Denial-reason pattern
Well-Positioned
USCIS raised well-positioned as a reason for denial in 272 of 2369 EB-2 NIW decisions in this archive (11%).
How USCIS actually phrased it
The most common ways this shows up in decisions, grouped from the AAO’s own wording (real phrases, not paraphrased):
- “insufficient evidence of well-positioned”30×
- “not well positioned”25×
- “not well-positioned”17×
- “insufficient evidence of well-positioned to advance endeavor”16×
- “not well positioned to advance endeavor”15×
- “not well positioned to advance proposed endeavor”14×
- “insufficient evidence of well-positioned to advance”13×
- “insufficient evidence of well-positioned to advance proposed endeavor”9×
Recent decisions discussing this
- industrial engineering →DISMISSED2026-04-23
- electrical and computer engineering →DISMISSED2026-04-22
- chemistry →DISMISSED2026-04-22
- project management consultancy →DISMISSED2026-04-17
- artificial intelligence and machine learning →DISMISSED2026-04-02
- thermal management systems →DISMISSED2026-04-02
What this statistic doesn’t mean
This archive only contains petitions that were denied and then appealed to the AAO. This count describes that selection-biased set, not the odds that any individual petition — including yours — will be denied over this issue. It is not an eligibility assessment.
USCIS raised well-positioned in 11% of the decisions in this archive. Describe your own work and see which decisions discussed the same issue.
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