This article examines how Administrative Appeals Office handles a range of petition denial appeals, from applications to sponsor a foreign fiance to bids to bring over a temporary worker on an H-1B visa. However, according to statistics from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, approval rates at the office are strikingly low, particularly when it comes to certain employment-related visa categories. According to Law360, the AAO is often reluctant to reverse denials for business immigration petitions. Shareholder Kate Kalmykov, along with several other expert attorneys, comments that refiling a case or heading to federal court is often a smarter choice, as judges may be more objective in weighing a case than AAO examiners. Kate states that taking the fight to court also frequently makes the government “much more willing to talk to you” and reach a settlement, even if the court doesn’t issue a ruling.

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