sustained L-1B Case: Mobile Game Development

.
U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration 
Services 
MATTER OF Z-LTD 
Non-Precedent Decision of the 
Administrative Appeals Office 
DATE: MAR. 28, 2019 
APPEAL OF CALIFORNIA SERVICE CENTER DECISION 
PETITION: FORM 1-129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER 
The Petitioner, a developer of social games and mobile applications, seeks to temporarily employ the 
Beneficiary as its "Product Manager" under the L-lB nonimmigrant classification for intracompany 
transferees. See Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act) section 10l(a)(l5)(L), 8 U.S.C. 
§ 110l(a)(l5)(L). The L-lB classification allows a corporation or other legal entity (including its 
affiliate or subsidiary) to transfer a qualifying foreign employee with "specialized knowledge" to work 
temporarily in the United States. 
The Director of the California Service Center denied the petition, concluding that the record did not 
establish, as required, that the Beneficiary: (1) possesses specialized knowledge; (2) has been 
employed abroad as a manager or executive, or in a specialized knowledge capacity; and (3) will be 
employed in the United States in a specialized knowledge capacity. 
On appeal, the Petitioner asserts that the Beneficiary has special knowledge of its proprietary cooking 
game series of mobile applications and an advanced knowledge of a proprietary software tool 
that she co-created with one other employee and which is now part of the game design and production 
processes and procedures. The Petitioner explains that the Beneficiary acquired specialized 
knowledge gradually, starting with the foundational knowledge she gained in the course of designing 
and developing the first generation of the cooking game series and continuing as she co-designed and 
developed , which was used to develop two subsequent cooking games and which the Petitioner 
plans to implement in its own design process. The Petitioner states that the Beneficiary will use her 
knowledge of and the game design process to recruit and train employees in the U.S. game 
production division asserting that her role in helping to create Slots makes her uniquely qualified to 
train others in its use and application within the petitioning entity. 
Upon de nova review, we find that the Petitioner has provided sufficient evidence to overcome the 
basis for the denial. Therefore, we will sustain the appeal. 
ORDER: The appeal is sustained. 
Cite as Matter ofZ-Ltd, ID# 2736144 (AAO Mar. 28, 2019)