industrial engineering

EB-2 National Interest Waiver — Merits Decision

2026-03-30·DISMISSED·IN RE: 41977263

Underlying petition: DENIED · Service Center Operations (SCOPS)

Legal elements discussed — Matter of Dhanasar

Prong 1 — Substantial Merit & National Importance

PASS

Prong 2 — Well Positioned to Advance the Endeavor

FAIL

Petitioner argued: HGTV has utilized his designs and manufacturing processes

Evidence type: support letters, shop drawings, promotional material

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finding: INSUFFICIENT

the record does not substantiate the Petitioner's specific claims

Decision PDF, p. 3Open source PDF

Petitioner argued: interest from professional associations

Evidence type: course information

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

the record therefore does not support the Petitioner's claim that these professional associations are interested in the Petitioner's work

Decision PDF, p. 5Open source PDF

Petitioner argued: his manufacturing processes are the basis for licensing

Evidence type: support letters, shop drawings

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

the evidence in the record does not support the Petitioner's claim that his work product or his manufacturing process advancements were the basis for any agreement

Decision PDF, p. 4Open source PDF

Petitioner argued: record of success demonstrated by contributions to projects

Evidence type: support letter from A.L., shop drawings

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

this evidence is not sufficient to demonstrate that the Petitioner's record of success positions him well to advance the proposed endeavor

Decision PDF, p. 5Open source PDF

Prong 3 — Balancing the Waiver's Benefits

NOT_DISCUSSED

What this decision can’t tell you

This decision comes from a case that was denied and then appealed. Every case here is in that position — it cannot be used to estimate an overall approval rate, and it cannot predict the outcome of any individual case, including yours. USCIS officers exercise discretion on facts that are never fully captured in a written decision.

This decision turned on whether the person was well-positioned to advance the endeavor. Describe your own work and see which decisions discussed the same issue.

Describe your situation →

Related decisions

Questions this raises for your lawyer

  • On Prong 2 (well positioned to advance the endeavor), USCIS found the petitioner's support letters, shop drawings, promotional material insufficient to establish that hGTV has utilized his designs and manufacturing processes. What would make comparable evidence in my own case more persuasive?
  • What in my own case most resembles the specific facts USCIS focused on in this decision?
  • Would additional expert-opinion evidence have changed the outcome here, based on what USCIS said was missing?
See similar decisionsHow this data was built