electrical engineering

EB-2 National Interest Waiver — Merits Decision

2026-01-13·DISMISSED·IN RE: 40764630

Underlying petition: DENIED ·

Legal elements discussed — Matter of Dhanasar

Prong 1 — Substantial Merit & National Importance

FAIL

Petitioner argued: proposed endeavor has national importance

Evidence type: publications, letters, generalized info

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

the record does not establish how the Petitioner's proposal to work as one of potentially many similar researchers for a given employer may have national or even global implications

Decision PDF, p. 3Open source PDF

Prong 2 — Well Positioned to Advance the Endeavor

FAIL

Petitioner argued: well-positioned to advance proposed endeavor

Evidence type: personal statement, citations, letters

USCIS finding: INSUFFICIENT

the record contains limited information regarding the Petitioner's model or plan for future activities

Decision PDF, p. 4Open 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 national importance. 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 1 (substantial merit & national importance), USCIS found the petitioner's publications, letters, generalized info insufficient to establish that proposed endeavor has national importance. What would make comparable evidence in my own case more persuasive?
  • On Prong 2 (well positioned to advance the endeavor), USCIS found the petitioner's personal statement, citations, letters insufficient to establish that well-positioned to advance proposed endeavor. 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?
See similar decisionsHow this data was built