O-1A Appeals: Athletics
Last updated 2026-09-02
The AAO dismissed 93.2% of O-1A appeals from Athletics petitioners in published non-precedent decisions from 2005–2025 (n=74). The criterion most often at issue was Awards or prizes.
Outcomes by Year
| Year | Dismissed | Sustained | Remanded | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 (—) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 (—) | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 3 (—) | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 (—) | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2021 | 8 (—) | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | 2 (—) | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 (—) | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 (—) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1 (—) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | 5 (—) | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2014 | 2 (—) | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 (—) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2012 | 2 (—) | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011 | 4 (—) | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2010 | 4 (—) | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 | 1 (—) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | 3 (—) | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 | 4 (—) | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006 | 6 (—) | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2005 | 4 (—) | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Criteria Breakdown
| Criterion | In Dismissed | In Sustained | Total | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards or prizes | 70 | 0 | 73 | 95.9% |
| Membership in associations | 39 | 0 | 40 | 97.5% |
| Published material | 27 | 0 | 29 | 93.1% |
| Sustained acclaim/extraordinary ability | 22 | 0 | 25 | 88.0% |
| Leading or critical role | 23 | 0 | 24 | 95.8% |
| High salary or remuneration | 22 | 0 | 22 | 100.0% |
| Judging | 19 | 0 | 19 | — |
| Original contributions | 17 | 0 | 18 | — |
| Procedural/filing | 12 | 0 | 13 | — |
| Significant recognition | 13 | 0 | 13 | — |
| Authorship of scholarly articles | 12 | 0 | 12 | — |
Example Decisions
Sustained2011-02-07The director denied the petition because the contract between the petitioner (acting as an agent) and the beneficiary di
Dismissed2025-02-25The appeal was dismissed because the petitioner failed to demonstrate that the beneficiary met at least three of the req
Dismissed2024-10-29The motions to reopen and reconsider were dismissed because the petitioner failed to provide new facts or evidence to ju
Dismissed2023-10-02The appeal was dismissed because the petitioner failed to demonstrate the beneficiary met the required number of evident
Dismissed2023-05-25The appeal was dismissed because a prior, related petition approval had been revoked due to fraud. The Director determin
Dismissed2023-01-24The appeal was dismissed because the petitioner failed to address two of the three grounds for denial from the original
In sustained O-1A appeals for Athletics petitioners, the AAO credited evidence such as documented contracts or professional engagements. Denied cases most often lacked sufficient documentary evidence to meet the evidentiary standard.
Sample: published AAO non-precedent decisions collected from uscis.gov, 2005–2025. These are appeals, not all USCIS adjudications; approval rates here are not initial-filing approval rates. Read our full methodology.
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