In a surprising and controversial move, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has rejected the green card application of Yuchen Jin, a prominent computer scientist and chief technology officer of AI startup Hyperbolic Labs. The rejection has sparked significant debate in the tech community about the evaluation criteria used by immigration officials.

Jin, who co-founded Hyperbolic Labs and successfully secured $20 million in funding for the company, was informed that his contributions lacked the necessary impact “beyond that of Apple, Inc.” In an unusual error, USCIS incorrectly identified Jin as Apple’s chief technology officer – a position he never held.

After waiting for a decision for over a year, Jin expressed his frustration on social media platform X, criticizing the agency’s reasoning as “sloppy and inconsistent.” He explained: “WTF? I have NEVER worked at Apple! I got my CS doctorate, co-founded an AI startup, and raised $20 million. But after waiting a whole year, I am rejected on this absurd reason.”

Although the USCIS recognizes Jin’s significant contributions to advanced technology, it ultimately concludes that his work does not meet the economic and national impact criteria required for the Green Card category. That decision sparked concern among business leaders, who pointed out that the agency’s rationale appeared vague and perhaps formulaic.

In response to the denial, Jin has filed an appeal with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal initiative launched by President-elect Donald Trump to reform the high-skilled immigration system. Comprised of notable figures including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, DOGE is focused on streamlining government processes and reducing regulatory burdens.

Jin has called for an overhaul of the high-skilled immigration system, arguing that America’s competitiveness depends heavily on its ability to attract talented immigrants. He explained: “Highly skilled immigrants are America’s secret weapon. It should be merit-based – not left to a USCIS officer who sloppily reviews documents and copies denial reasons!”

One user commented on Jin’s post asking, “Are you considering an appeal?” This is so obviously wrong that you might succeed (success rate is less than 2%).”

To which he replied: “@deedydas told me the chances of an appeal are slim and some people said a pending appeal could affect resubmitted applications, so I decided to just resubmit. I hope the system pairs me with a better officer this time.” “