Is a fat file good to send to USCIS when filing for an
Immigration benefit?
It is not necessarily the amount of evidence but the quality
of evidence that matters during the adjudication process. Submission of irrelevant and outdated
information may make a file fat but unconvincing. A USCIS officer does not have a significant
amount of time to review a file. It is
best to earn the respect of the adjudicator with well documented assertions
that are on point. Repeating the
regulations in an expert opinion letter is usually not persuasive. For example, reciting that an applicant “is
extraordinary in the Design field because of XYZ award and here is a list of
all the awards with photos” is not convincing even if the list fills a book. Be precise. Respond with quality information
from respected sources. List only the most relevant and prestigious awards. Then provide evidence concerning the award
itself. How many people win this
award? What is the pool of
applicants? Did the applicant enter to
win the award or was he or she nominated by a peer review system? If so, what is the peer review process? How long does it take? How many times a year is the award
granted? Is it National or International
in scope or just a regional/local award?
What type of news coverage is associated with the award? Is it televised, streamed, written up in a newspaper
by a staff writer or just a blog? What
is the readership and/or viewership? Was
there an award ceremony and if so, how many people attended? Who are the past recipients of the award?
As you can see, it is best not to send a pile of paper to
USCIS hoping that the adjudicator can “figure it all out” and if need be, do
additional research. He or she will not
do that but instead will send a request for additional evidence or a notice of intent
to deny. Be careful of filing an
immigration file with extraneous and meaningless information to make it look
convincing. It is “what’s inside” that matters.
Well documented assertions are the name of the game, especially in this
rapidly changing immigration environment.