudication lags filing, often by more than a year. So this is the share of DECISIONS that were denials, not the share of filings that get denied. The current row covers FY2026, first 3 quarters, not a full year. Source: USCIS quarterly Form I-140 case-status data (public domain).
The queue, quarter by quarter (FY2026, first 3 quarters)
Petitions still pending at the end of each quarter, and how many quarters of work that was at that quarter’s own decision rate. USCIS’s own figures.
| Category | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Queue, quarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1A, extraordinary ability | 24,785 | 27,126 | 28,874 | 6.9 |
| EB-1B, outstanding professor or researcher | 2,233 | 1,910 | 1,687 | 1.1 |
| EB-1C, multinational executive or manager | 12,636 | 12,847 | 12,657 | 3.4 |
| EB-2 NIW, national interest waiver | 82,935 | 89,307 | 96,297 | 13.9 |
| EB-2, advanced degree | 5,172 | 5,239 | 8,644 | 0.7 |
What this is not: a waiting time. "Pending" is how many petitions were still open at the end of the quarter, and the last column divides that by the decisions issued in the same quarter - so it says how deep the queue was at that rate, not how long your own case will take. USCIS does not adjudicate strictly in order, premium processing sits outside this entirely, and the rate itself moves from quarter to quarter. Source: USCIS quarterly Form I-140 case-status data (public domain).
Based on: USCIS quarterly Form I-140 data, by quarter of decision · updated Sep 12, 2026 · USCIS: published immigration and citizenship data
Which criteria get challenged most
- Original contribution108plain language not metNo major significanceThe contribution appears unoriginal
- Leading role98elements of the criterion are not coveredno specific examples of impactthe role is not proven to be leading or critical
- Media about you94Not about the applicant and their workMedia level not provenNo title/date/author
- Memberships94No requirement for outstanding achievementsOrdinary admission criteriaThe association was not proven to be field-specific
- Awards85Local-level awardNo award criteriaRecognition of excellence not proven
- High remuneration70no comparison to the fieldboth elements are not provenaverage salaries are not enough
- Authorship61Scientific nature of the articles not provenIncomplete evidence recordNo evidence for the criterion
- Judging43plain language not metno competition detailsspeaking engagements are not the same as judging
- Exhibitions17social media not persuasiveno display of the worksevent is not an exhibition
Successful cases snapshot
117 anonymized stories: which visas and how often an RFE came up.
Using this data?
Feel free to cite with attribution: "EB-1A AAO appeal decisions database, uscis.love" - uscis.love/ru/decisions.
This is reference pattern analytics, not legal advice and not a prediction of a USCIS decision.