Case outcome database
What actually happened to 55 real petitions
Every record cites its source so you can read the original. Denials and appeal decisions are included and shown first, because they state the ground of failure in an adjudicator’s own words, which is the one thing an approvals-only collection can never tell you.
Read this first. This corpus is not a random sample and cannot be used to estimate approval rates. Law firms publish their wins, and self-petitioners who fail rarely post about it. 5 of 55 records here are denials; USCIS reported a 45% denial rate on decided petitions in FY2025. Use these records to understand why cases turn out as they do, never to estimate your odds.
- Median citations
- 58
- Approved with 0 citations
- 2
- Median days to decision
- 180
- Distinct fields
- 51
across the 22 records that report a figure
explicitly reported as zero, not merely unstated
where the source reports a timeline
from martial arts to radiation oncology
50 records
- RFE → approvedLaw firm case summary
Environmental and Industrial Fluid Mechanics · University graduate
Research and teach computational fluid dynamics at US university level.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 65 citations
- Publications
- 20 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 5 letters
- RFE → approvedLaw firm case summary
Physics · Researcher
Research in physics and robotics with applications in product design, manufacturing, aerospace and energy.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 15 citations
- Publications
- 12 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 2 letters
- RFE → approvedLaw firm case summary
General Medicine · Medical student and university researcher
Secure a research position at a US university and continue medical research.
- Degree
- In progress (medical degree)
- Citations
- 3 citations
- Publications
- 2 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 7 letters
- RFE → approvedSelf-petitionedFirst-person account
Academic research · PhD student at an R1 university
Initially described at field level; narrowed on RFE response to a specific research project within that field.
Endeavor described at field level
- Degree
- PhD in progress
- Citations
- citations n/r
- Publications
- 2 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~300d
- RFE → approvedSelf-petitionedLaw firm case summary
Software Engineering · Senior software engineer
Establish a business providing cloud, data-management and scalable software solutions to US small and medium enterprises, plus a talent incubator training developers.
Benefit runs only to private parties · No credible execution plan
- Degree
- Bachelor's in software engineering
- Citations
- citations n/r
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- RFE → approvedLaw firm case summary
Wushu (martial arts) · Champion athlete and coach
Coach Wushu in the United States.
- Degree
- High school diploma
- Citations
- citations n/r
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- Recommendation letters
- 16 letters
- RFE → approvedLaw firm case summary
Wushu (martial arts) · Coach
Continue coaching Wushu in the United States.
- Degree
- Two bachelor's degrees (sport, food science)
- Citations
- citations n/r
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- Recommendation letters
- 2 letters
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Chemistry · University graduate
Research and teach organic chemistry, focusing on extracting natural compounds from plants.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 4569 citations
- Publications
- 92 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 5 letters
- Days to decision
- ~210d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Forensic Medicine and Toxicology · University graduate
Continue clinical practice and research in forensic medicine and toxicology, treating poisonings and opioid overdose.
- Degree
- MD and PhD
- Citations
- 2000 citations
- Publications
- 114 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~240d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Clinical Toxicology · Clinical toxicologist
Continue research and practice in forensic medicine and toxicology.
- Degree
- Graduate medical degree
- Citations
- 1853 citations
- Publications
- 110 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Gerontology · Researcher and professor
Continue research and teaching in gerontology, focused on dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 515 citations
- Publications
- 23 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~120d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Biomedical Sciences, regenerative cardiovascular therapies · Researcher at a university medical centre
Regenerative cardiovascular therapy research with applications in ongoing clinical trials.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 500 citations
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Biomedicine · Senior researcher at a US institute
Continue biomedical research in neuroscience and cancer biology.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 496 citations
- Publications
- 9 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~270d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Radiation Oncology · Associate Professor
Research and serve as faculty at a US university in radiation oncology.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 312 citations
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~60d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Medical Genetics · University professor
Continue teaching and research in medical genetics at university level.
- Degree
- MD and PhD
- Citations
- 194 citations
- Publications
- 56 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 3 letters
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Anesthesiology · Researcher and physician, Chief of ICU
Research new methods and treatments for diseases encountered in intensive care.
- Degree
- Medical specialty degree
- Citations
- 182 citations
- Publications
- 9 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 6 letters
- Days to decision
- ~60d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Chemical Engineering · Researcher and engineer
Apply industry research to the design and development of a biomedical device.
- Degree
- Master's
- Citations
- 50 citations
- Publications
- 3 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 7 letters
- Days to decision
- ~210d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Organic Chemistry · Researcher
Research reusable, non-toxic organic substitutes for wasteful and toxic industrial catalysts.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 43 citations
- Publications
- 12 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 3 letters
- Days to decision
- ~150d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Animal Breeding · University graduate
Research and teach animal breeding at US university level.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 32 citations
- Publications
- 18 pubs
- Days to decision
- ~180d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Materials Science · University graduate
Research and teach materials science at US university level.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 30 citations
- Publications
- 190 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- Days to decision
- ~365d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
English Language and Literature · Assistant Professor
Continue teaching English language and literature at US university level.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 22 citations
- Publications
- 3 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 1 letters
- ApprovedAnonymized profile collection
Biochemistry · Postdoctoral researcher at a US university
Bio-technique development research, NIH-funded.
- Degree
- PhD
- Citations
- 20 citations
- Publications
- 13 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 6 letters
- ApprovedSelf-petitionedFirst-person account
Academic research · PhD student, filed shortly after completing a master's
A clearly defined proposed endeavor connecting prior education, research and experience.
- Degree
- Master's completed, PhD in progress
- Citations
- 2 citations
- Publications
- 1 pubs
- Recommendation letters
- 4 letters
- ApprovedSelf-petitionedFirst-person account
Cybersecurity, threat research and security product development · Senior Manager at Palo Alto Networks
Continue threat research and development of zero-day threat-prevention technology using deep learning models, protecting US critical infrastructure.
- Degree
- Master's (no PhD)
- Citations
- 0 citations
- Publications
- 20 pubs
- Days to decision
- ~14d
- ApprovedLaw firm case summary
Radiation Oncology · Assistant Professor
Research and serve as faculty at a US university in radiation oncology.
- Degree
- Medical degree
- Citations
- 0 citations
- Publications
- pubs n/r
- Recommendation letters
- 7 letters
- Days to decision
- ~60d