dismissed EB-1A Case: Unknown

(b)(6)
DATE: 
MAY 1 9 2014 
INRE: Petitioner: 
Beneficiary: 
Office: NEBRASKA SERVICE CENTER 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) 
20 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., MS 2090 
Washington, DC 20529-2090 
U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration 
Services 
FILE: 
PETITION: Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability Pursuant to Section 
203(b)(l)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1153(h)(l)(A) 
ON BEHALF OF PETITIONER: 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
Enclosed please find the decision of the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) in your case. 
This is a non-precedent decision. The AAO does not announce new constructions of law nor establish agency 
policy through non-precedent decisions. If you believe the AAO incorrectly applied current law or policy to 
your case or if you seek to present new facts for consideration, you may file a motion to reconsider or a 
motion to reopen, respectively. Any motion must be filed on a Notice of Appeal or Motion (Form I-290B) 
within 33 days of the date of this decision. Please review the Form I-290B instructions at 
http://www.uscis.gov/forms for the latest information on fee, filing location, and other requirements. 
See also 8 C.F.R. § 103.5. Do not file a motion directly with the AAO. 
Ron Rosenberg 
Chief, Administrative Appeals Office 
www.uscis.gov 
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NON-PRECEDENT DECISION 
Page 2 
DISCUSSION: The Director, Nebraska Service Center, denied the employment-based immigrant 
visa petition on December 14, 2010. The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) summarily 
dismissed the appeal of that decision on April 20, 2012. The AAO also dismissed the petitioner's 
first motion to reopen and motion to reconsider on December 17, 2012 and second motion to reopen 
and motion to reconsider on October 7, 2013. The matter is again before the AAO on a motion to 
reopen and a motion to reconsider. The-motions will be dismissed. The previous decision of the AAO 
will be affirmed, and the petition will remain denied. 
Procedural History 
The petitioner filed the instant petition on July 12, 2010. On August 19, 2010, the director issued 
a 
request for additional evidence (RFE). The petitioner did not respond. On December 14, 2010, the 
director denied the petition on its merits. On December 30, 2010, the petitioner filed an appeal 
requesting 30 days in which to submit a brief and/or additional evidence. On April 20, 2012, the 
AAO summarily dismissed the appeal, noting that the petitioner had not supplemented the appeal. 
On May 23, 2012, an unaffected party filed a motion to reopen and reconsider. On December 17, 
2012, the AAO dismissed the motion as having been filed by an unaffected party and for failing to 
meet the requirements of a motion. On January 17 2013, the petitioner filed a motion to reopen and 
reconsider. On October 7, 2013, the AAO dismissed the motion, determining that the petitioner 
failed to address all of the elements in the previous AAO decision and that the filing did not meet the 
regulatory requirements for a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider. 
Motion to Reopen 
A motion to reopen must state the new facts to be provided and be supported by affidavits or other 
documentary evidence. 8 C.F.R. § 103.5(a)(2). On motion, the petitioner submits a statement and 
copies of a constituent contact form and email. The form and email, both from 2009, were 
previously submitted and reference a prior filing under the same classification. The petitioner's 
statement generally restates the history of the petition and repeats previous claims regarding his 
qualifications, some of which occurred after the date of filing of the petition on July 12, 2010. 
Eligibility must be established at the time of filing. 8 C.F.R. §§ 103.2(b)(1), (12); Matter of 
Katigbak, 14 I&N Dec. 45, 49 (Reg'l Comm'r 1971). A petition cannot be approved at a future date 
after the petitioner becomes eligible under a new set of facts. Matter of Izummi, 22 I&N Dec. 169, 
175 (Comm'r 1998). That decision further provides, citing Matter of Bardouille, 18 I&N Dec. 114 
(BIA 1981 ), that US CIS cannot "consider facts that come into being only subsequent to the filing of 
a petition." Id. at 176. Therefore, any evidence which references events which occurred after the 
date of filing of the petition on July 12, 2012 is not probative of the petitioner's eligibility. 
Regardless, the petitioner's statement is not an affidavit as it was not sworn to or affirmed by the 
declarant before an officer authorized to administer oaths or affirmations who has, having confirmed 
the declarant's identity, administered the requisite oath or affirmation. See Black's Law Dictionary 
58 (9th ed., 2009). 
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NON-PRECEDENT DECISION 
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Motions for the reopening of immigration proceedings are disfavored for the same reasons as are 
petitions for rehearing and motions for a new trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence. INS v. 
Doherty, 502 U.S. 314, 323, (1992) (citing INS v. Abudu, 485 U.S. 94, 108 (1988)). "There is a 
strong public interest in bringing litigation to a close as promptly as is consistent with the interest in 
giving the adversaries a fair opportunity to develop and present their respective cases." INS v. 
Abudu, 485 at 107. Based on its discretion, "[T]he [USCIS] has some latitude in deciding when to 
reopen a case. [USCIS] should have the right to be restrictive. Granting such motions too freely will 
permit endless delay of deportation by aliens creative and fertile enough to continuously produce 
new and material facts sufficient to establish a prima facie case." Id. at 108. The result also 
needlessly wastes the time and efforts of the triers of fact who must attend to the filing requests. Id. 
A party seeking to reopen a proceeding bears a "heavy burden." Id. at 110. With the current 
motion, the petitioner has not met that burden as he has not submitted new evidence pertaining to his 
eligibility at the time of filing. 
Motion to Reconsider 
A motion to reconsider must state the reasons for reconsideration and be supported by any pertinent 
precedent decisions to establish that the decision was based on an incorrect application of law or 
USCIS policy. 8 C.P.R. § 103.5(a)(3). A motion to reconsider asserts that at the time of the 
previous decision, an error was made. Compare 8 C.P.R.§ 103.5(a)(2). 
A motion to reconsider cannot be used to raise a legal argument that could have been raised earlier in 
the proceedings. See Matter of Medrano, 20 I&N Dec. 216, 220 (BIA 1990, 1991). Rather, the 
"additional legal arguments" that may be raised in a motion to reconsider should flow from new law or 
a de novo legal determination reached in its decision that could not have been addressed by the 
party. The moving party must specify the factual and legal issues raised on appeal that were decided in 
error or overlooked in the initial decision or must show how a change in law materially affects the prior 
decision. Matter of 0-S-G-, 24 I&N Dec. 56, 60 (BIA 2006). The petitioner has not provided any 
pertinent precedent decision or other legal authority to support a finding that the AAO's most recent 
determination was in error. Consequently, he has not met the regulatory requirements for a motion 
to reconsider. 
Ineffective Assistance of Counsel 
In the statement supporting the motion, the petitioner asserts that his case was impaired by the 
"ineffective counsel of two attorneys." The AAO advised the petitioner in the December 17, 2012 
decision that an alien making an ineffective 
assistance of counsel claim must comply with the 
requirements set forth by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) in Matter of Lozada, 19 I&N Dec. 
637 (BIA 1988). The Lozada decision requires the submission of: 
(b)(6)
NON-PRECEDENT DECISION 
Page4 
1. An affidavit setting forth in detail the agreement with former counsel concerning what action 
would be taken and what counsel did or did not represent in that regard; 
2. Proof that the alien notified former counsel of the allegations in the ineffective assistance of 
counsel claim and allowed counsel an opportunity to respond; and 
3. If a violation of ethical or legal responsibilities is claimed, a statement as to whether the alien 
has filed a complaint with the disciplinary authority regarding counsel's conduct or, if a 
complaint was not filed, an explanation for not doing so. 
Matter of Lozada, 19 I&N at 639. The petitioner has not met any of the procedural requirements of 
Lozada. Thus, he has failed to properly make an ineffective assistance of counsel claim. The BIA has 
reasoned that the high procedural standard is necessary to have a basis for assessing the substantial 
number of claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and where essential information is lacking, it is 
impossible to evaluate the substance of such a claim. Id. at 639. The petitioner's ineffective assistance 
of counsel claim, therefore, is not a basis for reopening. 
In addition to complying with the Lozada requirements discussed above, the petitioner must also 
show prejudice as a result of his former counsel's ineffectiveness. Id. at 640. The Court of Appeals 
for the Ninth Circuit has held that prejudice exists when the performance of former counsel is so 
inadequate that there is a reasonable probability that but for the counsel's negligence, the outcome of 
the proceedings may have been different. Matter of D-R-, 25 I&N Dec. 445, 457 (BIA 2011) (citing 
Maravilla Maravilla v. Ashcroft, 381 P.3d 855, 858 (9th Cir. 2004)). 
Based on the evidence in the record, however, the petitioner has not shown prejudice as a result of 
his former counsel's performance. The petitioner has not established that there is a reasonable 
probability that, but for his former counsel's performance, the outcome of the proceedings may have 
been different. See Matter of D-R-, 25 I&N Dec. at 457. Specifically, the director concluded that 
while the petitioner has received qualifying awards and displayed his work pursuant to 8 C.P.R. 
§ 204.5(h)(3)(i) and (vii), he did not meet any other criterion. Thus, even if the AAO were to find 
that the record supports those findings, the petitioner would need to submit qualifying evidence that 
meets a third criterion. 8 C.P.R. § 204.5(h)(3). 
While attempted to address additional criteria in his May 18, 2012 letter, his 
submission does not establish that qualifying evidence existed that prior counsel could have 
submitted in response to the director's RPE or on appeal. Specifically, Mr. referenced the 
petitioner's overall "membership in the ice sculpting field" rather than "in associations in the field" 
as required under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(ii). Similarly, Mr. referenced published material 
about the petitioner without responding to the director's concern that the record lacks evidence that 
the material appeared in professional or major trade publications or other major media as required 
under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(iii). Further, Mr. referenced business contributions to one 
museum rather than contributions in the petitioner's field of ice sculpting as required under 8 C.P.R. 
(b)(6)
NON-PRECEDENT DECISION 
Page 5 
§ 204.5(h)(3)(v). Mr. discussion of the petitioner's purported leading or critical role 
pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(viii) involved roles that postdate the filing of the petition. Such 
roles are not probative evidence of the petitioner's eligibility as of the date of filing. See 8 C.F.R. 
§ 103.2(b)(l), (12); Matter of Katigbak, 14 I&N Dec. at 49. Regarding the petitioner's salary, Mr. 
similarly addressed what the petitioner will earn and taxes he has paid without demonstrating 
that the petitioner had already commanded a high salary in comparison with others in the field as 
required under 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h)(3)(ix). Finally, Mr. addressed critical accolades the 
petitioner, a visual artist, has received without explaining how such accolades demonstrate commercial 
success in the performing arts as documented by sales data or box office receipts. 8 C.F.R. 
§ 204.5(h)(3)(x). 
The petitioner, in the current filing, states that he "clearly meets the criteria for an EB-1 
extraordinary ability visa ... but that his case was not put forward effectively" by one former counsel 
and that another former counsel "failed to submit the documents in a timely manner." Merely 
repeating the language of the statute or regulations, however, does not satisfy the petitioner's burden 
of proof. See Fedin Bros. Co., Ltd. v. Sava, 724 F. Supp. 1103, 1108 (E.D.N.Y. 1989), aff'd, 905 F. 
2d 41 (2d Cir. 1990); Avyr Associates, Inc. v. Meissner, No. 95 Civ. 10729, 1997 WL 188942 at *1, 
5 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 18, 1997). Similarly, USCIS need not accept primarily conclusory assertions. See 
1756, Inc. v. United States Att'y Gen., 745 F. Supp. 9 (D.C. Dist. 1990). 
In visa petition proceedings, it is the petitioner's burden to establish eligibility for the immigration 
benefit sought. Section 291 of the Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1361; Matter of Otiende, 26 I&N Dec. 127, 128 
(BIA 2013). Here, that burden has not been met. 
ORDER: The motion to reopen is dismissed. The motion to reconsider is dismissed. The decision 
of the AAO dated October 7, 2013, is affirmed, and the petition remains denied.