dismissed EB-1A RFE Issued
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athlete And Coach
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athlete And Coach · Brazil · 2022-09-14
This case is from a USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) appeal decision. Appeal cases represent a subset of petitions and may not reflect typical outcomes.
Framework Evaluation
2 of 3 criteria metLesser nationally or internationally recognized awards (Met)
Petitioner received medals at IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and Brazilian National Championship events.
Participating as a judge of the work of others (Met)
Petitioner documented participation as a referee for jiu-jitsu competitions.
Membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements (Not Met)
IBJJF black belt certification was obtained after filing, and basic requirements like CPR courses do not constitute outstanding achievements judged by experts.
Published materials in major media (Not Met)
The Petitioner did not pursue this claim on appeal and failed to submit qualifying evidence.
Leading or critical roles for organizations with a distinguished reputation (Not Met)
Volunteer refereeing for three tournaments did not prove a critical impact, and the organizations did not establish a distinguished reputation.
Why This Petition Was Denied
The Petitioner satisfied only two criteria: awards (medals at IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian National Championships) and judging (refereeing competitions). The membership criterion was not met because the IBJJF black belt certification was obtained after the filing date and the requirements did not demonstrate a review of outstanding achievements by experts. The leading/critical role criterion was not met as the Petitioner's volunteer refereeing for three one-day tournaments did not demonstrate significant importance to the organization's outcome, nor was the organization's distinguished reputation established.
Request for Evidence (RFE)
Unsuccessfully AddressedThe RFE asked for evidence of IBJJF membership and proof that such membership requires outstanding achievements; the Petitioner provided a screenshot and graduation guidelines.
RFE Targets
Membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements
Evidence
Evidence Types
Awards
Judging Experience
Professional Memberships
Reference Letters Dependent
Evidence Submitted
- Medals at IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Medals at Brazilian National Championship
- Documented participation as a referee for jiu-jitsu competitions
- IBJJF Black Belt Certificate
- Academic papers regarding the difficulty of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts
Similar Cases
Coach
Sports · Brazil
USCIS EB-1A rfe dismissed
Arkansas 2024-05-06
The Petitioner failed to meet the awards, memberships, and published material criteria. While he received numerous medals in IBJJF competitions, there was insufficient evidence of their national or international recognition. Additionally, membership in 'D Team' did not require outstanding achievements as judged by experts, and the submitted articles lacked circulation data to qualify as major media.
Others
Sports
USCIS EB-1A dismissed
2024-06-28
The appeal was dismissed because the Petitioner satisfied only one criterion (awards) instead of the required three. Specifically, the IBJJF black belt membership was found to be based on training requirements rather than expert-judged outstanding achievement, and refereeing was viewed as rule enforcement rather than judging. The Petitioner also failed to establish that athletic competitions qualified as artistic exhibitions.
Coach
Sports · Brazil
USCIS EB-1A rfe dismissed
2024-06-27
The Petitioner failed to meet the minimum requirement of three evidentiary criteria, satisfying only those for awards and judging. Specifically, he did not demonstrate that his coaching techniques or the BJJ Tournament had a widespread impact on the field (original contributions) or that his roles at specific gyms were leading or critical. Consequently, the record did not establish sustained national or international acclaim or that the Petitioner is at the very top of the field.
Coach
Sports · Brazil
USCIS EB-1A remanded
2024-10-04
The Director's decision was withdrawn because the AAO found an error in not considering the Petitioner's athletic awards for excellence in the field, even though he is now a coach. The AAO determined that a bronze medal in the adult blackbelt category at the 2017 Championship qualified as a nationally recognized award, satisfying one of the EB-1A criteria. This, combined with two other criteria previously met (judging and leading role), brought the total to three criteria met, thus fulfilling the initial evidence requirement. The case was remanded for a final merits determination.
Frequently Asked Questions
A dismissed EB-1A petition means USCIS found the evidence insufficient to meet the eligibility criteria. Common reasons include weak documentation, failure to meet the required number of criteria, or insufficient evidence of the claimed qualifications. Petitioners can refile with stronger evidence or explore alternative visa categories.
Browse More Cases
Case data sourced from publicly available petition decisions and case studies. Decision date: 2022-09-14.
Browse all casesAt a Glance
Outcome dismissed
RFE Issued
Criteria Met 2 / 3
Evidence Types 4
EB-1A Case Data
Scraped Case Data
Total Cases 883
Success Rate 52.8%
Sustained 466
Dismissed 300
Related Pages
Get Case Insights
Compare your profile against thousands of real petition outcomes. Join the waitlist for personalized analysis.
Join Waitlist