EB-1ASports and athleticsIndividualDecided 2018Dismissed
Outcome: Dismissed
JAN242018_02B2203
AwardsMetJudgingNot metMembershipNot metOriginal contributionsNot metPublished materialNot metFinal meritsNot met
Our summary
A weightlifter claiming extraordinary ability in athletics satisfied only the awards criterion. The AAO rejected membership, judging, published material, and original contributions claims, finding the petitioner met only two of three required criteria and lacked the sustained international acclaim needed.
Official PDF
Official PDF ↗Published by USCIS. The summary is ours, in our own words; the decision text is on uscis.gov.
What the AAO accepted
- Awards · Director found and AAO agreed petitioner met the awards criterion for lesser recognized prizes.
What was missing
- Judging · Refereeing duties lack evidence of judging work of others such as awarding points or choosing winners.
- Membership · Team membership letter merely repeated statutory language without substance; enrollment was student status, not membership.
- Original contributions · Recommendation letters without supporting evidence do not establish original contributions of major significance.
- Published material · No evidence submitted establishing this criterion.
- Final merits · Record does not support level of expertise required for extraordinary ability classification.
Criteria
| Criterion | Reading | Why |
|---|---|---|
 Awards | Met | Director found and AAO agreed petitioner met the awards criterion for lesser recognized prizes. |
 Judging | Not met | Refereeing duties lack evidence of judging work of others such as awarding points or choosing winners. |
 Membership | Not met | Team membership letter merely repeated statutory language without substance; enrollment was student status, not membership. |
 Original contributions | Not met | Recommendation letters without supporting evidence do not establish original contributions of major significance. |
 Published material | Not met | No evidence submitted establishing this criterion. |
 Final merits | Not met | Record does not support level of expertise required for extraordinary ability classification. |
A published decision describes one case. It is not legal advice and not a prediction for yours.