When an RFE Challenges National Importance (Dhanasar Prong 1)

“The petitioner has not established that their proposed endeavor in the United States will have a broader impact on the field outside of their prospective clients. Benefits that are isolated to a single institution or locality in the United States might be so attenuated at the national level as to preclude a finding that the proposed endeavor has national importance.”

This case was denied after the RFE response。

"Isolated to a single institution or locality" is the operative phrase. Client-serving and consulting endeavors get caught here constantly, because their benefits are by construction local to the client.

“A review of the letters submitted in support of the self-petitioner reveals that the letters focused on the self-petitioner's experience and achievements, but they failed to provide any information about the national importance of the proposed endeavor.”

This case was denied after the RFE response。

A reference-letter failure mode that shows up in almost every weak NIW file: the letters praise the person when the prong is about the endeavor. Letters written for an EB-1A-style "look how accomplished they are" brief do not answer prong 1 at all.

“USCIS cannot conclude that any area where she will pursue the specific proposed endeavor is economically depressed, that the specific proposed endeavor would somehow lead to the employment of a significant population of workers in the area, or that it would somehow offer the region or its population a substantial positive economic benefit through employment levels, business activity, investment, or related tax revenue as contemplated by Dhanasar.”

This case was approved after the RFE response。

This sentence is a checklist in disguise: economically depressed area, job creation, business activity, investment, tax revenue. Each item is separately evidenceable. This case was approved after the response.