If that office does not take favorable action, it will forward the appeal to the AAO for appellate review.
In contrast, motions to reconsider or reopen apply to the same office that made the decision being appealed.
To complicate matters, it is possible to file a motion to reconsider or reopen AAO's decision in response to a past appeal.
During this readjudication process, the USCIS may issue a Notice of Intent to Revoke (NOIR) that plays a similar role as the NOID does for initial adjudication.
If no appeal is allowed, then the only option available for challenge is filing a motion to reconsider or reopen.
[7] If the office finds no problem with the denial or revocation, then the appeal is forwarded to the AAO, entering the stage called appellate review.
[1][10] Like the rest of USCIS, the AAO releases processing time goals for appeals based on form type.
It is possible to get a copy of the notice of record for an appeal made to AAO by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to USCIS.
The most recent defining memorandum explaining the distinction was issued by the USCIS in November 2013.
Non-precedent decisions are binding on the parties involved, but have no effect on agency guidance or practice.
[1][20] On November 18, 2013, USCIS issued a Policy Memorandum with guidance on the proper use of precedent and non-precedent decisions.
[13] In January 2015, the first edition of the AAO Practice Manual was published and made available online.