5 Things I Learned Building an AI Assessment Tool for USCIS Criteria

Building AI tools for government-regulated domains is a different beast than your typical SaaS. Here are five hard-won lessons from building an AI-powered immigration eligibility assessment platform. 1. Domain Knowledge Cannot Be Shortcut Before writing a single line of code, we spent weeks reading the USCIS Policy Manual, AAO decision archives, and key case law. The 2010 Kazarian v. USCIS decision alone changed how EB-1A applications are evaluated — if your tool does not understand the two-step framework, it is essentially broken. Takeaway : In regulated domains, developer time reading primary sources is never wasted. Budget for it. 2. YMYL Content Requires a Different Engineering Mindset Google classifies content that could impact someone's health, finances, or legal status as YMYL (Your Money Your Life). For us, this meant: Every output needs a disclaimer . Not buried in footer text — prominently displayed alongside the assessment results Never use definitive language . "Your profil