Participation As A Judge As Evidence Of Extraordinary Ability
I. PARTICIPATION AS A JUDGE AS EVIDENCE OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY
A. The Judgeship Requirements
To use judgeship as evidence of extraordinary ability, there are two major conditions as defined by AAO.
1. Judge members of same profession in the same field
First, the person must judge others in the same field. By “others,” USCIS means that the participants being judged must be regular members of the profession, and not students or some less accomplished groups. According to AAO, it is not enough to be a judge of student competitions or an article reviewer for student publications. As for the meaning of “same field,” AAO means that the judgeship must be in the same field as the person’s own field of extraordinary ability.
2. Selection to the judgeship must indicate national or international acclaim
The second requirement is that the selection to the judgeship must indicate national or international acclaim. This can be proved if the competition or the publication being judged is known nationally or internationally. It is of no use to serve as a judge for a local competition or publication. In re: Petitioner, Lin-00-263-53123 (AAO).
Peer reviewer of national journals is also judgeship, but AAO specifically said that peer reviews are routine and that not every peer reviewer has sustained national or international acclaim. To prove the necessary acclaim for a peer reviewer, USCIS demands to see a large number of reviews, elite invitation, and/or significant positions for distinguished publications. In re: Petitioner, EAC-00-053-50381 (AAO).
B. Judgeship for Job Duty Is Treated Differently
If serving the judgeship is part of the duty of the person’s occupation, such as a coach, instructor, professor or editor, then simply performing his or her own job is not evidence of national or international acclaim. The person must demonstrate that he or she attained the judgeship as a result of his or her sustained national or international acclaim.
C. Conclusion
A person cannot establish eligibility in this category simply by submitting evidence of having judged others. The judgeship evidence must indicate national or international acclaim.