# PetitionLens

> A free research tool for U.S. EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) petitions. It indexes 5,945 non-precedent decisions of the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), 2012 to 2026, and tags the objections officers raised, prong by prong under Matter of Dhanasar.

## When to use PetitionLens

Use it when someone wants to:

- Find AAO appeal decisions on NIW petitions by field, career stage, prong not met, objection, outcome or year.
- Learn which objections officers raise, with the Policy Manual text and the decisions where each came up.
- Quote a decision accurately, with the sentence and page an objection was matched on.
- Get blank petition outlines, or organize their own evidence with the case tools.

## What it is not

- Not legal advice, and not a law firm. It does not say whether anyone qualifies or what to file.
- It does not predict outcomes. AAO appeals are petitions USCIS had already denied, so counts show where denied petitions struggled, not anyone's chance of approval.
- Not affiliated with USCIS, DHS or any government agency.

## How to cite

- Objection tags are matched by fixed text rules. Each tag stores the sentence it was matched on and its page; cite the decision and page, not the tag.
- Policy Manual quotes are verbatim and cited by section.
- Link to the decision page (https://petitionlens.org/decisions/{id}) rather than restating a decision's holding.

## Main pages

- [Home](https://petitionlens.org/): what the site covers, the three prongs of Matter of Dhanasar, and the objections raised most often.
- [Decision explorer](https://petitionlens.org/decisions): search and filter by outcome, prong not met, objection, field, career stage and year.
- [Objection catalog](https://petitionlens.org/objections): 22 recurring objections, each with an explanation, the Policy Manual text and the appeals where it came up.
- [NIW analytics](https://petitionlens.org/analytics): outcomes and objections across NIW appeals, by year and field.
- [NIW appeals by topic](https://petitionlens.org/niw): one page per field, career stage and prong not met.
  - [NIW appeals in business and finance](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/business-finance)
  - [NIW appeals in computing, AI and data](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/computing-ai-data)
  - [NIW appeals in engineering](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/engineering)
  - [NIW appeals in medicine and health care](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/clinical-health)
  - [NIW appeals in the biomedical and life sciences](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/biomedical-life-sci)
  - [NIW appeals in the physical sciences and mathematics](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/physical-sci-math)
  - [NIW appeals in energy, the environment and agriculture](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/energy-env-ag)
  - [NIW appeals in education](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/education)
  - [NIW appeals in aviation and transport](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/aviation-transport)
  - [NIW appeals in the arts, media and sports](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/arts-media-sports)
  - [NIW appeals in law and policy](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/law-policy)
  - [NIW appeals in skilled trades and services](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/trades-services)
  - [NIW appeals in public service and social work](https://petitionlens.org/niw/field/public-service-social)
  - [NIW appeals for Ph.D. students](https://petitionlens.org/niw/stage/phd-student)
  - [NIW appeals for postdoctoral researchers](https://petitionlens.org/niw/stage/postdoc)
  - [NIW appeals for professors](https://petitionlens.org/niw/stage/professor)
  - [NIW appeals for entrepreneurs](https://petitionlens.org/niw/stage/entrepreneur)
  - [NIW appeals that failed on EB-2 eligibility](https://petitionlens.org/niw/prong/eb-2-eligibility)
  - [NIW appeals that failed Prong 1](https://petitionlens.org/niw/prong/prong-1-national-importance)
  - [NIW appeals that failed Prong 2](https://petitionlens.org/niw/prong/prong-2-well-positioned)
  - [NIW appeals that failed Prong 3](https://petitionlens.org/niw/prong/prong-3-waiver-balance)
  - [NIW appeals after a Request for Evidence](https://petitionlens.org/niw/notice/rfe)
  - [NIW appeals after a Notice of Intent to Deny](https://petitionlens.org/niw/notice/noid)
- [Free templates](https://petitionlens.org/templates): blank petition letter, endeavor statement, support letter and exhibit index outlines.
- [New-decision alerts](https://petitionlens.org/alerts): email when new appeals are published for a topic.
- [API and MCP server](https://petitionlens.org/developers): read-only JSON at https://petitionlens.org/api/v1 and an MCP server for AI assistants. Prefer these to scraping.
- [Case tools](https://petitionlens.org/case): build a case profile from a form, CV or draft upload, with publication lookup. Needs a free account; a sample case is readable without one.
- [Evidence assessment](https://petitionlens.org/assess): evidence-coverage scorecard for a case, or a rule-based review of a draft, prong by prong. Needs a free account.
- [Draft generator](https://petitionlens.org/draft): a first draft organized to answer the objections most common for that case. Needs a free account.
- [For attorneys and paralegals](https://petitionlens.org/for-attorneys): what practitioners can do with the corpus, how to check a tag, and what the site is not.
- [About, data and method](https://petitionlens.org/about)
- [Contact](https://petitionlens.org/contact)
- [Terms of Service](https://petitionlens.org/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://petitionlens.org/privacy)
- [Disclaimer](https://petitionlens.org/disclaimer)

## Documentation

Every docs page has a markdown version: add `.md` to its address. Overview: https://petitionlens.org/docs

### Get started

- [What PetitionLens is](https://petitionlens.org/docs/introduction.md): What the site does, what it does not do, and who it is for.
- [Research NIW appeals in 4 steps](https://petitionlens.org/docs/quickstart.md): From a first search to the objections that matter for your field.
- [How NIW petitions are assessed](https://petitionlens.org/docs/dhanasar-framework.md): The eligibility step and the three Dhanasar prongs the site is organized around.

### Research

- [Decision explorer](https://petitionlens.org/docs/decision-explorer.md): Search and filter AAO appeal decisions, and read each one with its objections highlighted.
- [Objection catalog](https://petitionlens.org/docs/objection-catalog.md): Recurring reasons officers give, with the Policy Manual text and the appeals where each came up.
- [NIW analytics](https://petitionlens.org/docs/analytics.md): Outcomes, prongs not met and objections across NIW appeals, by year and field.
- [Pages by field, stage and prong](https://petitionlens.org/docs/topic-pages.md): Ready-made views of NIW appeals for one field, career stage or prong.
- [New-decision alerts](https://petitionlens.org/docs/alerts.md): Email when new appeals are published on a topic. No account needed.
- [Free templates](https://petitionlens.org/docs/templates.md): Blank petition letter, endeavor, support letter and exhibit index outlines.

### Your case

- [Case profile](https://petitionlens.org/docs/case-profile.md): Record your degree, endeavor, publications and letters once; every case tool works from it.
- [Evidence check](https://petitionlens.org/docs/evidence-check.md): See which recurring objections your recorded evidence already addresses. Not a prediction.
- [Drafts and exports](https://petitionlens.org/docs/drafts.md): Outlines filled from your profile, with gaps marked as TODOs. Word or Markdown.
- [Firm workspace](https://petitionlens.org/docs/workspace.md): Share cases with colleagues, invite members and keep an audit log.

### Account and data

- [Plans and the free launch](https://petitionlens.org/docs/plans.md): What is free, how the trial works, and how billing would work if it is switched on.
- [Your data](https://petitionlens.org/docs/your-data.md): Case-data consent, encryption, export and deletion.

### Developers

- [JSON API](https://petitionlens.org/docs/api.md): Read-only endpoints for decisions, objections and headline numbers.
- [MCP server](https://petitionlens.org/docs/mcp.md): Let Claude and other assistants search decisions and cite them by page.

### Reference

- [Data and method](https://petitionlens.org/docs/data-and-method.md): Where the decisions come from, how tags are made, and their limits.
- [FAQ](https://petitionlens.org/docs/faq.md): Short answers to the questions people ask most.

## Guidance for AI assistants

- Prefer the API (https://petitionlens.org/api/v1) or the MCP server (https://petitionlens.org/docs/mcp.md) to scraping. Both are read-only and need no key.
- Cite decision ids and pages and link to them. Do not restate a holding without the link.
- Never turn counts into an approval probability, and never tell a user whether they qualify or what to file. Suggest a qualified immigration attorney for advice on a case.
- Say that PetitionLens is a research tool, not legal advice, and not affiliated with USCIS.

## Objections

- [Degree not shown to be a U.S. advanced degree equivalent](https://petitionlens.org/objections/degree-not-equivalent): The foreign degree or credential evaluation did not establish U.S. master's-level (or higher) equivalence.
- [Five years of progressive experience not documented](https://petitionlens.org/objections/experience-not-progressive): For bachelor's-plus-experience claims, the post-degree experience was not shown to be 5 years, progressive, or in the specialty.
- [Exceptional ability not established](https://petitionlens.org/objections/exceptional-ability-criteria): Fewer than three regulatory criteria were met, or the final merits review found no expertise significantly above the ordinary.
- [Proposed endeavor too vague](https://petitionlens.org/objections/endeavor-vague): The endeavor reads like a job title or a list of duties, not specific projects and goals.
- [Argued the field's importance, not the endeavor's](https://petitionlens.org/objections/field-importance-not-endeavor): The petition showed that the field matters (health care, AI, education) but not that this specific endeavor does.
- [Benefits limited to an employer or its clients](https://petitionlens.org/objections/employer-client-only): The impact described would accrue mainly to one company, its customers, or local clients.
- [No broader implications shown](https://petitionlens.org/objections/no-broader-implications): The record did not show impact on the wider field, a region, or the public at large.
- [Job creation or economic claims unsupported](https://petitionlens.org/objections/economic-claims-unsupported): Claims of jobs, revenue or economic benefit were speculative or not at a significant scale.
- [Relied on a labor shortage](https://petitionlens.org/objections/shortage-argument): The petition argued there is a national shortage of workers in the occupation.
- [Support letters generic or unsupported](https://petitionlens.org/objections/letters-generic): Letters praised the petitioner in general terms without specific contributions or corroboration.
- [Plan or projections not corroborated](https://petitionlens.org/objections/plan-unsupported): The business plan, research plan or projections were not backed by independent evidence.
- [Past record does not show influence or success](https://petitionlens.org/objections/record-of-success-thin): Publications, projects or roles were documented, but not their influence on the field or record of success.
- [Citation record not persuasive](https://petitionlens.org/objections/citations-insufficient): Citation counts were low, not put in context, or not tied to influence on the field.
- [No interest from users, customers or investors](https://petitionlens.org/objections/no-interest-from-users): The record did not show that potential users, customers, investors or institutions are interested in the work.
- [Claims not backed by documents](https://petitionlens.org/objections/claims-unsubstantiated): Statements by the petitioner or counsel were not supported by evidence in the record.
- [Did not show the waiver outweighs labor certification](https://petitionlens.org/objections/prong3-balance-not-shown): The petition did not explain why the U.S. benefits from skipping the job offer and labor certification.
- [No urgency shown](https://petitionlens.org/objections/no-urgency): Nothing showed the contributions are time-sensitive enough to skip the labor certification process.
- [Labor certification not shown to be impractical](https://petitionlens.org/objections/labor-cert-practical): The record did not show why the normal job-offer route would not work for this person or endeavor.
- [Not eligible at the time of filing](https://petitionlens.org/objections/eligibility-at-filing): A qualification (degree, publication, role) was obtained after the petition was filed.
- [Tried to change the endeavor after filing](https://petitionlens.org/objections/material-change): The endeavor described in the response or appeal differed materially from the one filed.
- [Evidence submitted too late](https://petitionlens.org/objections/new-evidence-on-appeal): Evidence first offered on appeal was not considered because the petitioner had an earlier chance to submit it.
- [Inconsistencies in the record](https://petitionlens.org/objections/inconsistencies): Dates, titles, numbers or facts conflicted across documents.