dismissed O-2 Case: Skiing

U.S.Department of HomelandSecurity
U.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationServices
AdministrativeAppealsOffice(AAO)
20MassachusettsAve.,N.W.,MS2090
identifying data deleted to Washinaton.DC 20529-2090
preventclearlyunwarranted U.S.Citizenship
invasionofpersonalprivacy - and Immigration
Services
PUBLICCOPY
DATE: OCT21 201Í Office: CALIFORNIASERVICECENTER FILE:
IN RE: Petitioner:
Beneficiary:
PETITION: Petitionfor aNonimmigrantWorkerPursuantto Section101(a)(15)(O)(ii)oftheImmigration
andNationalityAct, 8U.S.C.§ 1101(a)(15)(O)(ii)
ONBEHALFOFPETITIONER:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Enclosedpleasefind thedecisionof theAdministrativeAppealsOffice in yourcase.All of thedocuments
relatedto thismatterhavebeenreturnedtotheofficethatoriginallydecidedyourcase.Pleasebeadvisedthat
anyfurtherinquirythatyoumighthaveconcerningyourcasemustbemadetothatoffice.
If you believethe law wasinappropriatelyappliedby us in reachingour decision,or you haveadditional
informationthatyouwishto haveconsidered,youmayfile amotionto reconsideror amotionto reopen.The
specificrequirementsfor filing sucha requestcanbe foundat 8 C.F.R.§ 103.5. All motionsmustbe
submittedto theofficethatoriginallydecidedyourcasebyfiling aFormI-290B,Noticeof Appealor Motion,
with a feeof $630. Pleasebeawarethat 8 C.F.R.§ 103.5(a)(1)(i)requiresthatanymotionmustbefiled
within 30daysof thedecisionthatthemotionseeksto reconsiderorreopen.
Thankyou,
PerryRhew
Chief,AdministrativeAppealsOffice
www.uscus.gov
Page2
DISCUSSION: TheDirector,CaliforniaServiceCenter,deniedthenonimmigrantvisapetition.Thematteris
nowbeforetheAdministrativeAppealsOffice(AAO)onappeal.TheAAOwill dismisstheappeal.
Thepetitionerfiledthenonimmigrantpetitionseekingto classifythebeneficiaryundersection101(a)(15)(O)(ii)
of theIm ' ationandNationalityAct (theAct),8 U.S.C.§ 1101(a)(15)(O)(ii),asanaccompanyingaliento
anathleticcoachwhohasbeengranted0-1 classificationfor employmentwith thepetitioner.
Thepetitioneris theofficial governingbodyfor thesportof skiingin theUnitedStates.Thebeneficiarywas
previouslygranted0-2 classificationasanaccompanyingaliento an0-1 athleticcoachwhohassinceleftthe
petitioner'sorganization.Thepetitionerseeksto amendthebeneficiary'spetitionsothatshecancontinuein her
positiono TeamManageruntiltheexpirationo statusonDecember15,2011.
The directordeniedthe petition,concludingthat the beneficiary,asthe would be
performingdutiesthatareessentialto thepetitioningorganizationasawhole,ratherthanaccompanyingand
assistingin theathleticperformanceof theprincipalO-1aliencoach.Thedirectorfurtherdeterminedthatthe
petitionerdid not submitsufficientevidenceto establishthat the beneficiaryhas had a prior working
relationshipthatis critical andessentialto supporttheO-l's athleticperformanceasa coach. Finally,the
directordeterminedthat,basedontheevidenceof record,thepetitionerfailedto establishthatthebeneficiary
possessescriticalskillsandexperiencewith theO-1alienwhicharenotof a generalnatureandwhicharenot
possessedby aU.S. worker.
The petitionersubsequentlyfiled an appeal. The directordeclinedto treatthe appealas a motionand
forwardedthe appealto the AAO. On appeal,counselemphasizesthat the beneficiary'ssupportof the
principal0-1 visaholder"is essentialandnotreadilyavailablein theUnitedStates."Counselnotesthatthe
beneficiary'sdutiesarenot,in fact,generalin nature,butratherarespecificto theoperationof theUnited
States'mosteliteski andsnowboardteam. Finally,counselassertsthatthebeneficiarypreviouslyheld0-2
statusin asimilarcapacity.Counselsubmitsabriefandadditionalevidencein supportof theappeal.
L TheLaw
Section101(a)(15)(O)(ii)oftheActprovidesclassificationtoaqualifiedalienwho:
(I) seeksto entertheUnitedStatestemporarilyandsolelyforthepurposeof accompanying
andassistingin the artisticor athleticperformanceby analienwho is admittedunder
clause(i) foraspecificeventorevents;
(II) isanintegralpartof suchactualperformance,
(Ill) (a)hascriticalskillsandexperiencewith suchalienwhicharenotof a generalnature
andwhichcannotbeperformedbyotherindividuals. . . .
(IV) hasaforeignresidencewhichthealienhasnointentionof abandoning.
Page3
Theregulationsat8C.F.R.§214.2(o)(4)providethefollowingrequirementsforan0-2 accompanyingalien:
(i) General.An 0-2 accompanyingalienprovidesessentialsupportto an O-l artistor
athlete.SuchaliensmaynotaccompanyO-1aliensin thefieldsof science,businessor
education.Althoughthe O-2 alienmustobtainhis or her own classification,this
classificationdoesnotentitlehimorhertoworkseparateandapartfromtheO-1aliento
whomheor sheprovidessupport.An 0-2 alienmustbepetitionedfor in conjunction
withtheservicesoftheO-1alien.
(ii) Evidentiarycriteriaforqualifyingasan0-2 accompanyingalien-
(A) Alienaccompanyingan0-1 artistorathleteof extraordinaryability.Toqualify
asan0-2 accompanyingalien,thealienmustbecomingto theUnitedStatesto
assistin the performanceof the 0-1 alien,be an integralpartof the actual
performance,andhavecriticalskillsandexperiencewith theO-1alienwhich
arenotof ageneralnatureandwhicharenotpossessedbyaU.S.worker.
* * *
(C) The evidenceshall establishthe currentessentiality,critical skills, and
experienceof the0-2 alienwiththe0-1 alienandthatthealienhassubstantial
experienceperformingthecriticalskillsandessentialsupportservicesfor the
O-1alien.
II. Discussion
Theprimaryissueaddressedbythedirectoris whetherthebeneficiarywill assistin theperformanceof theO-1
alienasanintegralpartof hisathleticperformance,andwhethershehascriticalskillsandsubstantialexperience
performingessentialsupportservicesfor theO-1alien. Thepetitionermustalsoestablishthatthebeneficiary's
skillsarenotof ageneralnatureandcannotbeperformedbyaUnitedStatesworker.
A. ProceduralHistory
The recordshowsthatthepetitionerhasemployedthebeneficiaryasits r in 0-2 statussince
approximatelySeptember2009.Thepetitionerindicatesthatthebeneficiaryworkedforthepetitionerduringthe
2008-2009seasonin H-2Bstatus.It filedtheinstantpetitiononNovember26,2010,andprovidedthefollowing
explanationforthefiling ofanamendedpetition.
wasgrantedan0-1 visato serveas of the
with a validity throughDecember15,2010 The
instantpetitionseeksanamendmentof theO-2statusfor [thebeneficiary]to serveas
TeamManagerin directsupportof [Thebeneficiary]haspreviouslysupported
Page4
in this capacity andthesedutiesarebeingtransferredto
support who hasbeenadmittedin 0-1 status.Shepossessescriticalskillsand
experiencewith thatarenotof ageneralnatureandmustbeperformedbyher.
The petitionersubmittedthe following descriptionof dutiesfor the positionof
Administrative(Team)Responsibilities
• Assisttechnicalheadcoachwiththepresentationofthe1yearand5yearprogramplan.
• Accounting- Processall expensereportsandadvancerequests.
• FinancialForecasting- Manageandpreparemonthlyprojectionandanalysisof operationsbudget
for individualteamsbasedonprojecttemplates.
• Coordinateaspectsof worldwidetravelfor staff,athletesandsupportpersonnelundertheleadership
of theheadcoach.
• Coordinateon-sitelogistics(i.e.credentials,housing,meals,mediaappearances,uniforms)formajor
teamprojectsincluding,WorldChampionships,NationalChampionshipsandOlympics.
• Order,prepareanddistributeteamuniformorders.
• Participatein 1yr and5yr planningincludingbudgets,preparationandcompetitionperiodschedules
and5-yearstrategicplanundertheleadershipof theheadcoach.
• Liaisonbetweennationalteam,equipmentsuppliers,parents,agents,media,eventorganizers,U.S.
OlympicCommitteeand[thepetitioner's]departments.
• WorkwithMedicaltobookDoctorandrotationalATCtravel
• Communicateall informationfromtheofficethatrelatestothe procedureupdates,
updates, updates, ipdates updatesec.
• Annuallycoordinateteamphoto
• entrieswhenappropriate
• Assistinadministrationfor respectivelyintheformof athletesupport
Administrativ
• Follow andproceduresastheyrelatetoadministration.
• Workwit directoron operatingproceduresforTeammanual
• Assistalpinedirectorwithsemi-annualaddendumpresentations
• Annuallyproduceandupdatephonedirectoryforstaff,athletes,andparents
• WeeklyTeamwhere-abouts/campannouncementsforstaff,athletesandparents
• Internalcommunicationwith officeStaff,otherdepartments
• Participateinthefrontdeskdutieswhenrequested
Accordingtothepositionsummary,theposition"existsto provideadministrativeassistanceforthealpinegender
technicalheadcoachto executethealpineprogramfor [thepetitioner]."Thepositionrequiresdirectinteraction
with the technical head coach, other coaches,athletes,parents,sponsorsand other departmentswithin the
petitioningorganization.Thepetitionerindicatesthatthebeneficiarywill beevaluatedby thetechnicalhead
coachfor teamresponsibilitiesandby theAlpineDirectorfor responsibilitiesthatrelateto theorganization.
Page5
Finally, the petitionerindicatesthat the positionrequiresunderstandingof the petitioner'svalues,attentionto
detail,organizationalandleadershipskills,communicationskills,computerproficiency,timemanagementskills,
competencein managinglogisticsfor majorevents,budgetplanningandaccountingexperience,andgeneral
knowledgeof alpineskiracing.
In aletterdatedNovember8,2010,thepetitionerfurtherexplaineditsneedforthebeneficiaryto serveasan0-2
supportalienfortheprincipalO-1coachasfollows:
Theskillsandexperience[thebeneficiary]bringsto ourteamarecriticalto supporttheduties
thatarere iredof O-l visaholder. isan
for the SkiTeam.Hisdutyisresponsibilityfortheathleticsuccess
of ourteamin internationalcompetition,yetthereareadministrativedutiesbeyondthetechnical
sportspecificresponsibilitiesthatalsorequireinternationalexperience.
Thepetitionerprovideda detailedlist of "athletic"and"administrative"responsibilities.The
coach'sadministrativeresponsibilitiesincludeattendingmeetingsattherequestof theorganization,assistingthe
with thedesignandimplementationof theoverall , communicatingwith all
staff,athletesand organizers,preparingindividualevaluationsfor eachathlete,preparingexpense
reportsforeachPreparationPeriodandCompetitionproject,overseeingthecompetitionof individualathletesand
competitiontracking,coordinatingall travelandreservationsfor thestaffandathletesin the preparationand
competitionseason,developingandbroadeningknowledgein , attendingCoachesEducation
seminars,andworkingproactivelywithalldepartmentsoftheorganization.
Thepetitionerexplainedthat"thelogisticaldemandsof the requirecommunicationandinteraction
with 18 eventorganizersduringaseasonincluding28Mraces," andextensivecoordination
for lodging,meals,equipmentstorage,preparationspace,meetingandvideofacilitiesateachrace.Thepetitioner
emphasizedthatthebeneficiarymanagesthesefunctionsin additionto managingtherelationshipbetweenthe
teamandtheeventorganizer.
Finally,thepetitionerdescribedthebeneficiary'sexperienceasfollows:
[The beneficiary]has extensiveexperiencein the areaof event
production,specificallyin theareaof teammanagementandlogistics. [Thebeneficiary]has
workedwith organizersthroughouttheworldincluding
Shehas
workedas an Organizerin 2 differentcountries( andas a NationalTeam
Manager.Herextensivenetworkandknowledgeof thebusinessalongwith herlanguageskills
in Italian,GermanandEnglishmakeheruniquelyqualifiedforthisposition.
Thepetitionerexplainedthatwhilethebeneficiary'scurrent0-2 statuswasbasedon heressentialsupportof
former , whoisnolongerwiththepetitioner,thebeneficiarywouldcontinuetoperform
thesamesupportingdutiesfor coach Thepetitionerconcludedby statingthatthebeneficiaryis
Page6
"criticaltothesuccessof MichaelBranch,"andnotingthattheteam'sathletesare"dependentonproperplanning
andexecutionoftheprogramfor successat
Thepetitionersubmittedapeergroupconsultationletterfrom4 Directorof SportsEducationwiththe
stated:
[Thebeneficiary]hasbeenemployedbytheUnitedStatesSkiTeamsince2009.Shehasworked
withthe bothasateammanagerandasdirectsupportfo
Thisistheposition
shestill currentlyholdsandwhich is beingtransferredto In reviewingher
professionalactivitiesin thismanagercapacity,it is ourpositionthat[thebeneficiary]hasbeena
tremendousassetto the . It is also our position that this job requiresan
alienof extraordinaryabilities.
[Thebeneficiary]hasprovidedprofessionalserviceforthecoachingstaffthatcanonlybefoundat
theveryhighestlevelsintemationally.Herconnectionsin CentralEuropeandherhomenationof
Italy in particular,continueto support in a sportthatfindsits homein the
Europe. Her knowledgeof Europe,languageskills in the alpineskiing
languages,andtravelingontheWorldCupcircuitis invaluabletothestaffandindividualathletes.
Hereducation,practicalexperience,andknowledgeof thesportorganizersaroundtheworld in
alpineskiinghaveelevatedthelevelofthe organizationandasaresulttheprogram.
The petitioneralso submittedrecommendationslettersfrom four individualswho are familiar with the
beneficiary'scredentials,including:(1)
who detailsthe beneficiary'sinternationalalpineeventlogisticsexperienceandstatesthatthe beneficiaryis
"criticalto the successof andthe
organizingcommitteeof the the beneficiary'sformeremployer;(3)
for the organizingcommitteeo
andthebeneficiary'sformersupervisor;and(4)
hosupervisedthebeneficiaryduringthe
TheAAO notesthatnoneof the letters,at leasttwo of which werewritten in 2009andsubmittedin supportof the
beneficiary'spriorO-2visapetition,mention orthebeneficiary'sexperiencewiththeO-1alien.
Thepersonsprovidingrecommendationspraisethebeneficiary'slanguageskills,ability to communicatewith
coaches,teamsandorganizers,herabilitiesin theareaof alpineeventorganizationandteamlogistics,andthe
valueof thesupportsheprovidesto coachesandteams.Thepetitioneralsosubmittedacopyofthebeneficiary's
resume.Thebeneficiarygraduatedfromthe of withadegreein Economicsand
TourismManagementin 2008.Beginningin 2006,shehadinternshipsin and
ventorganization.Sheindicatesthatshe
hasserveda petitionersince2008.
Page7
WithrespecttotheO-l alien, ,thepetitionersubmittedacopyof hisapprovalnoticeauthorizing
0-1 employmentwith thepetitionersinceDecember2008,alongwith apeergroupconsultation,a copyof his
resume,andseveralrecommendationlettersthatwereapparentlysubmittedin supportof his0-1 petitionin 2008.
Theevidenceindicatesthat washiredto serveasthe "Alpineskiingassistantcoachfor speed
disciplines."Priorto his employmentwith the petitioner,he spenthis entirecoachingcareer
Thedirectorissueda requestfor additionalevidence("RFE")onDecember8,2010,in whichsheobservedthat
thebeneficiarydoesnotappearto meetthestatutoryandregulatoryrequirementsforanO-2accompanyingalien.
Thedirectoradvisedthepetitionerthat,basedontheinitialevidence,it doesnotappearthatthebeneficiaryhas
experiencewith thecurrent0-1 alien, or thatherdutiesasAlpineteammanageraredirectly
connectedto theO-1alien. Thedirectorinstructedthepetitionerto submitadditionalevidenceto establishthat
thebeneficiaryis comingto theUnitedStatesto assistin theperformanceof theO-1alienasanintegralpartof
theactualperformance,andthatshehascriticalskillsandexperiencewith theO-1alienwhicharenot of a
generalnatureandwhicharenotpossessedby a U.S.worker.Thedirectoremphasizedthatthepetitionermust
establishthat the beneficiaryhassubstantialexperienceperformingthe critical skills andessentialsupport
servicesfortheO-1alien,
In a lettersubmittedin responseto the RFE,the petitionerexplainedthat "the skills andexperience[the
beneficiary]broughtto ourteamwhilesupporting becamecriticalforthewhole
" Thepetitioneremphasizedthatthebeneficiary,in supporting
"automaticallysupportedtheentire andbecamealsoakeyfactorfortheotherhighelitecoaches
like O1visa."Thepetitionerindicatedtha1 waslastpaidinApril 2010.
Withrespecttothebeneficiary'srelationshipwith peedcoach,the
petitionerstated:
In orderto performin hisjob onitshighest is dependingonthesupport
from[thebeneficiary]whotakesovermanyandveryimportantadministrativedutiessothathe
canfocusonthetechnicalcoachingaspectsof hisposition.Suchadministrativedutiesinclude
logistics and management:asfar as lodging arrangements,transportation,teamentriesto races,
equipmentmovementsand purchases,constantcommunicationwith venuesand
organizersall overEuropeandUSA, creatingtrainingarrangementsat ski areasthroughout
Europe,teamexpensesand budgettracking,uniformorder and distribution,day to day
communicationwith and his athletes,sponsorappearances,anti-dopingtracking,
mediarelationsin Europeanracevenues,communicationwithathletes'families,andmanyother
relatedduties.
The etitionerstatedthatthebeneficiary"takesovera bigjob andthereforetakesoff a big loadoff of
hecanfocusonhismaintask:coaching,eliteathleteforthesuccessofthe
Thepetitionerconcludedbystatingthatit isessentialtotheorganization'ssuccessthatthebeneficiarybeallowed
to support nhiseffortswiththc
Page8
ThedirectordeniedthepetitiononJanuary19,2011,concludingthatthepetitionerdid notprovidesufficient
evidenceto demonstratethatthe beneficiaryis anintegralpartof theO-1alien'sactualperformance,asthe
majorityof thebeneficiary'sdutiesdonotappearto becriticalto theO-1alien'sroleasanathleticcoach.The
directornotedthatthebeneficiary,asteammanager,isexpectedtoassisttheentireteamandnottheO-1principal
exclusively.Moreover,thedirectorobservedthat,accordingtothebeneficiary'spositiondescription,shesupports
theHeadCoach,theteam,andtheorganization,andtheevidenceindicatesthat is not,in fact,the
Thedirectoralsoobservedthat,whencomparing tothebeneficiary'sproposeddutiesasteam
manager,thereisverylittleoverlapbetweenresponsibilities,asthe0-1 alien'sdutiesareprimarilyspecificto his
positionas a coach,whereasthe teammanager'sdutiesaregenerallysupportiveto the ski teamandthe
organization'soperations.Further,thedirectornotedthatthepetitionerhasnotestablishedhowthebeneficiary's
dutiesarenot possessedby othersas it appearsthatthe requirementsanddutiesaregeneraladministrative
functions. The directorconcludedby acknowledgingthatthe beneficiary'sskills andexperiencearelikely
valuabletothefunctionof thepetitioningorganizationasawhole,howeverthepetitionerfailedto establishhow
the beneficiary'sskills andexperiencearebasedon experiencewith the O-1 alien,or why suchskills and
experiencecouldnotbepossessedbyaU.S.worker.
Onappeal,counselforthepetitionerassertsthat"[thebeneficiary's]supportof O-l visaholder,
is essentialandis not readilyavailablein the UnitedStates."Counselemphasizesthatthe beneficiarywas
previouslygranted0-2 statusin a similarcapacityandcontendsthatthedecision"is too restrictivein thatit
characterizesherdutiesasgeneralin natureandnot,astheyare,specificto theoperationof theeliteski and
snowboardteamoftheUnitedStates."
In supportof theappeal,thepetitionersubmitsaletterdatedFebrua 8,2011from
describesthebeneficiaryasoneof "thebest intheworld,"andstates:
[Thebeneficiary]hasbeenessentialin supportingmyperformancein myrolewith
My dutiesin coachingandpreparingmy athletesincludephysicalpreparation,technical
andtacticalanalysisandcoaching,equipmentpreparationandselection,teamandracemeetings,
staffmanagement,industryrelationsandvenuepreparation.Thesedutiesleavemelittletimefor
anyoperationalfunctionsassociatedwithmyperformance.
I am writing this letterto demonstratemy supportfor the 0-2 visa applicationfor [the
beneficiary].[She]is in thehighestechelonof Alpineteamcoordinatorsin theworldandis a
coordinatorof extraordinaryability. [Thebeneficiary]hassupportedmethroughoutmuchof my
career,and without [her] support- includinglanguageexpertise,local knowledgeof the
primarily ircuit,abilityto liaison[sic]withtheleadersof
in thein the[sic] U.S.,andlongstandingrelationshipswith thefunctionarieswithin all of the
WorldCuporganizingcommitteesandskiindustrycompanies,- I wouldnotbeableto erform
my dutiesto theirfullestandexecutemyperformance.Asanexpertin thesportof
Page9
racing,I believethattheU.S.programwill greatlybenefitfromtheuniqueskillspossessedby
[thebeneficiary].
Theworldof isrelativelysmallandthenumberof excellent
coordinatorsisevensmaller.Fewintheworldpossesstheskills[thebeneficiary]does.
The petitioneralso submitsa letterfrom
verifiesthat"ateammanagerisanessentialsupportpositionto a coach."He
explainsthat coachhaslittleto notimeto dealwith logisticalmatterswhentravelingwithateam,
andthat,withoutanexperiencedteammanager,acoachwouldbeunableto completelyfulfill hisobligationsto
theteam.
B. Discussion
Afteracarefulreviewoftherecord,it mustbeconcludedthatthepetitionerhasfailedtomeetitsburdenof proof.
In orderto establishthebeneficiary'seligibility,thepetitionermust,in part,establishthatthebeneficiaryhas
substantialexperienceperformingcriticalskillsandessentialsupportservicesfor the O-l alien. 8 C.F.R.§
214.2(o)(4)(ii)(C).TheO-1alien , hasworkedfor thepetitionerin theUnitedStatesin 0-1
statussinceapproximatelyApril 2009andthepetitionerhasnotclaimedthatthebeneficiaryworkedwith him
priorto hisarrivalin theUnitedStates.Thebeneficiarywasauthorizedfor employmentwith thepetitioning
organizationin H-2BstatusfromOctober1,2008untilMa 15,2009.ShewasfirstadmittedtotheUnitedStates
asanaccompanyingaliento0-1 visaholder in October2009,and leftthepetitioner's
employin April 2010.Whileit appearsthatthebeneficiarywasin theUnitedStatesatthetimethepetitionwas
filed in November2010,theO-2classificationdidnotentitleherto workseparateandapartfromthe0-1 alien,
towhomsheprovidedsupport.See8C.F.R.§214.2(o)(4)(i).
Thebeneficiary'sjob descriptionindicatesthattheteammanagerpositionprovidesadministrativeassistancefor
thealpineheadcoachandtheal inedirector.While heldaheadcoachingposition,thepetitionerhas
not establishedthat ccupiesthe sameposition. Rather it is likely that was in fact
replacedbyanotherheadcoach.i
Whilethereis nodoubtthat is animportantmemberof thepetitioner'sW coachingstaff,the
recorddoesnotsupportthatthebeneficiarydirectlyandspecificallysupportshisdutiesin herpositionas
thatsheis anintegralpartof theactualperformanceof hisduties,or thatshehastherequired
criticalskillsandexperiencewith We acknowledgethat stateson appealthatthe
beneficiary"hassupportedmethroughoutmuchofmycareer."However,therecordshowstha spent
hisentirecoachingcareer,throughApril 2009,in Australia,acountryin whichthebeneficiaryhasneverworked.
It is incumbentuponthe petitionerto resolveany inconsistenciesin the recordby independentobjective
A reviewof thepetitioner'swebsiteindicatesthatall three teamheadcoachesfor the2011-12
seasonareAmericans,andtherefore,not O-l visa holders. SeeThe Official Siteof the
Page10
evidence.Any attemptto explainor reconcilesuchinconsistencieswill not sufficeunlessthe petitioner
submitscompetentobjectiveevidencepointingto wherethetruthlies. MatterofHo, 19I&N Dec.582,591-
92(BIA 1988).
Thebeneficiaryis clearlyrequiredto interactwith variouscoaches,athletes,andothersupportpersonneland
externalpartiesin hercapacityasteammanagerandhaslikel workedwith in somecapacityduring
herauthorizedperiodof O-2employmentin support However,thepetitionermustestablishthat
thebeneficiaryassistsin theperformanceoftheO-1alien,isanintegralpartof hisactualathleticperformanceas
acoach,andhascriticalskillsandexperiencewhicharenotof ageneralnatureandwhicharenotpossessedbya
U.S.worker. 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(o)(4)(ii)(A).The petitionermustalsoestablishthroughevidencethatthe
beneficiaryhassubstantialexperienceperformingcriticalskillsandessentialsupportservicesfor , as
requiredby 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(o)(4)(ii)(C).TheAAO agreeswiththedirector'sconclusionthatthisburdenhas
notbeenmet.
Thepetitionerinitiallydescribedthebeneficiary'sskillsandexperienceasincluding"extensiveexperienceinthe
areaof eventproduction"aswell asteammanagement,logistics."Thepetitioneralso
emphasizedthebeneficiary'snetworkof contacts,knowledgeof thesport .andlanguageskills.
Thepetitionerdidnotaddresstheseskillsin relationtothebeneficiary'ssupportrelationshipwiththe0-1 alien,
explainwhytherearenoavailableU.S.workerswhopossesssimilarknowledgeandskills,ordescribehowthese
skills areessentialto athleticperformanceasa coach.
Althoughthepetitionersubmitteda peerconsultationletterfro
the letterdoesnot addressthe beneficiary'sprior workingrelationshipwith the 0-1 alien.
indicatesthat the beneficiaryis "a tremendousassetto but doesnot describethe
beneficiary'sessentialityto andworkingrelationshipwith theO-1athleticcoachor discusswhetherthereare
availableU.S.workerswhocanperformthesupportservices,pursuanttotheconsultationrequirementsfor 0-
2 accompanyingaliensas setforth at 8 C.F.R.§ 214.2(o)(S)(iv).Furthermore, spokeof the
beneficiary'sknowledgeandskillsin similarlybroadterms,notingthather"knowledgeof Europe,"language
skillsandeducationareinvaluabletothestaffandindividualathletes.Suchattributesandskillswouldreasonably
beclassifiedasgeneralin nature,ratherthanskillsthatarespecificto andintegralto theperformanceof Coach
Suchconclusionissupportedbythepetitioner'sstatedrequirementsforthebeneficiary'sposition,whichinclude
a Bachelor'sdegreein economicsor management,attentionto detail, initiative, organizationalskills,
communicationskills,timemanagementskills,budgetplanningandaccountingexperience,logisticsexperience
for majorevents,computerproficiencyand"generalknowledgeof alpineracing." Thepositionrequiresno
specificexperiencewithanyonegivencoachorevenanyteammanagementexperience,andthebeneficiarywas
hiredaftercompletinginternshipsthatexposedherto theorganization alpineevents.Thefour
recommendationletterssubmittedin supportof thepetitionconfirmthatthebeneficiarypossessestheseskillsand
attributes,butalsofailtoaddressthebeneficiary'sessentialskillsandworkingrelationshipwith and,
in fact,do not evenmentionhis name. Goingon recordwithoutsupportingdocumentaryevidenceis not
sufficientfor purposesof meetingtheburdenof proofin theseproceedings.MatterofSoffici, 22 I&N Dec.
Pagel1
158,165(Comm.1998)(citing Matter of TreasureCraft of California, 14 I&N Dec. 190(Reg.Comm.
1972)).
Whenaskedto provideadditionalevidenceof the beneficiary'scritical skills andher experienceproviding
essentialsupportservicesfortheO-l alien,thepetitionerstatedthatthebeneficiary"takesovermanyandvery
importantpiecesof his administrativedutiessothat he canfocuson the technicalcoachingaspectsof his
position."Asnotedbythedirector,whencomparingthedetailedpositiondescriptionsprovidedfor
andforthebeneficiary,thereislittleoverlapbetweentheirassignedadministrativeduties.Thebeneficiaryisnot
claimedto provideanyassistancespecificto primaryathleticcoachingresponsibilities.Theteam
managerandtheteam'scoacheshavedifferentresponsibilitiesanddifferentpurposes,andthepetitionerhasnot
establishedthattheteammanageris an essentialsupportpositionfor any onecoach,suchthatan elite level coach
istypicallyhiredalongwithateammanagerwithwhomheorshehasanexistingrelationship.Infact,it appears
thatthebeneficiarywashiredfor thepositionof priorto either
withthepetitioningorganization.
Asnotedbythedirector,theteammanagerisclearlyintegraltothesuccessfuloperationof anelitelevelnational
skiteam.Therecorddoesnotdemonstrate,however,thatthedutiesof thepositionareassistiveto,supportiveof,
or integraltotheathleticperformanceof in hiscapacityas While
the beneficiarygainedsomeexperienceasan internin organizing thepetitionerhasnot
establishedthattheskillsrequiredfor thepositionarenotof a generalnatureor addressedwhysuchskillsand
dutiescouldnot beperformedby a U.S.worker. Thefactthatthebeneficiaryandthe0-1 alienmayhave
successfullyworkedfor6 for severalmonthsasteammanagerandspeedcoach,
respectively,duringthebeneficiary'sauthorizedperiodof employmentasasupportalienfortheheadcoach,does
not establishtheexistenceof the requiredessentialsupportrelationshipbetweenthesetwo individuals.The
petitionerhasfailedtoestablishthecriticalelementof eligibility- thatthebeneficiarypossessescriticalskillsthat
areintegraltothecoach'sactualathleticperformance.
Basedontheforegoingdiscussion,weconcurwith thedirector'sfindingsthatthepetitionerfailedto establish
thatthebeneficiaryis anintegralpartof performanceasa ski coach,or thatshehascritical
skillsandexperiencewith thatarenotof ageneralnatureandwhichcannotbeperformedby aU.S.
worker.
Thefactthatthebeneficiarypreviouslyheld0-2 status"in a similarcapacity"is irrelevant,giventhatan0-2
alienmustbepetitionedfor in conjunctionwiththeservicesof anindividual0-1 alienandis basedontheO-2
alien'ssubstantialexperienceperformingessentialsupportservicesfor onespecificO-1alien. If thepetitioner
seeksto amendthepetitionto allowtheO-2aliento workin anessentialsupportcapacitywith a different0-1
alien,it mustonceagainestablishtheexistenceof therequiredworkingrelationshipbetweentheO-2beneficiary
andthenewO-1alien.Eachnonimmigrantpetitionfiling is aseparateproceedingwith aseparaterecordanda
separateburdenof proof. See8 C.F.R.§ 103.8(d).In makingadeterminationof statutoryeligibility, USCIS
is limitedto theinformationcontainedin thatindividualrecordof proceeding.See8C.F.R.§ 103.2(b)(16)(ii).
The beneficiaryis clearlya skilledandhighly valuedteammanagerwho is undoubtedlyan assetto the
petitioner'sorganizationan , itscoachesanditsathletes.Thedenialofthispetitioniswithout
Page12
prejudicetothefiling of anewpetitionbythepetitionerin anappropriatevisaclassification,accompaniedbythe
appropriatesupportingevidenceandfee.
In visapetitionproceedings,theburdenof provingeligibility for thebenefitsoughtremainsentirelywith the
petitioner.Section291of theAct, 8 U.S.C.§ 1361.Here,thatburdenhasnotbeenmet.
ORDER: Theappealis dismissed.