Mobility Immigration is happy to share that we recently obtained another approval of an O-1 petition for an Olympic sailor to work as a Sailing Coach for private yacht club in the United States. Our client now is authorized to live and work for the club in the United States for an initial period of three years, which can be renewed indefinitely in one-year increments.
O-1 status is only available to individuals who have been recognized for the extraordinary abilities or achievements in their field and intend to work in the United States in the area for which they have received recognition. Individuals in the fields of science, education, business, or athletics must demonstrate "sustained national or international acclaim" (O-1A status). O-1 status is also available to artists and actors, who only need to demonstrate "prominence" or "distinction" in their field (O-1B status). In this case, Mobility Immigration successfully demonstrated that our client had achieved sustained national and international acclaim in the field of competitive sailing.
In order to demonstrate that an individual has achieved national or international acclaim sufficient to qualify for O-1 status, USCIS requires applicants to submit evidence that they have received a major internationally recognized award, or at least three of the following forms of evidence:
Documentation of the beneficiary's receipt of nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor;
Documentation of the beneficiary's membership in associations in the field for which classification is sought, which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their disciplines or fields;
Published material in professional or major trade publications or major media about the beneficiary, relating to the beneficiary's work in the field for which classification is sought, which must include the title, date, and author of such published material, and any necessary translation;
Evidence of the beneficiary's participation on a panel, or individually, as a judge of the work of others in the same or in an allied field of specialization for which classification is sought;
Evidence of the beneficiary's original scientific, scholarly, or business-related contributions of major significance in the field;
Evidence of the beneficiary's authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional journals, or other major media;
Evidence that the beneficiary has been employed in a critical or essential capacity for organizations and establishments that have a distinguished reputation; or
Evidence that the beneficiary has either commanded a high salary or will command a high salary or other remuneration for services, as evidenced by contracts or other reliable evidence.
To prove our client's recognition of his extraordinary abilities and achievements, we submitted evidence that they had won numerous national sailing competitions in their home country, as well as major international competitions. He had also qualified for and competed in the Olympics, and as such was an ongoing member of the World Olympians Association. We also submitted evidence of media and news coverage of our client, and letters from prominent members of the world's most prestigious sailing organizations and sailing clubs confirming our client's recognition as one of the world's top sailors.
We were happy that USCIS agreed that our client qualified as an individual with extraordinary abilities and achievements and approved his O-1 petition. He is now authorized to work in the U.S. as a Sailing Coach and continue training and developing U.S. sailors to compete and succeed at the highest levels of competition.
If you have any questions regarding O-1 petitions for individuals with extraordinary abilities or achievement, please email immigration attorney William Royal Gearhart at royal@mobilityim.com.