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dismissed EB-1A RFE Issued

Salsa Dancer, Choreographer And Instructor

Salsa Dancing, Choreography And Instruction · Colombia · 2024-07-10

Decision Date
2024-07-10
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 met
Judging the Work of Others (Met)

The Director and AAO acknowledged the Petitioner's participation as a judge in various salsa festivals and competitions.

Display of Work at Artistic Exhibitions (Met)

The record demonstrated that the Petitioner displayed her work at artistic exhibitions or showcases.

Lesser Nationally or Internationally Recognized Prizes or Awards (Not Met)

Awards were granted to the dance team as a whole rather than the Petitioner individually, and the significance of the awarding bodies was not established.

Memberships in Associations Requiring Outstanding Achievements (Not Met)

The associations listed did not require outstanding achievements for membership as judged by national or international experts.

Published Material About the Alien (Not Met)

Articles lacked publication names, circulation data, or were not primarily about the Petitioner's professional work.

Original Contributions of Major Significance (Not Met)

Evidence did not detail how the Petitioner's work remarkably impacted or influenced the field of salsa dancing as a whole.

Leading or Critical Role (Not Met)

The Petitioner failed to demonstrate that her roles were critical to the outcome of organizations with a distinguished reputation; the claim was waived on appeal.

Why This Petition Was Denied

The appeal was dismissed because the Petitioner only satisfied two of the ten EB-1A criteria (judging and artistic exhibitions). Evidence for awards was deemed insufficient as they were team-based rather than individual, and published materials lacked circulation data or were not primarily about the Petitioner's work.

Request for Evidence (RFE)

Unsuccessfully Addressed

The RFE requested evidence to satisfy at least two additional criteria beyond artistic exhibitions. The Petitioner provided more documentation on awards and media, but it failed to meet the regulatory standards.

RFE Targets
Lesser Nationally or Internationally Recognized Prizes or AwardsMemberships in Associations Requiring Outstanding AchievementsPublished Material About the Alien

Evidence

Evidence Types
Awards
Media Coverage
Professional Memberships
Judging Experience
Original Contributions
Exhibitions
Leading Role
Evidence Submitted
  • Judging of various salsa dancing festivals and competitions
  • Display of work at artistic exhibitions and dance exhibitions
  • Performance with various dance companies world-wide
  • Founding and leadership of a dance school in Colombia
  • Articles in El Pais (2008) and 15 Minutos (2016)

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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.

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Case data sourced from publicly available petition decisions and case studies. Decision date: 2024-07-10.

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At a Glance

Outcome dismissed
RFE Issued
Criteria Met 2 / 3
Evidence Types 7

EB-1A Case Data

Scraped Case Data

Total Cases 881
Success Rate 52.9%
Sustained 466
Dismissed 299

Related Pages

EB-1A Overview EB-1A in Colombia All EB-1A Cases EB-1A Dashboard

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